At Connected Britain, we brought leaders together to ask a simple but urgent question: what does it take to hire inclusively in practice, not just in principle? The conversation was honest, challenging, and full of ideas that organisations can act on today.
Ian Tomney-Bell captured it with clarity:
“Inclusive hiring is about putting equity at the heart of what we do. If we ask the right questions, to the right people, with diverse panels, we can make real changes that have impact. If we change the experience for just one person, we’ve achieved what we set out to do.”
That reminder – that inclusion starts with intent and small shifts in process, was echoed by Disha Mehta, who drew a distinction we can’t afford to ignore:
“Diversity is all about inviting people to the party, and inclusion is about asking them to dance.”
She pointed to three practices that bring that principle to life:
- Treat inclusion as a business strategy, not a charity project
- Co-create hiring practices with underrepresented groups; and
- Hold leaders accountable by making inclusion targets part of their scorecards
Adding to that, Tom Simpson challenged us to rethink what we measure, and what we miss, when we reduce people to two sides of A4. He reminded us that a CV can’t capture someone’s personality, creativity, or potential. We need to see people for who they are as human beings – the skills they bring, the way they think, and the value they deliver – not just the qualifications they list.
That belief is what inspired him to create Startingpoint, a platform that helps young people showcase their skills, talents, motivation, and values in a way that traditional applications can’t. For Tom, the case is personal as well as professional. His son Reuben, who has Asperger’s, is exceptional at animation, languages and maths, but finds socialising and self-promotion harder. “How could he possibly show his best self on a CV? The truth is, nobody can. Reuben is just an exaggeration of that.”
Together, these reflections cut through the noise. They remind us that inclusive hiring isn’t about grand statements or one-off initiatives. It’s about embedding equity into everyday moments: the way a job ad is written, the people who sit on an interview panel, the accountability leaders carry for building truly diverse teams.
The takeaway from the panel was clear. Inclusive hiring isn’t just about opening the door – it’s about creating the conditions for people to step through, be heard, and thrive. And when we get that right, we don’t just improve outcomes for individuals. We build stronger organisations, richer teams, and cultures where impact can flourish.
We’ll be running this panel session virtually for the ImpactMatch community in the coming months, so please register your interest here and we’ll contact you when registration opens:
Register your interest - Connecter Britain Masterclasses
We’ll be running a number of our Connected Britain panel sessions virtually for the ImpactMatch community in the coming months - please register your interest below and we’ll contact you when registration opens.
