Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Mental Health

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace is imperative for a sustainable, competitive and innovative company and society at large. Diversity also goes beyond the outward perception of a company – it includes how the internal structures work and signal the value systems of an organization’s management or leadership team.

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

In October, together with Diversify and Nordic Talks, we are discussing the topic of “Mental Health: Creating and Enabling Environment for Change.”

The speakers for this session are:

• Chisom Udeze (She/Her), DEIB Strategist & Founder of Diversify and HerSpace
• Ama Afrifa-Tchie (She/Her), Global DEI Specialist Adviser, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
• Wenche Fredriksen (She/Her), SVP Head of Inclusion & Diversity at DNB
• Miguel Leyva S. (He/Him), Research Analyst and DEI Associate at Diversify

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

Speakers:

Chisom Udeze (She/Her) | DEIB Strategist & Founder of Diversify and HerSpace

Chisom is an Economist, a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Strategist, and a 3 times founder of impact driven companies. She has over 14 years of experience working with organizations like the European Commission, The United Nations, ExxonMobil and The Economist Group. Chisom is analytical and a data enthusiast. She is passionate about interrogating the cross-sectoral relationship between society’s inhabitants, resources, production, technology, distribution and output. She efficiently and effectively unlocks complex systems, interprets data, forecasts socio-economic trends and conducts research.

Having lived and worked in 7 countries across 3 continents, she is highly adaptable to different circumstances and people, and thrives in uncertain environments.

As the founder of Diversify and Diversify Consult, Chisom and her team work with companies, institutions, governments and civil society to develop sustainable DEIB strategies and embed measurable diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace and society. In addition, in 2022, Diversify launched the Diversify Nordics Summit, the largest conference in the Nordics that gathers cross-sectoral stakeholders to amplify DEIB in the Nordics and beyond.

In 2020, she founded HerSpace, a diverse and inclusive co-creation community for all genders, with particular focus on women and non-binary people. In 2022, HerSpace launched HerTech, Women in Tech incubator, for women-led companies, with a focus on the inclusion of diverse founders.

Chisom is a thought-leader in DEIB and a passionate advocate for mental health and wellness. She writes often on DEIB and justice related topics, some of her work is published on Forbes.

Ama Afrifa-Tchie (She/Her) | Global DEI Specialist Adviser, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) | Culture & Inclusion | People Experience & Engagement Specialist, The Inclusion Agilist

Ama Afrifa-Tchie is a valiant cultural builder, whose specialism spans across people experience, workplace culture, diversity & inclusion, mental health and wellbeing and corporate responsibility. She is experienced in leading the design, analysis, and implementation of people-centric products/services, inclusion & wellbeing initiatives.

She works with senior leadership, management teams, and employee engagement to; embed and integrate organisational culture through behaviour, processes and systems, and seeks to promote a positive, inclusive, supportive work environment and company culture by developing and evolving programmes and initiatives that support the organisation’s mission and values.

As Global DEI specialist Adviser for NRC, she is responsible for leading NRC’s work to become an even more inclusive and diverse organisation and is responsible for defining and implementing policies and measures to promote and embed an organisational culture that embraces and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in NRC. This includes designing, creating and implementing plans to promote diversity and inclusion within the organisation and to ensure a common understanding amongst managers and employees about what diversity, equity and inclusion mean throughout NRC’s country and regional offices, representative offices and at the Head Office.

Ama has built her career and expertise (over 15 years ‘experience) within different industries such as – start-ups, tech, professional services, legal, financial services, media & entertainment. She is the founder of The Inclusion Agilist (a culture and inclusion consultancy).

Ama has an LLB in Law and a MA in Public Relations and Public Communications. She is a Fellow of The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce UK.

As well as serving on MAC-UK’s Board of Trustees as vice-chair, she is also a Governor on the Board of The Boxing Academy. Previous Board roles also include former Mentoring Chair of Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WITC UK), and Trustee Board member at Artswork.

Ama’s passions and interests include travelling, fitness, outdoors activities, theatre and movies, animation, and interior decor. She is an avid foodie and loves spending time with her family and socialising with friends.

Find her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ama-afrifa-tchie-frsa-9291864/

Wenche Fredriksen (She/Her) | SVP Head of Inclusion & Diversity at DNB

Wenche Fredriksen is the Head of Inclusion & Diversity and at DNB. She has worked at Accenture for 30 years, having roles within consulting, HR and as Nordic Inclusion & Diversity Lead for many years. Wenche is an inspirational storyteller who actively uses her life experiences to open people’s hearts and minds, and to build a more diverse and inclusive world.

Miguel Leyva S. (He/Him) | Research Analyst and DEI Associate at Diversify 

Miguel is a psychologist by profession with experience in social programmes development and work with marginalized communities in Mexico. He is passionate about social justice, cross-cultural interactions and migration, for which he is pursuing further studies in social and cultural psychology at the University of Oslo. At Diversify he supports in development and analysis of DEIB surveys, initiatives and workshops.