GX Project, Invest Newcastle have teamed up with 50:50 to share the best practice on gender balance in the workplace. The free event will be held at Bamburgh House, Newcastle on Thursday 26th September from 10am-1pm. The event is open to all businesses who want to learn more about creating an inclusive workplace culture.
North of Tyne Mayor, Jamie Driscoll will welcome attendees and talk about some of the equality commitments he made in his manifesto. This will then be followed by expert panel chaired by Tech Nation’s Community and Engagement Manager, Jamie Hardesty. Speakers include; Chris Higham, Head of Strategy and Change from financial services brand Virgin Money, Kate Horsfield, Employability Business Partner from housing association Home Group and Esther Gillespie, CEO from data science firm Jumping Rivers.
Gender balance is a topical subject that is increasingly becoming a priority for businesses. This event is a one-off opportunity to hear from three leading businesses who will share best practice and the challenges they have faced when striving for gender balance.
50:50’s mission is to achieve gender equality in the workplace by helping companies get the balance right through specialist training and support. They help organisations to cultivate an inclusive culture and values that benefit men, women, future generations and the workplace.
Lynsey Harbottle, Cofounder of 50:50 said:
“Equality of opportunity is needed to support a strong regional economy. Gender diversity in the workplace shouldn’t be treated as just an HR initiative or a tick box exercise. At 50:50 our vision is to help organisations achieve better balance because this makes good business sense. Diverse companies are more creative, innovative and more profitable. “
Invest Newcastle support businesses with their growth plans and are committed to supporting an inclusive economy and facilitating innovation-led growth across the city.
Ciara Slack, Senior Investment Manager, Invest Newcastle added:
“Invest Newcastle is delighted to partner with 50:50 to deliver this event. It is an unmissable opportunity to learn more about gender balance in the workplace, supporting attendees to be more inclusive, productive and profitable.
“Invest Newcastle is committed to supporting business to achieve equality in the workplace and this event is just one example of how we are facilitating collaboration and learning across sectors. We are also supporting a brand-new LGBTQ Professional Networking Event in Newcastle. I would encourage business to sign up, learn more and play a role in helping us build a truly inclusive city.”
This event is supported by GX project – a two-year business innovation programme part of the Great Exhibition of the North. One of their aims is to increase the visibility of women in innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership. It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI), in partnership with Innovation SuperNetwork. GX was developed to engage North East LEP SMEs and scaleups to unlock their innovation capacity, propensity to collaborate and ability to develop new products.