032 In conversation with Amrita Devaiah

Diversity Alliance Talks

Amrita Devaiah the Head of External Affairs and Engagement at the Cabinet Office, with responsibility for events and all aspects of ministerial engagement for the department. This includes Civil Service Live, the largest public sector learning and development event in Europe as well as all visits, meetings or external engagements for Cabinet Office ministers, such as Michael Gove, Penny Mordaunt or Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Prior to joining the Cabinet Office, she worked for a number of organisations from NUS to NCS Trust, setting up departments from scratch and delivering national and international events, from gala dinners to music festivals. She has been a fierce advocate for equality throughout her career, and has developed and delivered national training on privilege, which she is currently delivering across the Government Communications Service; and works on embedding inclusive practices in events. She also undertakes a number of speaking engagements on the importance of inclusion and empathy in leadership.
In her spare time she is the co-founder of Social Supper Club London, a zero-waste dinner club raising funds for Refettorio Felix, a London charity supporting vulnerable, homeless people and those at risk of homelessness; she sits on two Boards - both working with organisations where social mobility is at the heart, and is a mentor for Apprentice Nation.

In this weeks episode we cover:

• How to make sure we "walk the walk" by embedding D&I practices into the event planning process and delivery
• What happens when you become the "accidental D&I leader" facilitating difficult conversations and identifying privilege
• The dangers of performative diversity
• What we can to bring about diverse and inclusive spaces at work and our events