Ahead of its fourth year launch, Fintech Week London has committed to championing diversity and inclusion through its partnership with The Inclusion Plus Institute and SafeSpace Plus. Fintech Week London is a week-long series of events that highlight and celebrate London’s innovative fintech scene, including its flagship conference on Thursday 13 June.
This year, Fintech Week London is taking additional measures to ensure the safety and inclusion of all attendees at the event by partnering with SafeSpace Plus™, enabling comfortable participation for all individuals through a conference-wide Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct requires all participants, partners and speakers to consciously commit to psychological and physical safety for all attendees, ensuring that each individual is able to participate fully in an environment where differences are embraced.
Developed by The Inclusion Plus Institute, SafeSpace Plus™ provides a comprehensive framework for building effortless, safe, and inclusive environments. The Code of Conduct incident reporting tools and participant support, enables organisations to instil a culture which embraces diversity, nurtures trust, and fosters psychological safety, proving to increase engagement across events by up to 76%.
Recent statistics from Esono via SafeSpace Plus revealed four out of 10 female keynote speakers at tech conferences reported instances of sexual harassment. Although none have previously been reported at Fintech Week London events, the statistic shines a light on the inequalities that still plague the events industry and highlights the growing need for a focus on fostering safe and inclusive environments at events going forward.
As such, attendees at this year’s Fintech Week London event will be required to sign the Code of Conduct. Backed by a clear policy of repercussions should anyone breach the agreement, the event will utilise the reporting tool designed by SafeSpace Plus™ to allow attendees to formally and anonymously report these incidents. Acting as a pioneer to the conference industry, Fintech Week London is highlighting the importance of caring for attendees to other conference organisers.
As the event looks to shine a spotlight on the vibrant fintech ecosystem in London by bringing together over 1,000 senior decision-makers from leading fintech companies, banks, investment firms, regulatory bodies and service providers, notable fintech alumni have commented on the event’s commitments this year.
Diversity Inclusion Champion and Founder of Project Nemo, a 12-month campaign connecting the experts already working on disability inclusion with the business decision makers within fintech who want to accelerate valuing inclusion in their business, Joanne Dewar, formerly GPS/Thredd, has said: “Across the fintech industry, it’s important that our efforts in innovation are matched with equal passion for diversity and inclusion. This partnership between Fintech Week London, The Inclusion Plus Institute and SafeSpace Plus, not only marks a significant step towards a more inclusive industry, but also underlines the critical role that diverse perspectives play in driving forward the financial technology sector.
“Diversity and inclusion goes further than just discussing race, gender, sexuality and some of the other more heavily discussed inequalities. Through this partnership, Fintech Week London is fostering an environment where every voice is heard and valued, especially the ‘1 in 5’ individuals living with a disability in the UK. We’re not just shaping a more inclusive fintech community, but also ensuring that our sector remains at the cutting edge of innovation, redirecting the course of diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Together, we’re laying down the groundwork for a fintech ecosystem that thrives on diversity, fosters inclusivity, and champions the unique contributions of all its members.”
Speaking further on the partnership, Fintech Week London’s CEO, Raf De Kimpe, commented: “We’re delighted to have partnered with The Inclusion Plus Institute and SafeSpace Plus to solidify our commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives here at Fintech Week London. We pride ourselves on curating the very best fintech content every year, provided and consumed by a diverse network of exhibitors, speakers, and attendees. Without these strong and innovative minds, who hail from a variety of backgrounds, Fintech Week London simply would not be able to deliver on the broader topics within our industry, which so many attendees come to the show to learn about.
“Our partnership with The Inclusion Plus Institute and SafeSpace Plus™ fits in our larger diversity, equity and inclusion mission. Fintech Week London has always strived to provide a balanced and diverse set of speakers to our audience, and lead by example. We’ve been vocal about the inequality in gender and pay gap that still exists in the finance industry and made sure we did our part on and off stage. With this partnership, we are taking action and not only creating a diverse event, but also making sure we’re creating a space where everyone feels safe and included. We hope we inspire other corporate events to follow suit.”
The full list of speakers for this year’s conference is set to be announced in the coming weeks, with the first 18 already listed on the Fintech Week London website, alongside the programme for the event.
For more information about Fintech Week London’s Code of Conduct, please visit the website.
About The Inclusion Plus Institute:
The Inclusion Plus Institute helps organisations thrive in change, becoming more innovative by defining targeted strategies and using evidence-based assessments, education, and leadership coaching. Inclusive Cultures do not happen by accident but result from deliberate efforts. For more information, please visit: https://inclusionplusinstitute.com/
About SafeSpace Plus™:
SafeSpace Plus™, developed by The Inclusion Plus Institute, encourages everyone to contribute and participate fully in an environment free from harassment where differences are embraced and used constructively for positive outcomes. Leaders and organisers can create the conditions to increase productive collaboration and reduce organisational risk.
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