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Inclusive Panels charter

Role models matter

As an organisation that is committed to promoting diversity, we are proud to have signed a charter together with 120+ leading businesses to make panels more inclusive. A wide variety of voices and perspectives generates more dynamic and engaging discussions and more innovative ideas.

At Deloitte, we intentionally include a diverse set of speakers in terms of background, lived experiences, expertise, and identities in our panels. By signing the Inclusive Panels charter, we not only commit to creating more enriching conversations, but encourage others to do the same.

Inclusive Panels is an initiative by Women in Finance, Women on Board, members of DMAB (Diversity Managers Association of Belgium) and various Belgian gender experts, with Febelfin as a supporting partner. The charter, which both companies and individual speakers can sign, aims to encourage greater diversity in the composition of panels, in terms of gender, ethnic origin, and age.

Why inclusive panels are important

Research shows that only 30% of panels at corporate events are gender balanced. Yet balanced panels offer numerous benefits:

  • A mixed panel ensures richer and more open debates, with more innovative ideas.
  • Mixed panels provide a strong signal to both the participants and the outside world.
  • If you can identify with people like yourself (in terms of gender, origin, language, etc.) in the role of expert, you will more easily hold on to your own ambition to become an expert. ‘You can’t be what you can’t see.’
  • A survey by ProFacts in 2020 clearly showed that Belgians prefer mixed and more diverse panels.

Balanced panels are clearly a win-win for everyone. The initiators of Inclusive Panels therefore not only wish to spread a message, but also offer concrete proposals and solutions to allow more diverse panels to be created in practice.

Sign the charter

We invite you to join us in providing a platform and role models for all, and broadening the scope and reach of our debates. By signing the charter, you commit to focusing on creating diverse panels. The initiative provides an overview of existing databases which makes it easy to find female and diverse speakers from Belgium and across Europe.

You can find the charter and the overview of the databases at https://inclusivepanels.be/en.

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