The CDCC had the privilege of being part of the Diversity and Inclusion event hosted by the French Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands. The seminar’s theme was “Diversity & Inclusion: its impact on the well-being in the workplace” and it was held at CIRCL Amsterdam on 31 May 2023.
The French Chamber of Commerce operates in over 90 countries, including the Netherlands and aids in promoting trade between France and the countries the chamber is active in.
Several speakers from companies such as KLM, Sanofi and Equal Recruitment shared their knowledge and experiences of creating a positive work environment by making it more diverse and inclusive.
The event was opened by Stefan Twigt from Sia Partners, who explained the importance of diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. Additionally, we also have a presentation on how to make job offers and advertisements more inclusive through its language use.
During the first session, Thomas Hullegie and Iulia Brehuescu from Sanofi, Cunera Vlaar from Sodexo and Soyana Mooren from Publicis, held a panel and discussed their policies and practices put into place in their companies to promote diversity, equality and inclusivity.
Next, we have Mirjam and Koornneef and Marloes de Bloeme from Equal Recruitment. The company’s primary aim is to recruit without judging a candidate’s appearance and rather by considering skills and qualifications only.
This was followed by a second panel, joined by Anne-Claire Lacroix from Under Armor, Mark van Lieshout from Geodis and Helen Demosthenous from KLM, who spoke about the importance of KPIs when talking about DEI in the workplace.
Finally, the event was closed by Dr Marcia Goddard from The Contentment Foundation who gave a very interesting keynote presentation on how our brains are biased.
It was a very insightful event, where all the participants could learn about what it means to be a diverse and inclusive employer.
The event ended with a networking cocktail, with some vegetarian bites, which were on theme with the topic of DEI.
Read more about the event.
Photos courtesy of the French Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands.