IT’S A WRAP! D&I WEEK 2020 – EMBRACING DIVERSITY
Friday 23 October 2020
This year, D&I Week focused on taking action, encouraging individuals to embrace and celebrate diversity whilst inspiring others, and fostering a positive and inclusive working environment
More than 100 virtual events took place in over 14 countries and many stories were shared on One UniCredit. Organising the events was more challenging than usual as many of us are working remotely. Therefore, a big THANK YOU to all colleagues, their families, external guests, NGOs and experts who took part, dedicating time, effort and commitment to make D&I Week 2020 a success.
Every day a new country report
Each day during D&I Week, we asked some of our countries to report back to highlight an event. This resulted in a collection of very inspiring stories of different initiatives.
If you haven’t already, read about our colleagues in Italy, who met members of a rock band who all have a disability, raising awareness and learning that self-irony, optimism and lightness are issues that affect everyone, and that people can do anything if they have the right tools and mindset.
In Hungary, there was a special focus on how to ensure women have the same career opportunity and how to use the valuable knowledge of senior colleagues. With a dedicated wisdom-project, experienced colleagues provide assistance to the younger generation in a variety of areas including helping mothers to return to work after maternity leave or integrating new hires effectively.
In Slovenia, expat life was discussed and how to make people from abroad feel welcome, a topic not often covered but equally as important when it comes to inclusion.
In Austria, where the bank created its own Disability Management Team already 10 years ago, there were several on-line events highlighting how to support people with disabilities.
Meanwhile, in Germany over 130 participants joined a discussion on the critical role women have in the wealth management and private banking industry and how to ensure gender diversity and equal opportunities.
We also covered two events focused on the LGBTQ+ community in Austria and London, raising awareness on diversity and inclusion and how to be more supportive.
Want to know more? Catch-up on these articles related to D&I Week which we published last week:
- Counting the cost of COVID-19 on people with disabilities
- The future of D&I in financial services
- Are you aware of your unconscious biases?
- Get up to speed on…. Disability equality
- Why diversity and inclusion are so important
- “Diversity is a key strength” a video message from Roberta Marracino (Head of Group ESG Strategy & Impact Banking UniCredit)
- Wrap-up of events held in the CEE countries
And finally, we received also a special contribution from one of our colleagues, Giacomo, who wanted to share his story about his disabling illness and how support from his colleagues gave him a sense of purpose and made him feel part of a team.
At UniCredit, we believe that diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives makes us stronger, both as a Group and a community. We are enriched by our diverse workforce and are committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all talents, skills and experiences are valued, and different points of view are openly expressed and appreciated.
So together, let’s continue to take action on diversity & inclusion and continue to…Do the Right Thing!