An interview with … Claire Harvey, CEO of Diversity Role Models and GB Paralympian
We were delighted to interview Claire Harvey MBE, CEO of Diversity Role Models, ahead of her appearance as our keynote speaker on International Women's Day.
Also a well known GB Paralympian, Claire developed her expertise in diversity and inclusion through roles in the Criminal Justice System, Financial Services Authority and Youth Sport Trust. She started her career in the prison service. After eight years as a fast-tracked prison governor she joined the Ministry of Justice to lead policy on young adult offenders. Most recently, she led KPMG’s two-year progression from 156th to 10th in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index. In June 2017, Claire was awarded the MBE for services to Diversity, Inclusion and Sport.
Here she gives us the insights into her career path and her ambitions for Diversity Role Models.
Q: What are your main ambitions for Diversity Role Models, and how will you know if these are being achieved?
A: My ambitions for DRM are two fold and contradictory. Firstly, I want us to grow to be able to reach every teacher, student and parent so that we can help everyone be confident to talk about difference and be inclusive in their behaviours. I’m conscious at the moment that there are many schools where inclusion isn’t even on the radar, and thus young people are growing up excluded, full of shame of who they are and thus not meeting their potential. The second ambition is that we are so successful in upskilling and embedding inclusion into the education culture, that we aren’t needed anymore!
Q: On International Womens Day - who is the woman you most admire and why?
A: There are so many women (and men) that I admire, but my stand out is Rosa Parks; living in a system that must have felt unbreakable and hopeless, she focused on what she could do, any tiny step, rather than why it would be hard.
Q: You’ve had quite a career path from psychologist, to prison governor to Paralympian and inclusion expert. What advice would you give to others that may be going through huge or unexpected change in their lives?
A: Firstly, that, as someone once told me, life is like a yacht race – zig zagging is a necessity. There is no such thing as a linear plan I don’t think, and I know every time I am challenged and feel like I am drowning, that it is when I learn the most. Having been in Senior Leadership roles in 3 sectors, I know that the skills required are very similar and transferable – it’s just the landscape that changes. So my advice would be to embrace the change as an opportunity to grow.
Q: What are you most proud of, looking back on your career path and achievements to date?
A: There are many things I am proud to have played a small part in, but probably the one that is in my mind at the moment is supporting a young man, an offender, who was at the end of a long sentence and had had no belief that he could reintegrate into society. Working with him on his passion, I was able to help him formulate a plan and lay some of the foundation steps for him. He is now running an amazing scheme supporting young people not get stuck on the same ‘gang’ track that he did. I follow his twitter and am so proud to see the great work he is doing and how much he has grown in self-belief.
Q: You’ve successfully overcome some significant challenges and adversity in the past - what has helped you to achieve this?
A: Without hesitation, a mix of amazing people in my support network, and being too stubborn for my own good! But seriously, I believe success is like a vegetable patch – a tiny seed in all of us, and it’s how much it is nurtured and supported by others that makes the difference.
Q: How do we change from the celebrity culture role models that are very prevalent today to more rewarding and inclusive role models for children to aspire to?
A: I believe we need 2 things – to create a safe space for young people to meet real people who are different to them. In that way, they challenge their own stereotypes, build empathy and see that difference is a source of strength. Secondly, young people need to see adults around them role modelling inclusive behaviours. You can’t be what you don’t see; young people are excellent at replicating the adults around them.
Q: How do you manage to balance your sporting career, family life and your role as CEO of Diversity Role Models?
A: I believe if you want to do things, you will find a way. It is easier now that my kids are older, but even then, it was all down to planning. Setting yourself clear boundaries and giving yourself permission to have all of those passions in my life. That means I can do things like just not check your email for the 4-hour training session, without guilt, knowing I will look after.
Q: What advice would you have for parents whose children have experienced bullying or discrimination in their schools or social circles as a result of the parents/children being LGBT?
A: I would say it’s really important to create an environment where the young person can talk about what has happened and be heard, however they are feeling. Then to see you act, talk to the school and reinforce that this is unacceptable and that the school need to address the issue. But most importantly, reassure that child that they are loved, special, wonderful just as they are.
Q: Many organisations are taking steps to make their work cultures more inclusive. What interventions or approaches do you think are the most successful?
A: I think we still see a lot of ‘virtue signalling’ in the D&I space – activities that look great but don’t have much impact. Where I see real success is when inclusion is really embedded into culture, systems and behaviours. Inclusion is really about culture change. Similarly, when companies take managing diversity and practising inclusion as seriously as other governance pillars, they start to make traction.
Q: What unfulfilled ambitions do you have?
A: Lots, I am always creating new ones! I would love to be in politics and to be in the House of Lords – I have been there for a cup of tea or two, but that doesn’t count!
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Originally Released On 16 April 2018