Your journey and your story are at the heart of my EDI candidacy

My mission is to ensure CJBS truly honours who you are and all that you come with.

My "why" is rooted in a commitment to fairness and equity, especially in the workplace. As leaders, I envision us becoming EDI champions in our respective spaces. Through the EDI rep role, I hope to elevate our learning and create more inclusive experiences at CJBS and beyond.

As you explore this page, the content deepens progressively. Consider the "Overview" as your quick snapshot (or TL;DR). Dive into the next sections to uncover my drive, qualifications and a comprehensive blueprint (strategy + tactics + timing) for executing the EDI role.

Voting opens Monday, 16 October 00:00 BST and closes Wednesday, 18 October, 00:00 BST.

(4 minute read)
Dear EMBA ‘23 Colleagues: Putting pen to paper for a heartfelt pledge. As I step into the EDI race, here's my personal promise and vision. This is our belonging journey together towards a CJBS for all.

Overview: Lee for EDI Rep

(2 minute read)

Creating spaces that work for all isn't just a noble goal; it's my personal and professional mission. As your EDI representative, I see my role as a key that unlocks fair and equitable systems. And collectively, we are the vehicles of this change.

Here's a snapshot on how we can achieve this through the EDI rep role:

  • Championing Inclusivity for Your Experience: I'm dedicated to ensuring our classroom and business school experience respond to the diverse backgrounds and needs of our community. I'll start with sourcing your feedback and needs assessment, then shepherding dialogues between our cohort, CJBS and all student reps.

  • Enabling you as Future EDI Allies and Advocates: By creating targeted resources and curating up-skilling opportunities, I aim to transform each one of us into EDI champions in our respective workplaces. To kickstart this, I've already secured workshops from EDI leaders for our EMBA programme.

  • Preserving and protecting CJBS’ recent EDI Successes: I'm dedicated to upholding our successes, like the noteworthy rise in women's EMBA enrolment and development of the code of conduct, while identifying further growth areas.

My Story:
The What to My Why

Strategy Blueprint

  • Concentric circles of change (you+CJBS+community)

    Central to this strategy is fostering personal development while simultaneously elevating the standards and culture at CJBS. This work will be done in collaboration with the CJBS EMBA Programme Directors, EDI Manager, EDI EMBA ‘22 Rep and EMBA ‘23 Class Reps.

    (7 minute read for all strategy blueprint content)

  • A focus on YOU

    Strategic focus: Personal Development

    At the heart of this initiative is YOU. I aim to enable us to become effective allies and advocates for EDI. It's more than just awareness—it's about cultivating an environment where everyone has the liberty to learn, make mistakes, evolve, and enhance their EDI skill set. The objective? Facilitating meaningful conversations, fostering positive interrelationships, and molding each one of us into proactive change agents as we co-exist between CJBS and the wider world.

    Tactics

    Workshops: Virtual sessions with leading industry figures to provide insights and perspectives covering topics like self-awareness, allyship and understanding micro aggressions.

    Practical Resources: Tailored resources, like precise language (ex., EDI or DEI?!) guide and curated reading materials, to promote clear and inclusive communication and increase EDI knowledge.

    Wellbeing Collaboration: Partnering with Cambridge's mental wellbeing resources to strengthen resilience during this transformative journey. A special call out will be placed on addressing the pronounced mental health challenges faced by historically marginalised groups and destigmatising mental health given cultural considerations.

    Timing: An average of one virtual seminar per term starting in the Lent term (February 2024).

  • A focus on our school environment

    Strategic Focus: Elevating our Environment

    You’re in, now what? As your dedicated EDI rep, my key focus is to build a school environment that exemplifies inclusivity at every turn.

    The primary aim is to ensure that as we grow and learn, we also uplift our CJBS staff, fostering continuous EDI learning.

    Tactics

    Defining Principles and Assessing Needs: By collating themes and garnering feedback, we’ll understand what matters most to you. This data will be critical in tailoring EDI initiatives and inform how we can best utilise a “student committee” model, identify our EDI operating principles and further evolve the existing EDI course.

    Building on Foundations & Partnerships: Past efforts are a stepping stone. We'll continue to iterate on the good work already in place and integrate insights from the EMBA 2022's EDI efforts that led to the increased representation of women and development of the code of conduct.

    Ensuring Accessibility: From physical access points to features like captioning and leveraging recordings, we'll strive to make CJBS accessible to everyone.

    Optimising Classroom Experience: Offering diverse materials to ensure the learning experience is inclusive.
    Examples: Providing non-redacted slides ahead of visits; multiple entry points to learn (supplemental simplified materials); checklist for professors to maximise inclusive experiences and promote greater cultural competence; navigate any open issues regarding religious holidays.

    Timing: Throughout the tenure — conducting an initial assessment this term and calibrating on priorities as we go.

  • A focus on unity with our community

    Strategic Focus: Bi-directional Engagement

    We are part of a vibrant community that thrives on interaction and shared experiences. To maximise the impact of our EDI initiatives, we must foster relationships and mutual growth with our communities.

    Tactics

    Community Outreach: Utilise the diversity within our cohort to serve as ambassadors for CJBS during external events, like open houses and recruitment events. This allows for modelling to encourage more diverse talents to join CJBS.

    Inviting the Community: By welcoming members from our surrounding community to experience CJBS firsthand, we expose them to a realm of possibilities.

    Collaborative Partnerships: By aligning with other institutions, like the Institute of Othering and Belonging at UC Berkeley, we can exchange best practices, frameworks and insights. Further, we can increase the representation of social enterprises and non-profits in our group consulting projects. This ensures that our initiatives don't just stay academic or for-profit but translate into tangible social impact.

    Timing: Identify upcoming future open houses and recruitment events. Determine at least one Thursday where we — on a voluntary basis — host a community day for younger students themed “Possibilities: Your Future Imagined.” Consultancy social venture options to be discussed with the programmes team this term.

My Qualifications:
Role-related knowledge and experience beyond CJBS
(5 minute read)

Total Rewards & HR Leadership: Advancing multi-million dollar EDI investments through quant data and storytelling, influencing senior executives. I will bring this particular experience to impact EDI at CJBS.

Block

  • Launching financial advice to all employees across the globe, significantly impacting communities of colour and individuals with disabilities, communities who have been more disproportionately impacted by intergenerational income inequalities.

  • Redesigning the company's disability benefits and accommodation policies to be more inclusive.

  • Advancing removal of waiting periods for company paid parental leaves (responsive to the immediate needs for physical recovery amongst birth giving moms) as well as integrating support through leave policies for menstrual and menopause care.

Google

  • Introduced gender affirmation and family formation services to their largest offices outside of the US.

  • Launched Shariah-compliant investment funds for retirement investments, activating savings participation amongst Muslim employees.

  • Extended paid maternity leave by 6 weeks in some of the company's largest global offices.

  • Developed and optimised the engagement framework with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to bolster community representation and advocacy.

Board Member: The Institute of Diversity Certification (IDC)

  • Appointed for a two-year tenure on the board of IDC under The Society of Diversity.

  • Ensured the rigour, intellectual substance, and industry applicability of premier U.S. diversity certifications: Certified Diversity Professional (CDP®) and Certified Diversity Executive (CDE®).

  • Instrumental in securing accreditation partnership with The Ohio State University.

Cross-disciplinary Approach to EDI

  • Industry and professionally certified: Certified Diversity Executive (CDE®) and Society for Human Resources - Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

  • Adjunct professor at Columbia University teaching a course called of “Workers and the Workplace.”

  • Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW-inactive): Trained and licensed as a social worker.