Nina Goswami FRSA

Over two-thirds (68%) of Black professionals in the PR industry have considered leaving their roles. While 14% of Black talent received a pay rise, only 6% were promoted. 📉 It's disheartening that many Black communications professionals are not surprised by the findings from the UK Black Comms Network 'One Step Forward, Two Steps Black' report. I also reached a point in my career where I questioned if communications was the right path for me, feeling overlooked and experiencing other unfortunate situations. Luckily I no longer feel this way anymore! It's a shame that so many Black PR professionals face similar, if not worse, challenges. These experiences underscore the urgent need for action to improve the career experiences of Black professionals in the PR and communications sector. This responsibility shouldn't fall solely on HR and diversity and inclusion teams. Organisations and agencies must hold themselves accountable and drive meaningful change.🙌🏾 Read the full report here:

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The latest 'One Step Forward, Two Steps Black' survey from UK Black Comms Network (supported by Opinium and PRWeek UK) is a stark reminder of the continued need for creating more inclusive and equitable workplaces. Overlooked for promotions and awards, experiencing microaggressions and racism, while feeling like they have to tone down their personalities to 'fit in'. No wonder two thirds of Black PR pros consider leaving the industry. As Kamiqua Lake (nèe Pearce) says "For an industry that prides itself on being able to engage, influence and understand people - we have no excuses for not doing better on inclusion." 🎯 I encourage you to: - Read the report. Then read it again and think about how your company can be different - Speak and listen to your Black employees - Ask yourself what you could do better As a process lover, I'd also suggest you: - Check your promotion and retention data. Who is leaving, when and why? Who is being promoted and why (not)? - Review and set clear promotion criteria. Agencies in particular are historically bad at promoting the loudest or popular voices or those that fit a certain image. Make it super clear what someone needs to achieve to get to the next level - What policies do/should you have in place and are they being acted upon? No point having something on paper if people don't know it exists or feel like they can refer to it - Look at how you can provide mentoring and sponsorship for your Black talent. If it isn't available in-house, look externally - Review your training and development offer. Yes, the EDI related training, but also ensure that people are being given the tools and skills they need to excel in their job. You can check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/esYp6XcK

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REAL LIFE BLACK FEMALE ENTRENEURSHIP 💯Being a black, female business owner, I am always searching for new ways to collaborate and build relationships. 💯 🔵 Where to Look Communications was founded in 2018 and since then I've honed my services recently to focus on supporting organisations to build neurodivergent accessible cultures to harness the immense talent pool available within the Autistic and ADHD population. 🔵 Despite the glossy polished posts on Social Media platforms, did you know that under 1% of venture capital investment in the UK went to Black entrepreneurs over the last 10 years, highlighting the systematic barriers Black businesses face when securing financing. 🔵The proportion of Black entrepreneurs in the UK and the US population that are entrepreneurs far outweighs entrepreneurship representation in other ethnic groups. 🔵 A report by 10X10 and Google found that 88% of Black founders financed their companies using their own money or by receiving funding from family and friends, to account for the lack of VC capital. This trend flows across both the US and UK. 🔵 Black female entrepreneurs experienced the poorest outcome — receiving just 0.02% of funding overall. 🙌That is why I’m so excited to be on a journey of 1000 Black Voices to share, collaborate, and innovate. 🙌 Last night I joined the inimitable Dr Elizabeth Shaw and a cohort of some amazing black, female founders all working hard to build businesses that make a positive impact on society and deliver powerful change. This is just week one and already so many learnings, insights, and support. Looking forward to seeing everyone again in May. Amaka Ndirika Dr Elizabeth Shaw Caramel Soldier The photo is of me and a wonderful Portuguese entrepreneur, Vera (she’s not on LinkedIn but I’m working on persuading her to join!). She started a cleaning business a few years ago, and now employs a small team of operatives and is planning to expand. I have no doubt that she’ll succeed. #neurodivergenceatwork #blackfemaleentrepreneurs #autismacceptance

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Progress for black practitioners working in communications and public relations in the UK has been limited since 2020 according to a report published by the UK Black Comms Network. The third longitudinal report - One Step Forward Two Black - tells the story of cultural issues, discrimination and barriers to progression. Almost half of practitioners have not received a promotion in their previous position and only one in ten feel they are likely to become the most senior communications professional in their company. Workplace culture remains hostile for many black practitioners with 82% reporting microaggressions and two-thirds reporting the need to "tone down" their personalities to fit in. The result is that two-thirds (68%) of black practitioners have considered leaving the industry due to a lack of progression, representation and unaddressed microaggressions. Public relations practice should be an exemplar of a progressive industry. The management science supporting diversity in corporate communications and public relations teams was established in the 1990s. That it remains an issue more than 30 years later isn’t a question of poor business practice. Lee Edwards, Professor of Strategic Communications and Public Engagement at the London School of Economics, says it’s an ethical and moral question. This isn’t a black problem. It’s an industry problem. The UK Black Comms Network report calls for a collective effort from industry leaders, stakeholders and managers to create a more equitable and inclusive environment. Public statements are often not backed up by action. According to Khalid Agyemang, a UK Black Comms Network member, there is a misalignment between what is said and what is done. Diversity and inclusivity training should be mandatory for everyone working in the industry. The Chartered Institute of Public Relations has established a good model with mandatory ethics training for practitioners who complete annual continuous professional development. The UK Black Comms Network says that change must start at the top. Diversity in leadership teams and board members is important to improve senior-level representation. Sarah Waddington CBE CDir ChartPR has long argued that organisations should publish diversity data as part of their annual reporting to Companies House. The One Step Forward Two Black survey collected responses from 170 black or mixed-black heritage practitioners working in corporate communications and public relations in the UK. Reference “One Step Forward Two Black.” 2024. UK Black Comms Network.

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To quote the post below - what gets measured, gets improved. Attention PR/comms pros! If you are from a mixed/Black background, please take a moment to fill in this UK Black Comms Network survey. For those outside this group, please kindly share with your networks. Remember, all responses are anonymous, and the survey only takes a few minutes. #DiversityandInclusion #PR #Comms #UKBCN #Survey

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Echoing the sentiments of my Black colleagues, I am not surprised by the findings from the UK Black Comms Network "One Step Forward, Two Steps Black" survey supported by Opinium PRWeek UK. Two in three Black & mixed-race PR professionals are considering leaving the PR and communications industry, and a staggering 82% still face microaggressions and subtle, indirect racial discrimination at work. It's frustrating to see Black & mixed-race professionals receive less praise for their work and lack visibility at senior leadership levels. This is an issue I've often discussed on my podcast, where I spotlight Black, Asian, and ethnic global majority PR and comms professionals who share their experiences and challenges. These stories and statistics highlight the urgent need for a more inclusive and equitable industry. I've said it before we need to see real change, the system isn't working. You can check out the research here: https://lnkd.in/eB9qR_5J #Diversity #Inclusion #PR #Communications #OneStepForwardTwoStepsBlack

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Please take a moment to read this article by Caroline Forbes / very well articulated and important for more to read and take in

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Really enjoyed attending Isabel Berwick's book launch of 'The Future-Proof Career' at Daunt Books. I was so engrossed in the discussion that I failed to take a photo of the event but I’m very pleased with my signed copy and getting stuck in! Isabel hosts the Working It Financial Times podcast which I’d highly recommend for fellow employee engagement/ internal communications specialists. Sharing weekly insights into how the world of work is changing, the discussions address the issues facing employers and employees today, from AI, to multi-generational and flexible working, to the rise of 'Quit-Tokers'. The recent episode with Jeremie Brecheisen of Gallup on disengaged workers is definitely worth a listen. My favourite take-outs from the book launch: 💡 listen to your employees - focus on the message they want to share, not simply what you want to put across, to better understand and engage your people 📖 management is a learned skill - train people on how to communicate with their teams; how to listen; how to build trust - getting this right has a positive impact on employee retention 🌟 don't forget that employee satisfaction is directly related to customer satisfaction - the investment will pay off #employeeengagement #internalcommunications #worldofwork

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News that makes me happy: "UK's first gender equal cabinet 🇬🇧" 💃🏽👏🏽✨ This gives me hope for gender parity not only for Africa but the rest of the world. My curiosity led me to reading about the Labour party and I learned that: ✓"...Labour also has a stronger track record of women-friendly policies than the other parties..." ✓"The newly elected parliament includes 264 women. This figure surpasses the threshold of 40% for the first time – and is a big jump from the previous record of 34.2% in 2019. And women are not just on the backbenches, a number also hold senior frontbench roles, including Angela Rayner as Deputy Prime Minister and levelling up secretary." ✓"Labour’s manifesto contains several policy pledges that will benefit women. A swathe of measures are included to tackle violence against women and girls, improve childcare options (from free breakfast clubs in primary schools to reinforced rights to parental leave), ensure the minimum wage is a real living wage, and strengthen workplace rights (including equal pay and protection against maternity and menopause discrimination and sexual harassment)." ✓"...the increased proportion of women in parliament is due to a change in governing party. Labour has 46.1% women within its parliamentary party, compared with 25% women in the Conservative majority of the previous parliament..." I am a firm believer that it doesn't need to take 134 years (as stated by current data) to reach full parity. It will take genuine political will and commitment.

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“When humanity is being challenged by the forces upon us, from climate, to geopolitics, to technology, we need to draw on the strengths of every generation for sustainable and systemic change for good.” That’s from a post from Rebecca Robins CMgr CCMI about a month ago when she introduced her new book Five Generations at Work that she co-authored with Patrick Dunne (https://lnkd.in/eYYNrx5c) On pre-order now (https://amzn.eu/d/gidCsVN), Rebecca talks of one of the central messages of the book being around collaboration and co-creation. So you can imagine I’m looking forward to reading! Together We Can! Also multi-generational working is something I’ve had on my summer reading catch-up list. So as I’ve been topping up my vitamin D, here’s some of toplines from what I’ve been reading: From 55/Redefined (https://lnkd.in/eY4x6yRF): - According to LinkedIn, four out of five under 27-year-olds haven’t spoken to an over-50s work colleague in the last year and half of over 55-year-olds avoid conversations with their youngest colleagues - 70% of the wealth in the UK is held by the over-50s, and by 2040, it’s estimated that 63p in every pound spent in the UK will be by someone aged 50 or over. - Diverse teams make "better business decisions 87% of the time" and team results improve by 60% (that includes age diversity) From Mitel (https://lnkd.in/eveJzhXT): - By the end of 2024, Gen Z will outnumber boomers in the workforce and are poised to overtake millennials by 2040. By the end of 2025, there will be two billion Alphas, making them the largest generation in history. (Gen Z defined as born between 1995 and 2012) - Their value-driven work style is greatly influenced by their childhood experiences. They’re highly aware of the environment and social justice. Driven by a sense of purpose, they’re more likely to take control of their careers, frequently switching companies or working multiple part-time roles to get the flexibility they desire. The articles come from two different ends of the age spectrum but settle on similar actions to be embedded into an organisation’s strategy: - Embrace Flexible Work Options - Promote a Sense of Purpose - Share knowledge across generations It comes back to the idea Rebecca talks about at the top of this post… if we combine the digital savvy expertise of Gen Z (and A as some will start summer jobs in 2025) with deep industry knowledge and experience of the Boomers and Millennials you are creating “a resilient, flexible powerhouse of a team”. Together we can! Image shows: wide shot from a balcony of a pool at the bottom, followed by palm trees and the sea #MultiGenerationalWorking #AgeInclusion #Inclusion #InclusiveLeadership #Diversity #Age #GenZ #Boomers

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How would you feel about always running towards the danger? If you thought telling an Ultra High Net Worth Principal ‘no’ was hard, try working with journalists. Becoming a Media Safety Advisor - What You need to Know | with Ken Perry https://lnkd.in/eRU8xJnE #mediasafety #mediasafetyadvisors #safety #media #securityprofessionals #securitysupport #riskmanagement #tvnews #circuitmagazine #OnTheCircuit #cosainconsultancy

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I want to take a moment to highlight an important perspective shared by Nighat Arif. It's crucial that we approach the topic of #menopause with nuance. My Asian friends living in Asia face distinct challenges due to their diverse lifestyles, diets, and genetics. They often report issues like joint pain and bloating far more frequently than hot flashes. To truly support women in the Asia Pacific region, we must begin collecting more comprehensive data on their experiences. That’s why I strongly encourage all women, as well as transgender individuals, in this region to participate in the research survey conducted by Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE) and HeyVenus Integrated Healthscience . This study will focus on the menstrual, perimenopausal, and menopausal experiences of people in the Asia Pacific region, as well as the effects on their careers and daily lives. It's important to recognize that everyone assigned female at birth will eventually experience menopause, and many trans men and non-binary individuals may also go through this transition. Now is the time to share your voice and help us shape healthcare and workplace policies that are #equitable and #inclusive. Get involved and make a difference by clicking here: [https://lnkd.in/gTvHPUX5] Zhongwei Huang Vani Khare Paula Benny Qian Yang

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If you are struggling to figure out what direction to take next in your career, try this gem of an activity for kick-starting your thinking: ✨Zones of Genius✨   I was introduced to this by the brilliant Fiona Livingston when she mentored me as part of the I LIKE NETWORKING creatives mentoring programme, and it’s an exercise I’ve shared in turn with those I have mentored.   Originally coined by author Gay Hendricks, in his book ‘The Big Leap’ (cavate: I haven’t read it!), the exercise helps focus in on what areas of work/life most fulfil and drive you – and helps you identify the path you might be best taking next. 1️⃣ Get a piece of paper & pen/create a document and create four columns. 2️⃣ Head up each column with one of the four titles: 😫 Zone of Incompetence: Things you don’t understand/hate or are not skilled at. 😐 Zone of Competence: Things you are good at, others might also be as good at, but don’t bring you joy or fulfilment. 😁 Zone of Excellence: Things you enjoy and are extremely skilled at, but maybe aren’t totally aligned with your passions. 😍 Zone of Genius: Things you are naturally good at and love doing—where you find your ‘flow’.   3️⃣ Write down everything you can think of relating to your role and previous roles (paid or voluntary), training, or any other areas of life that you want to bring in for consideration for your career.   You might find it helpful to do with someone else who knows you well – especially if you have a tendency to downplay your skills or would benefit from hearing others reflect on your expertise or unique abilities. Spend most time on the Zone of Genius – ask yourself: What tasks can you do for hours without getting bored? What do other people praise you for? What activities feel easy and comfortable? What gives you huge satisfaction doing/completing?   4️⃣ Focus in on your Zones of Excellence and Genius – this is where you will find the potential opportunities for the next steps in your career. Ideally the Zones of Genius should be the biggest focus, but elements of the Zone of Excellence may also be in the mix for potential future roles.   5️⃣ Take a look at roles and careers that contain the sets of skills and activities you have identified in your Zone of Genius – use this as a means of reflecting on what roles might suit you next and provide opportunity for development in the areas you have identified. AVOID job roles that have responsibilities that sit in the Zones of Incompetence (for me: anything relating to sales!) or Zones of Competence (for me: events management) – it gives you a much quicker shorthand for eliminating roles from your consideration and focusing in on the stellar ones that will bring you joy and job satisfaction!   Let me know if you give this a try, or if you have done similar exercises! Would love to know about others... #careerdevelopment #careerchoices #newjob #professionaldevelopment

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The Guardian has joined lots of journalists, especially left leaning ones, in leaving X. The X-odus is gathering pace. A bold decision for a major news outlet to 'leave the room' entirely. We are still using X for journorequests, case studies and general journalist relationship building. But lots of media (and maybe publications too soon) are now migrating across to BlueSky. The X-odus is definitely supercharged since the Trump win. If you're a journalist successfully using BlueSky, drop your handles below. You can read more about the Guardian's reasons for leaving X below too. What are your thoughts?

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Some thoughts following the CIPR Diversity & Inclusion Network AGM where some great questions were asked about inclusive comms. 1. Inclusion and being inclusive isn't about the right or wrong thing to say or do. Inclusion is about being open, respectful and accommodating of the different ways in which people experience and interact with the world. 2. Anti-disability sentiment is very real in society at the moment and we as professional communicators have a role to play in not reinforcing this through inaccessible comms and campaigns. 3. In the face of the above, disability allyship and advocacy is more important than ever. Doing the work on ourselves matters. Is it hard? Yeah, it can be and, honestly? It should be at times. Ableism is pervasive. We've all learned things from growing up in a world which favours no disability over disability that we need to unpick and sit with. Huge thanks to Cornelius Alexander FCIPR, Founding Chart.PR and Avril Lee and the DIN committee for their support in getting these guides published. I'm taking a wee break from volunteering for the foreseeable future, but I'm still active on disability inclusion in PR. #Disability #Inclusion #DEI

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Here it is……. Episode 1 You can watch the episode on our YouTube channel or listen to it through Spotify, both links are in the post below. Let me know what you think, or if there are any specific topics you would like me to cover, get in touch.

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Ninety One founder and Chief Executive Hendrik du Toit spoke with the Financial Times' Emma Dunkley regarding the new Labour government, stating: the UK equity market had been “destroyed” by defined benefit pension funds shunning it as part of a de-risking over the past two decades. Defined contribution funds were being held back from taking risks for pensioners because of caps on the costs they can incur, he added. To address these issues, he said a review of regulation and “the nurturing of the wealth management industry should be considered by government”. https://nty.one/3VUpxfX #UKelection #UKelections #Labourgovernment #Labour #CityofLondon #equitymarkets #UK #UKequities #equitymarkets #definedbenefit

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When Lawfront Chief People Officer Justine Whitaker invited me to speak to their Emerging Talent group this week about 'Confidence, Identity and Purpose', I jumped at the chance. The process leading up to the talk is a model for all organisations that wish to invite speakers to talk with their teams. 1) Through deep listening, research and consultation, Justine and the team had developed a keen understanding of the subjects and themes that were most important to the group. 2) We had expansive, open preparatory conversations to refine the format, interactivity and other elements that would be most beneficial. 3) The group were fully briefed on me and invited to prepare and submit questions in advance, to feel a sense of agency and understanding as we prepared for the talk 4) The talk itself was beautifully framed, the space held with great care, clarity and compassion. The group were consistently invited to reflect and share their questions in ways that felt most comfortable and impactful for them This all provided a safe and strong container for a beautiful conversation to emerge. One of the key points that flowed from the talk on purpose was... * Focus on the field, not the flowers. (Thank you Thais Corral for sharing this beautiful metaphor with me many moons ago) Too often we are fixated on desired outcomes. When we see a field of blossoming flowers our attention is usually drawn to the colour and beauty above the surface (flowers might represent desired outcomes, celebrities, income), instead of the conditions that led to them (support, friends, ancestors...) Reflect on the conditions when you feel most alive, most aligned with your values - and then make choices to cultivate the most fertile conditions for those to arise. When we focus our strategies and choices on the soil (the field) instead of the flowers (outcomes), we feel more empowered and can trust that when the conditions are ripe, the flowers will naturally, inevitably emerge. Thank you once again to Lawfront and the Emerging Talent group for a dynamic conversation, with a host of powerful, deep and thoughtful questions. Again, these questions did not arise by chance - they were fruits of a process that cultivated the conditions for them to naturally emerge. Focus on the field, not the flowers. #purpose #confidence #identity #publicspeaking 📷 Ibrahim Rifath

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Time to make a difference. Our now is our next. With so many children, and families, waiting too long for mental health support we need to ask ourselves whether traditional services are leaving children behind? If we were to redesign mental health support today for our future generations what would access look like? Digital fluent young people represent a third (33%) of the UK population, yet they are expected to access frontline GP services in the same way as their parents and grandparents. Is it time we changed this? #carenotqueues #worldmentalhealthday #WMHD2024

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