Concave Leadership Roundtable: A New DEI Playbook
A Dialogue on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Reframing Inclusion in the Workplace: Co-building a new narrative for sustained impact
DEI is being tested. In many organisations, the recent backlash has not created new resistance so much as revealed old uncertainty: colleagues who never fully understood the “why", leaders who see DEI as niche, and stakeholders who believe it is a win-lose proposition. If you are responsible for building a fairer workplace, you do not need another half day of polished case studies and vendor pitches.
You need a room where people tell the messy truth, pressure test what is and is not working, and leave with new approaches and strategies you can put into action straight away.
This gathering seeks to explore why our DEI work was so easily dismantled and how we might reframe the existing narrative to connect, inspire, and engage everyone around our still very valid mission of a fairer workplace for all.
The aim is simple: create new knowledge together, build a shared playbook for this moment, and strengthen each other’s confidence and capability to keep momentum going.
Through shared dialogue and co-creation, participants will surface new frameworks that reflect the evolving complexity of workplace cultures and their impact on societal shifts.
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Purpose
We are convening a cross-sector group of expert contributors from adjacent disciplines across leadership, practitioners, campaigners, communicators, and design thinkers to re-examine and reshape the language of inclusion. A half-day roundtable where the emphasis is on problem-solving, not presenting.
Tiernan has helped lead the first two political campaigns in the world to pass marriage equality by a public vote. He was the Executive Director of The Equality Campaign, the Yes campaign for marriage equality in Australia, the Political Director of Yes Equality, the marriage equality campaign during the referendum in Ireland. He has worked extensively in politics in Ireland and Australia.
Tiernan was the Director of Inclusion for Clifford Chance and continues to advise them and others on navigating strategic chance and equality.
Helen (She/her/hers) has extensive expertise in designing and running successful DEI programmes for multinational organisations across Asia, Europe and the Americas. As the founder and CEO of INCLUDE Consulting, she has worked with organisations such as Standard Chartered Bank, Criteo, Warner Brothers, AIIB, CGAIR, CMS, World Food Program, Airbnb, and JLL.
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Format and Flow
9:30. Registration
09:45. Breakfast and Welcome Circle – Introductions and icebreaker
10:30. Provocations – Sharings offering distinct perspective and challenges
11:00. Reflection - Where did we go wrong? What did we get right?
11:30. Reflection feedback - Present insights
11:50. Lunch
12:30. Collaborative Roundtable – Explore what it means to rewrite the narrative / language around DEI to engage, inspire and motivate everyone in our workplaces to join our campaign for fairer workplaces
13:30. Reflection and Sharing – Present reimagined language and frameworks
13:50. Closing and Commitments – Participants articulate one word or idea they’ll carry forward.
14:00. Session Wrap. Networking - Filtered coffee & tea
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Expected Outcomes
Creating a new network of positive campaigners for change, fostering collaboration beyond the event
Capturing emerging narrative, ideas, and frameworks
Gain insights, content and data points to build towards open source whitepapers
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Light breakfast - served sharing style
Pastry Selection
Greek (v) yoghurt, granola
Fruit salad (pb)
Light lunch - served sharing style
BLT, sourdough
Avocado, rocket pesto, focaccia (pb)
Caesar salad, chopped salad, fries
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Tickets sold are non-refundable. Exceptions towards future ticket credit is explorable.