True Diversity feat. Jane Ayaduray

As part of our True Diversity blog series, we sat down with Jane Ayaduray.

Jane has over 15 years’ success delivering people strategies that strengthen culture, leadership, and performance across complex global organisations, partnering with leaders to embed inclusive practices that foster sustainable business.

Here she shares powerful insights on what good D&I looks like in practice, the unique opportunity smaller companies have to embed it from the ground up, and the trends reshaping the landscape, from AI to intersectionality.

Let’s start with the need for Diversity and Inclusion, what’s your take – why is it so important?

It’s easy to connect with D&I through the lens of “the right thing to do”—after all, it’s often stories of injustice or exclusion that bring the topic into focus. But from a business perspective, D&I is a strategic essential in today’s competitive and fast-moving environment.

We know there’s a strong link between diversity and innovation. Research from HBR, BCG and McKinsey shows that more diverse leadership teams outperform on metrics like revenue growth, profitability, and new market expansion. The Royal Academy of Engineering even found that diverse teams generate more impactful intellectual property—measured through things like patent citations.

D&I also plays a powerful role in risk management. Time and again, examples across industries—vehicle design, product development, health and safety—demonstrate how more diverse and inclusive teams could have saved time, money, and in some tragic cases, even lives.

As we look to the future and think about how we want our organisations to grow and the kind of impact we want to have, we all want access to the best people. And talent is everywhere — it’s opportunity that’s unevenly distributed. By removing barriers both to and within the workplace, we increase the likelihood that our teams reflect the very best of what’s out there — not just the candidates who sound like us or went to the same university.

But diversity alone isn’t enough. If we want those perspectives to be heard, we have to build inclusive environments where people feel valued and safe to speak up. D&I done well isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s a business-critical capability.

What Does Good D&I Look Like?

One of the things I love most about working in the D&I space is how strong the practitioner community is. I think that’s partly because effective D&I work is so contextual—there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

When working well, D&I efforts:

• Reflect the organisation’s culture, people, and strategic goals
• Are long-term and embedded—not episodic or seasonal
• Have visible support and accountability from leadership
• Are shaped by the needs and lived experience of colleagues and clients

Ultimately, great D&I work is aligned with how an organisation grows and leads—with creativity, integrity, and sustainability.

We typically see D&I leads and teams in large organisations. Should smaller companies also be thinking about D&I?

Absolutely. In fact, smaller organisations often have more agility to weave D&I into their DNA early on.

There are more than 30,000 UK companies with 50–500 employees, many of them scaling quickly, navigating cultural shifts, and trying to attract and retain great people. And regardless of size, every organisation benefits from innovation, risk reduction, and stronger performance — all of which D&I supports.

Embedding inclusive practices early on doesn’t just help now — it future-proofs the business. It attracts people who want to co-create inclusive, purpose-led workplaces and helps prepare companies for shifts in legislation and societal expectations. Take the new UK requirement for menopause action plans (for companies with 250+ employees, from 2027) — even if you’re not legally required to act, it’s a signal of what a supportive workplace will soon be expected to look like.

I’ve recently started taking on advisory board work again with the specific goal of supporting small and scaling companies in building their D&I capability. A good advisory board — especially one with expertise in leadership, culture, and inclusion — can offer a smaller organisation:

• External perspective on inclusive strategy and culture-building
• Support with governance and emerging legal frameworks
• Credibility and gentle challenge that helps translate intention into action

D&I seems like a hot topic at the moment. How is D&I evolving?

A contact of mine recently said the term D&I is “triggering more people than a seagull stealing chips,” and honestly, I’ve never felt more seen! The 2025 landscape is fast-moving, a bit chaotic, and occasionally polarising. There’s been deep uncertainty —especially in the US — about what companies can or should do in this space, both practically and philosophically.

That said, I’m seeing more thoughtful conversations around the risks of pulling back. A report released in June explored exactly this and offered a timely reminder: stepping away from D&I has real consequences — on trust, talent, and long-term success.

Looking ahead, some of the key trends shaping D&I include:

• Rising expectations that companies take positions on broader social issues — like geopolitics or climate. Our colleagues and customers are watching, and they care.
• Growing awareness of intersectionality — recognising that identity is complex, and policies need to reflect that. New tools and insights are helping us get smarter about where to act.
• The double-edged sword of AI: yes, it risks widening gaps — but it also opens up access to tools like coaching and flexible work in ways that were previously cost-prohibitive.
• A shift toward embedding D&I across the organisation. I’m seeing more leader-led initiatives, more hybrid roles that combine D&I with recruitment, talent or wellbeing, and a rising expectation that inclusive leadership is just… leadership.

If you are a part of an initiative, brand or company that proactively champions diversity and would like to be featured as part of the “True Diversity” series please get in touch with Tony.

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