Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Sustainability: Integrating People, Planet, and Profit

Our August session of D&I in the Workplace will discuss Sustainability: Integrating People, Planet, and Profit. Sustainability is no longer a choice, but a necessity. As we navigate the complexities of the modern world, it evident that our actions have a profound impact on the planet and its inhabitants. To be precise, the heart of sustainability is nothing but: People, Planet, and Profit. We welcome you all to this virtual session where we discuss all these three aspects in depth with inputs from our amazing speakers.

This series is designed by Diversify to center Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace. We look forward to seeing you!

This event is FREE to attend and will be held digitally. Please register below to receive the Zoom link.

Speakers

Chisom Udeze (She/Her), Economist & Founder of Diversify

Chisom is a dynamic force in the professional world, making a profound impact through her multifaceted roles. An Economist, Strategist, Investor and Founder, Chisom leads with vision and precision. She is at the helm of several impact-driven companies, setting and implementing strategic visions that foster positive change and drive exceptional growth. With nearly two decades of leadership experience in critical business roles, she has a proven track record of spearheading organizational transformation, boosting revenue, and achieving sustainable impact. Chisom excels in building robust relationships with diverse stakeholders, thrives on data analysis, and is deeply invested in exploring the intricate relationships between human behavior, societal culture, resources, technology, and economic outputs. She has a remarkable ability to demystify complex systems, interpret data, forecast socio-cultural and economic trends, and seamlessly integrate research with practice. Having lived and worked in seven countries across three continents, Chisom delivers impactful solutions to a global clientele. Her expertise is sought after by prestigious institutions such as the European Commission, the United Nations, ExxonMobil, The Economist Group, and Boston Consulting Group. She offers top-tier consulting services across various sectors, including maritime, energy, governance, finance, investment, manufacturing, public policy, and human resources.

As the founder of Diversify, Diversify Consult, and HerSpace, Chisom and her team operate at the intersection of democracy, sustainability, justice, belonging, productivity and research. They collaborate with companies, institutions, governments, and NGOs to craft sustainable strategies and embed data-driven initiatives in workplaces and communities. In 2022, they launched the Diversify Nordics Summit, the premier conference for leadership, innovation, and sustainable change in the Nordics and Europe, attracting leaders and professionals from diverse industries and backgrounds.

HerSpace, established in 2020, is an inclusive co-creation community for all genders, with a focus on women and non-binary individuals. In 2022, Chisom introduced HerTech, a six-month incubator dedicated to supporting and investing in underestimated women and non-binary founders of tech-enabled businesses. A thought leader in economics, leadership, entrepreneurship, resource allocation, workplace productivity, inclusion, and belonging, Chisom is also a passionate advocate for mental health and well-being. She enjoys tennis, sunny days, reading and writing. Some of her works have been published on Forbes.

 Heidi Pech, An independent DEI advisor, speaker and consultant

Heidi Pech is an independent DEI advisor, speaker and consultant. She supports her clients on their DEI journeys by offering sparring and mentoring for those who are in Head of DEI or similar roles within their organisations. As a sparring partner she draws from her professional experience to offer practical advice and support in solving the key challenges with her clients, but acts also as a mental support in a role that can often be quite lonely. Heidi is also a sought-after speaker, and has delivered over 50 keynotes on topics such as strategic DEI development, inclusive leadership, the role of data in DEI work, and DEI in talent acquisition.

Heidi previously worked as Head of DEI at Futurice, doing pioneer work as one of the first in-house DEI leaders in Finland. She built and executed an award-winning DEI strategy and spearheaded culture change towards a more inclusive and equitable company. This is when she found her sense of purpose and true professional calling in DEI. She realised that she wants to apply her first hand experience and learnings to make a wider impact in society, and therefore founded her business to be able to help a larger number of organisations become more inclusive.Before diving into the world of DEI, Heidi immersed herself in various areas of HR over the last 20 years, always with a focus on development in her roles. She has a solid background in employer branding, talent acquisition, organisational culture, learning and leadership development from diverse business sectors both in Finland and abroad.Currently Heidi is able to take a few more sparring clients and is available for speaking opportunities. If you are interested in exploring sparring packages or keynote options with Heidi, you can reach her at  and her website  www.heidipech.com. Connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidipech/.

Stine Rebekka Aksnes, CEO of cChange

Stine Rebekka Aksnes is the CEO of cChange, a strategic consultancy founded in research, working holistically and transdisciplinary to support private and public sector reaching their sustainability goals.Previously, Stine served as the Director of Sustainability at Sopra Steria, where she was responsible for developing, implementing, and reporting on the company’s overall sustainability strategy. She also holds several board positions, including Oslo Venstre and Oslo Inklusive, whose mission is to foster inclusive cultural spaces to drive social impact in local communities.Stine’s career includes a range of consultancy and managerial roles in sustainability and corporate communications at firms such as Grant Thornton, Telenor Norge, First House, Eksfin, Gambit Hill & Knowlton, and Finans Norge. Her expertise lies at the intersection of sustainability, strategy, and corporate communications.

Kenny Fredsted, Vice President of Development Sustainable Business, Novo Nordisk

Kenny Fredsted is the Vice President of Sustainable Business in Novo Nordisk, Development, responsible for the employee experiences across 3 global sites and more than 5.000 employees.
Integrating sustainability and DIE&B with global footprint and office designs, enables a unique opportunity to shape world class work places.Having worked across the value chain in Novo Nordisk, Kenny has a broad business insight, strong communication and strategic mindset and a passion for experimenting with new ways of working.
He often challenges status quo to find the root causes of problems and has a creative approach to designing new business processes. His core belief is that diversity enables businesses to grow and develop, and inclusive colleagueship is the best way to shape sustainable work places.