Diversonomics

The glass ceiling is real and many women are finding it hard to fight against the perception that there simply aren’t enough qualified women to fill senior positions and sit on boards. We caught up with Gowling WLG partner Lorraine Mastersmith, who gave us a few great tips on how women can use their connections and champions to break into the boardroom.

There exists a direct correlation between accessibility and social inequality that often goes unaddressed. In today’s episode, special guest Barry Matthews, Director of Legal Affairs at ITV in the UK, joins us to share how he uses social mobility partnerships to help disadvantaged students gain work experience and access to the legal profession.

We are very excited about the season ahead — so much so that we couldn't wait to showcase some of the awesome things diversity champions around the world are doing. From corporate social responsibility to concussions, tune in as our hosts Roberto Aburto and Sarah Willis give you an overview of the guests and topics in store for season 2 of Diversonomics.

For the final episode of Season 1 of Diversonomics, host Roberto Aburto speaks to Carolyn Lawrence, gender leader, inclusion & diversity at Deloitte. She explains why more and more law firms and big businesses are implementing unconscious bias training in their offices, and how understanding the needs of millennials can go a long way in improving employee recruitment and retention. Episode tip "Where an organization...can reap the benefits of having diverse people around the table if they have that inclusive culture...Those people that are feeling different and may not be the majority of the people around the table or think differently than the majority of the people around the table, they feel like their difference is valued so they share it and they’re bringing their authentic self to work which means they are able to act at 100 per cent capacity. " — Carolyn Lawrence, gender leader, inclusion & diversity at Deloitte Resources Diversonomics | Episode 1 - Why your firm needs a diversity & inclus

For episode five of Diversonomics co-hosts Roberto Aberto and Sarah Willis interview Cristie Sutherland, the Director of Student and Associate Programs in Gowling WLG's Calgary office. They discuss the firm's recruitment process and why it's not only important to hire the best candidates, but to put diversity and inclusion at the forefront of these important decisions. Cristie also shares her story of being an immigrant to Canada and how that's shaped her path to following the law and now hiring future lawyers for the firm. Episode tip "...above everything be yourself. Life is too short to expend the kind of energy it would take to try to be one person at work and another person outside of work. Frankly, I think you are robbing yourself and you’d be robbing [your workplace]." — Cristie Sutherland, Director of Student and Associate Programs at Gowling WLG, Calgary Resources Learn more about Cristie Sutherland Diversonomics | Episode 1 - Why your firm needs a diversity & inclusion initiative Diversonomics

In this episode, Neena Gupta, co-chair of Gowling WLG Canada’s National Diversity and Inclusion Council, shares how her experiences with unconscious bias as a young associate motivated her to champion diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, and develop new programs to foster D & I in the workplace. Episode tip "I think that when we are in meetings and groups, [we need to make more of] an effort to ensure that everybody’s ideas really get a chance and that when somebody junior [...] comes up with a good idea, to make sure that person gets the credit or the recognition for it." — Neena Gupta, Partner at Gowling WLG Resources Learn more about Neena Gupta Diversonomics | Episode 1 - Why your firm needs a diversity & inclusion initiative Diversonomics | Episode 2 - Tackling LGBT inclusion in the workplace Diversonomics | Episode 3 - Fostering inclusion in a global firm Episode guest Neena Gupta Neena is a partner in our Waterloo Region and Toronto offices, with a focus on employment law. She is

In episode three of Diversonomics, co-hosts Roberto Aburto and Sarah Willis interview Lorna Gavin, Gowling WLG U.K.’s head of diversity, inclusion and corporate responsibility. In their discussion, they explore the challenges and opportunities of implementing diversity and inclusion strategies across a global firm, while also detailing Gowling WLG U.K.’s various diversity networks. Episode tip "1 in 4 people will have a mental health problem at some stage [...] it is okay to talk about it and it is okay to ask for help." — Lorna Gavin, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Gowling WLG Resources Learn more about Lorna Gavin Diversonomics | Episode 1 - Why your firm needs a diversity & inclusion initiative Diversonomics | Episode 2 - Tackling LGBT inclusion in the workplace Episode guest Lorna Gavin Formerly a corporate lawyer, Lorna Gavin now co-ordinates the interaction and overlap between Gowling WLG UK's areas of focus as Head of Corporate Responsibility. Lorna leads Gowling WLG UK's involvement with Bu

For episode two of Diversonomics, co-hosts Roberto Aberto and Sarah Willis interview Mark Greenburgh, a partner in Gowling WLG's London office. They discuss the exciting new diversity and inclusion opportunities that have arisen since the combination of Gowlings and Wragge Lawrence Graham, as well at Gowling WLG UK's LGBT OpenHouse initiative. Episode tip "Bring your whole self to work. You’ll be better at what you do and a happier person." — Mark Greenburgh, Partner at Gowling WLG Resources mentioned in this episode How Gowling WLG UK is forming an inclusive workplace Learn more about Mark Greenburgh Follow updates from Gowling WLG UK's OpenHouse initiative Episode guest Mark Greenburgh Mark Greenburgh is a partner in Gowling WLG's London office, with his practice focused on employment litigation. He helps clients find solutions to workplace relationship issues and interpret the special legislation or collective agreements applicable to public sector employees. Mark is also a Higher Rights Advocate, a Free

Podcast summary In the inaugural episode of Diversonomics, co-hosts Roberto Aburto and Sarah Willis introduce listeners to the podcast and discuss their experiences with diversity and inclusion in the legal industry. They also outline some of the obstacles the profession faces with respect to adopting new strategies and overhauling old practices.  Episode tip "Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common." — Sarah Willis, Co-host of Diversonomics and an associate at Gowling WLG Resources mentioned in this episode About Gowling WLG About the combination between Gowlings and Wragge Lawrence Graham Gowling WLG's diversity and inclusion initative Episode guests Roberto Aburto Roberto Aburto is an associate in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office, practising in municipal law and civil litigation, with a focus on real estate disputes, land use planning law and commercial litigation. He is also an active member in the swimming and lifesaving community, serving on the board of directors for the Lifesaving Society (