Gender Allyship

For the past few months, The Labour Relations Agency and the Centre of Learning (part of the WiB Group) have bee engaging a cross-section of men on how we can drive real gender allyship within workplaces. A significant positive outcome in achieving this will be preventing sexual harassment in the workplace, a key pillar in the NI Executive’s forthcoming Strategy for Ending Violence against Women and Girls. To date, this has involved men-only workshops comprising supportive senior leaders and, separately, Gen Z/Millennials. These were psychologically safe spaces for men to talk about issues and behaviours they have witnessed and share their own thinking on this critical issue.

While these have been really useful in generating ideas, all the men have been acutely sensitive of the need to listen to the views of women. Therefore, we are now at the stage of wishing to invite women to join the conversation. We thought the best way to do this was to invite a number of prominent women to take part in a panel discussion with an audience largely comprising men (including those from the focus groups). Each of the panellists will talk from a specific perspective, drawing on their professional insights and any personal experiences they wish to share.

The panel discussion will be on Thursday 19 September in James House on the Gasworks in Belfast for two hours, starting at 10.00 (with networking and refreshments from 9.15).

The panel comprises:

· Caroline van der Feltz – HR Director, Danske Bank UK;

· Christine White – Director, Diversity Mark;

· Geraldine Alexander – LRA Board member and former senior trade union official with NIPSA;

· Lori Gatsi-Barnett – Chair, African and Caribbean Support Organisation NI (ACSONI)and Founder of the JoinHer Network;

· Maxine Orr – President of the Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal; and,

· Tahnee McCrory – Chief Executive, White Ribbon NI.

Host or Publisher Keelin Kelly