Leading Diversity Expert at JD Sport Shares Insights On Business But Better Podcast

Retailers must be honest and upfront about where the are on their equality, diversity & inclusion (ED&I) journey and focus on long-term measurable strategies, says a leading industry expert.

Speaking on the latest edition of Irwin Mitchell’s ‘Business But Better’ podcast, Ebony Quow, Lead People Partner at retailer JD Sport, says some businesses in the sector are falling into the trap of focussing on quicker results when it comes to diversity & inclusion, adding that this will not ultimately lead to organisational change.

Ebony, who is also an Advisory Board Member of Diversity in Retail, says: “I think it's an incredibly tough market out there at the moment and sometimes organisations aren’t honest and upfront about where they are in their journey. This can lead to focusing too much on those quicker results and not on long-term, measurable, strategies that do really lead to that change in terms of ED&I.

“Retailers should own where they’re at and then try to use data, use their employee resource groups and really start to build a strategic, measurable strategy.”

Ebony highlights the benefits of an effective strategy and points out that there’s a lot to gain for retailers.

“We've seen lots around the data from ED&I strategies leading to productivity in teams, greater collaboration and greater profitability. But I think something to call out as a huge benefit is the ability to tap into lots of talent, probably that's been untapped previously.

“If we think about Gen Z, they want to work for organisations that are equitable and have equitable strategies. Gen Z is soon going to make up 25% of the workforce so there is a huge benefit to organisations to be able to tap into that talent of the future.”

Ebony adds that buy-in from the retailer’s senior management team is also vital:

“When ED&I is done well it has Board level support. This championing and commitment to can help the ED&I strategy reflect the wider business values and the wider business strategy. That's where I've seen meaningful change in the sector.”

The podcast was hosted by Irwin Mitchell partner and Head of its Retail, Leisure & Hospitality sector group, Charlotte Rees-John. She was joined by William Noel-Flint, Irwin Mitchell’s Diversity & Inclusion Manager.

Irwin Mitchell’s Business But Better podcast is available on all major apps including Apple Podcasts, Captivate.FM, Spotify, and YouTube