Bayes Business School launches its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council

Bayes Business School has set up a new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Council to support and improve the School’s strategy towards DEI initiatives.

Working with Professor Lilian de Menezes, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Bayes, the Council will advise and support the School’s leadership team with the development and monitoring of its DEI strategy. It will also oversee the Global Women's Leadership Programme.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council will be co-chaired by Douglas Board and Naomi Hulston, and will have six City, University of London alumni among its members.

Douglas Board is the founder of Maslow’s Attic Ltd, a lay member of the King’s Counsel Selection Panel (from 2019) and a writer and thinker on leadership. He was previously chair of the Refugee Council, treasurer of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, and deputy chairman of the executive search firm Saxton Bampfylde. Since 2010, he has been an Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow at Bayes and is a member of the Centre for Professional Service Firms.

Naomi Hulston is the CEO of Catch22 and has more than 15 years’ experience in strategic and operational roles in the public and private sectors. Naomi has worked across projects delivering and managing youth work, early intervention, and prevention services for young people at risk of social exclusion. She is also a Board Member of London Sport and is part of the Youth Endowment Fund’s Governing Committee. Naomi completed an Executive Master’s in Leadership at Bayes Business School in 2021.

The full list of board members is:

• Douglas Board, Founder of Maslow’s Attic Ltd
• Naomi Hulston, CEO of Catch22
• Jason Dunwell, Head of Advisory and Solutions at Hays (Evening EMBA, Bayes Business School, 2014)
• Caroline Faraj, CNN VP and Arabic Editor-in-Chief (MA International Journalism, City, University of London, 2000)
• Erik Johnson, Active Underwriter for MIC Global Syndicate 5183, (MSc Insurance & Risk Management, Bayes Business School, 2005)
• Polly Neate, CEO of Shelter (PG Diploma in Journalism, City, University of London, 1989)
• Elizabeth Shilling/Liz Tomlin,Head Orthoptist and Eye Team Lead at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, and Upper Warden at The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers.
• Amanda Scott, Global Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Leader at WTW
• David Villa-Clarke, Founder and Director of DVC Wealth Management Ltd, and CEO, Aleto Foundation (Modular EMBA, Bayes Business School, 2016)

The Council will meet on a quarterly basis, starting in April 2023.

Professor Lilian de Menezes said: “Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy aims to develop and support an inclusive learning and working culture at Bayes, which positively contributes to the wider society. I am very grateful to have the support of this wonderful Council that brings in different and valuable expertise."

Professor Andre Spicer, Dean of Bayes Business School, said: “Bayes is committed to developing its DEI initiatives and extending our work to widen participation and understanding. We are not sitting on our hands regarding this important issue. Working alongside experienced industry leaders, Bayes will continue to work to embed positive DEI practices in its strategy and promote the benefits and key considerations of working in an inclusive global environment.”

Douglas Board, Co-Chair of the DEI Council, said: “I’m delighted today to stand with and support outstanding colleagues at Bayes, and on this new advisory Council. Business schools have dramatically shaped how we work and live today, albeit not always for the good. In the 2020s and 2030s organisations will need to enable extraordinary performance but in ways which show that ordinary lives matter – whether those lives belong to workers, customers and affected communities or investors, pensioners, and dependants. Diversity, equity, and inclusion fuel both the extraordinary and ordinary parts of that mission.”

Naomi Hulston, Co-Chair of the DEI Council, said: “‘Progress in diversity, equity and inclusion is more important today than ever before, especially given the current challenges the world faces. The role universities play in breaking down barriers is critical to the next steps of development for all organisations, and business schools have a key role to play. I am delighted to support Bayes, its colleagues, and the new advisory Council on its mission to unlock capacity often hindered by outdated and historical perspectives.”

In 2021, Bayes Business School launched its Black Student Scholarship programme, which will awards generous undergraduate scholarships to UK-domiciled students of black ethnicity.

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