Be the Change consortium – The Reimagining of DEI – Building a Business Case and Driving Impact and Value in the Digital era

The Black Talent & Leadership in STEM Programme is on a mission to address the under-representation of minority talent with a focus on the Black talent skills gap in STEM to help companies attract, retain, empower & grow this talent whilst addressing the urgent need for digital skills

In today’s rapidly evolving business climate, DEI must move beyond good intentions.

Traditionally, DEI efforts were justified by ethical and moral arguments — the belief that fairness, equality, and justice are simply the “right thing” to do. While these values remain important, the modern business environment demands strategic alignment and measurable outcomes. Without tangible ROI, performance indicators, and data-driven insights, DEI initiatives risk being deprioritized — especially during times of uncertainty.

Now more than ever, organisations must treat DEI as a strategic business imperative — directly linked to innovation, growth, employee engagement, and competitiveness. This includes demonstrating social and business value, not only to build stronger internal cultures but also to position more effectively in public sector procurement and broader stakeholder engagement.

Key themes to be discussed during the event include:

  • Engagement with the education sector and what this means for inclusive innovation in the digital era
  • Approaches to building data-driven insight across the employee lifecycle
  • The investment case for DEI - Steps to building an outcome-focused business case for DEI
  • The importance of demonstrating social value — and how this can strengthen bids for public sector contracts

We invite you to join leaders, practitioners, and change-makers from across sectors to reimagine DEI through the lens of impact, value, and accountability.

Monday 13 October
2pm – 2.30pm
Registration and networking with refreshments

Networking

2.30pm – 2.45pm
Welcome from BTLS

Speaker Session

2.45pm – 3.10pm
Welcome and overview of BCU’s approach to building an inclusive leadership pipeline

Speaker to be confirmed

3.10pm – 3.15pm
Welcome from – Aston University

Speaker to be confirmed

3.15pm – 3.45pm
Knowledge Transfer Partnership - AI, its role in delivering successful business outcomes and what this could mean for the future of work - Case Study

Speaker to be confirmed

3.45pm – 4.15pm
Demonstrating value – Adopting a holistic approach to delivering DEI, successfully

Speaker to be confirmed

4.15pm – 4.45pm
Demonstrating value - How social-value-driven DEI strategies unlock revenue potential – Case study

Speaker to be confirmed

4.45pm – 5pm
Comfort break

Networking

5pm – 5.55pm
Facilitated Group Discussions

Speaker to be confirmed

5.55pm – 6pm
Final Comments

Olu Orugboh, Black Talent & Leadership CEO