Creating Representative Organizations: In Conversation with Edleen John
Written by
Isobel Bruce
October 17, 2022
3
min read
As part of our interview series connected to representation in the media and beyond, we spoke to Edleen John about her pathway into a career championing diversity and inclusion, why it makes business sense to be representative, and why she’s hopeful that broader societal change will have an impact in the workplace.
Born and bred in South East London, Edleen first became involved in the diversity and inclusion space when studying at Cambridge University. Recognizing that Cambridge was not as diverse as it “could or should have been” she worked as an access officer, encouraging students from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.
“This kickstarted a thought process in my mind where I realized that if we were facing such challenges around representation within education, this was likely to be the same in the sphere of employment and the broader world.”
“This kickstarted a thought process in my mind where I realized that if we were facing such challenges around representation within education, this was likely to be the same in the sphere of employment and the broader world.”
Following a brief career in the city, Edleen has worked to improve equality of opportunity across a wide range of industries. She now works as a consultant helping organizations become more inclusive, and reap the benefits of diversity, alongside her role at the Football Association as Director of International Relations, Corporate Affairs and Co-Partner for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion where she led the launch of the Football Leadership Diversity Code, co-led the organization’s first Disability Plan and worked to unite all of English football to create a collective industry voice to tackle online abuse and lobby government for an effective Online Safety Bill.
For Edleen, representative organizations are more effective because they can draw on multiple perspectives and inputs, making them adaptive and dynamic. Representative organizations are also able to ensure they attract and retain top talent. Edleen argues that “If you can’t see it you often don’t think you can be it”, with individuals put off from applying to certain roles because they don’t see themselves represented within the company. This means businesses are missing out on quality candidates.
With regard to the current state of play, Edleen points to the gulf between rhetoric and reality. Whilst lots of organizations from a “rhetoric perspective are talking about equality of opportunity and equality of voices.” In practice, “for lots of organizations even if there is visible progress towards representation, that doesn't relate to the power dynamics and hierarchies in place to deliberately keep historically underrepresented groups silenced or without any power.”
The established power dynamics “built into institutions and the way that they function” provide the greatest barrier to representation. Edleen observes that people often operate as blockers to change from a position of fear, especially when they feel that changing the status quo would force them to confront their own privileges. Moreover, “Even when we are confronted with our privileges we struggle to acknowledge how they might have positively impacted our lives, because it is uncomfortable. It shines a magnifying light on the fact that not everyone got to where they are through grit and determination. Some had an in-built systemic advantage working in their favor.”
There is no one quick fix for challenging these entrenched systems. However, Edleen sees key opportunities for starting to push against them: “We need to focus on challenging moments in organizations where that privilege is coming to the forefront and to do that we need to have those open and honest conversations where we share what our biases are, where we get to know each other and are able to call out these things in a safe and supported space. Not one where people are cancelled or excluded from making a mistake, as otherwise that just drives prejudices, biases and the desire to learn underground. Cancel culture is one of the worst threats to moving diversity forward and it’s simultaneously something organizations need to be ensuring doesn’t happen.”
“We need to focus on challenging moments in organizations where that privilege is coming to the forefront and to do that we need to have those open and honest conversations where we share what our biases are, where we get to know each other and are able to call out these things in a safe and supported space.
“We need to focus on challenging moments in organizations where that privilege is coming to the forefront and to do that we need to have those open and honest conversations where we share what our biases are, where we get to know each other and are able to call out these things in a safe and supported space.
Providing space for open and honest conversations is only one facet of the work Edleen carries out. Focus is also given to education, and demonstrating to people that “the pie is big enough for us all, and that increasing representation in a certain sphere does not mean that you are demoted or lose your voice. It just means there’s someone whose voice must also be heard.”
Undeniably, there is a long way to go, but Edleen is encouraged by the fact that diversity and inclusion are becoming more of a day-to-day part of our conversations as a society. “I think if those conversations are normalized in society they will automatically filter into organizations and the world of work because if we feel safe, then we bring our societal selves into our day jobs.”
Edleen John FCIPD is a multi-award-winning Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging & Culture Expert & Consultant.
Edleen is an engaging, open and thought-provoking speaker who shares her experience and knowledge of the challenges, benefits and solutions to diversity and inclusion within organisations. She shares pragmatic and tangible solutions for institutions and organisations to change the representation and culture at every stage of their employee life-cycle. Edleen has shared her insights via multiple platforms, including podcasts, media interviews, at school/university campuses, diversity conferences and as a speaker at events for some of the world’s largest companies - with all sessions aiming to inspire, challenge and educate.
Edleen is a British-born Sierra Leonean, who grew up in South-East London after moving back from Sierra Leone to the UK as a toddler. She attended local non-selective comprehensive schools, before completing her MA(Cantab) in Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge and it was through experience of her own personal life journey that her passion for diversity and inclusion was born.
She started her career as an Investment Banker at Lehman Brothers working in Debt Capital Markets and has held a variety of revenue-generating and support-function roles across the Financial Services sector including Insurance Broking at Lloyd's of London, Graduate Recruitment at Nomura, Vice President at Morgan Stanley and as a Director and the Co-Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Social Equality at KPMG. Aside from her day job, Edleen is a School Governor at a community special school for young people with severe and profound disabilities, a Director of Tech Talent Charter, and an International Trustee for Restless Development.
Aside from successful career milestones such as being the youngest person to be promoted to Vice President within HR EMEA at Morgan Stanley or being the youngest and only Black Director in the People function in the time she was at KPMG, Edleen has a number of accolades to her name including being a ‘We Are The City’ Rising Star in HR and Recruitment ; a Yahoo! Finance EMpower Top 100 Ethnic Minority Future Leader; a Top Ten BAME Inspirational Leader and a Football Black List award.
To contact Edleen for consultancy services or as a speaker, use one of the two links below:
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