Inclusive, equitable and diverse environments - crucial for the workplace of the future.

A big question that remains is how do we ensure that companies are positioned to realize the change that is needed? I was happy to co-host a virtual panel of leaders in DEI, Tech, and TA who explored this and more at HR Tech Fest Asia 2022. The conference's hybrid format allowed our roundtable to be spread around the globe; Joy Koh, my co-host and Head of Growth and Advisory for AMS, APAC, attended in-person in Singapore, while others were situated from Shanghai, China to Cleveland, Ohio in the US.

Our panelists were:

• Natalie Tait, Head of Talent Acquisition, APAC at Bank of America. Natalie is based in Singapore and is a member of the Regional HR Leadership Team. She is accountable for leading the TA strategy and all related activity for Internal Mobility, Campus, Lateral and Contingent hiring. In addition, Natalie is the Singapore Country Head of HR and a member of the Country Leadership Team. 
• Curtis Baker, APAC Regional Inclusion & Diversity and Employee Experience Lead at Dow. Curtis is responsible for driving and implementing the Inclusion & Diversity and Employee Experience strategy and providing expertise, consultation, and support to business, functional, and ERG leaders and EX change champions in the region. 
• Annie Hammer, Head of Technology Advisory, Americas, at AMS. Annie is passionate about partnerships, relationships, and finding ways to develop solutions that maximize the use of technology to transform the ways of working. Annie is also a passionate DEI leader. 

The panel began with a discussion on localizing DEI strategy--because meaningful execution must be inclusive and relevant to candidates and employees in their own region. Curtis Baker of Dow described ways increasing life expectancies throughout Asia has caused employers to reconsider company policies, like healthcare and standard retirement ages.

While driving DEI can sometimes feel overwhelming due to all the dimensions of diversity and activities that could be addressed, our panel offered practical strategies relevant to candidates, employees, local markets, and individual businesses in region. As Annie Hammer offered when discussing where to begin with DEI data and reporting in Tech, start small in an area that is manageable, like collecting and reporting on demographic data, then build the skills and expertise needed to broach higher-level needs.