Q&A

If someone were to ask “who is Dianne?” how would you describe yourself?

I’m quite a dynamic character who has a sense of duty and responsibility. My family means everything to me and I value my friends immensely. I try to be upbeat even when things are challenging. I’m a very spiritual person who is compassionate and thoughtful. I do not suffer fools gladly. I am quite happy to stand up for myself when others try to disrespect me or take advantage of me. I’m friendly, very supportive of others and willing to give my time to those in need.

I am a wearer of many hats; a Mother, Wife, Business Woman, Thought Leader, Author, Mentor to young adults, Board Member of a charity, Role Model to young adults, an Innovator and Friend.

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I came across you in early 2020 at a DODDS D&I event where you passionately and eloquently educated a room full of people about the Ethnicity Pay Gap. Please can you share a little about your journey to date and the story behind setting up Equilibrium Mediation Consulting?

I hope your readers have a cup to tea beside them. I made a conscious decision to start a business of my own.

Before I continue, I must tell you I am Dyslexic.

Why does this matter? Well, if you question any Dyslexic or someone who has any other autistic trait, you will find we generally throw ourselves into things without being too concerned about the implications of doing so sometimes. That’s how I approached setting up Equilibrium Mediation Consulting. I registered the name and I began my journey.

I knew I had very good HR experience and that my personality coupled with my ability to build relationships would see me through. It wasn’t plain sailing but eventually I started to make it through. Whilst focusing on growing my business, I came across an article about the Ethnicity Pay Gap which really angered me. Yet again, we as Black people, and of course other minorities, were being disadvantaged.

I felt that I wanted to do something about out it.

A month after seeing the article I had a light bulb moment, I decided to create a T-shirt with #EthnicityPayGap written in big letters to show solidarity with those experiencing Ethnicity Pay Gap.

I shared my image with the T-shirt on social media, and some of my connections wanted to know how to get one. I was extremely surprised about the reaction. I was also shocked as I had to try and find a printer to replicate what I had designed. I managed to do this and designed a space on my website to allow people to order the T-shirt. This was the start of the campaign. I had written an article about the issue before this, but after I really started devoting more time to the cause. I also had started to see other articles, one of which really made me recognise that I need to continue. In 2018, the Guardian Newspaper reported there was £3.2 billion Ethnicity Pay Gap in the UK. I was astounded, I couldn’t believe that this was allowed to happen. I decided to engage more with companies and individuals to support the campaign. I started doing talks, as you mentioned DODDS D&I was one of the talks I gave.

3 years on, nothing has changed, I am still campaigning, writing to the government, adding to my supporters. I recently created a website for the campaign so people had place to see what I have been up to and to get advice and support. www.ethnicitypaygapcampaign.com

In between all of this I wrote a book, Business Culture Review which dealt with some difficult issues in the workplace and some other topics. I provided some thoughts and ideas to help people who want to bring about change.

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What’s one thing you wish you had known when you began your career?

I wish I’d known how hard it would be. But having said that, all that has happened has got me to this point. I know you said one thing but I would like to add, have someone you can talk to and bounce ideas off of. I did that later in my career and it made a lot of difference.

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Can you think of one pivotal moment in your career where you overcame a challenge? What was the challenge, what approach did you take, what was the outcome and how did it make you feel?

In 2017 I was asked to do a presentation for a someone. This person ran a charity for people with Dyslexia and needed my support. I wasn’t keen on doing presentations, not because I couldn’t do them, but I wasn’t keen on being on show. I agreed to help her, knowing full well that it would cause me anxiety. My approach was to feel the fear and do it anyway.

I know it seems cliche but that was the only way I could get through. By doing so, it enabled me do many things to elevate my campaign such as appearing on TV, Radio and doing speaking engagements. It also boosted my confidence and reassured me that being in the spotlight did not have to be a bad thing.

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Regarding the Ethnicity Pay Gap, if you could call on employers to take one action, what would it be?

Make a conscious effort to review pay and acknowledge that dealing with the Ethnicity Pay Gap is just as important as dealing with Gender Pay Gap. If you do not have capacity to analyse the data, get external help. Resources and finance will be required to undertake the analysis. Utilise the tools at your disposal to make it happen.

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Who are the three most influential people to you?

My mother, My husband and kids, My best friend (slightly cheated putting husband and kids together :-)

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What does empowerment look and feel like to Dianne? And have you had any empowering moments you’d like to share?

Empowerment, means doing the things you want to do to make a difference. I have found being an activist very empowering, it has enabled me to use my voice, share my knowledge and experience with others. I also find being a mentor to young adults empowering, it brings me joy that I have been able to support them in their journey.

Feel empowered, when I am speaking at events sharing all that I have learnt. I felt empowered when my colleague Jacqueline A. Hinds and I designed and developed a ED&I programme which is innovative and paradigm shifting.

Empowerment equals belief in one self!

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If you could turn back the time and talk to your 18-year old self, what would you tell her?

You may not know where you are going, trust that you are a good person with strong values, integrity and kindness. These skills will see you through.

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Final question, on a lighter note, what does Dianne do for fun?

I love music so listen to music continuously. I love dancing and when I can, I go out and dance. As we are living with Covid, I confine my dancing to home.

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Dianne’s Consulting Services

• Assessing your approach to reviewing your Ethnicity Pay Gap

• Advice on capturing your data

• Review and plan a strategy to utilise your data

• Bridging the gap — Advice on compensating for disparity

• Support and design advice on announcing your data