Champions of Change – Charities Leadership Dinner

The Berwick Partners Not for Profit Practice held its second Charity Leaders dinner in a week on Wednesday 29th March at our Cannon Street office. Against the back drop of St. Paul’s Cathedral twenty CEO’s and Executive Directors came together for an evening of conversation and debate to discuss the topic of Inclusion and Diversity in the Charity sector.

Ruth Hunt, CEO of Stonewall led the discussion delivering her thoughts and views on the subject in what was an incredibly eloquent, thoughtful and at times provocative speech.

The response from the assembled group was extremely mixed with a number of individuals firmly agreeing with Ruth’s views but a number not sharing her opinions. This created some spirited debate around the table; clearly people are passionate about this subject.

Some felt that the third sector had firmly embraced the notion of diversity and were trend setters in many ways. Others felt that the charity sector is firmly behind the curve and not reflective of the people and society it served. There was a view amongst some that the commercial world and public sector had more readily embraced the notion of diversity and inclusion in their businesses and organisations.

The debate saw contributions from many in the room, and despite some varying opinions, it was clear that all agree diversity and inclusion is essential to ensure the prosperity of the Charity sector.