Coral Bamgboye
Global Head of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Growing up as a mixed race girl in a predominately white area meant I felt it was always difficult for me to feel like I really belonged anywhere ….. feeling like an outsider within the white communities and then the same feeling whenever we visited predominately black areas where other family members lived. I was lucky enough to have a family who have kept me grounded made sure I believed and appreciated who I was regardless of what was around me and I’m glad to say that’s stuck with me throughout my working life. Doing what I can to ensure that within the workplace people don’t feel that sense of not belonging, working to ensure that people feel included, all voices are heard and that we do what we can to level the playing field, recognise our privilege even when it might not be obvious to us at first and work to find ways to use it for good is a passion of mine. Becoming a mum meant this was even more important to me…. creating a society that embraces everyone so that mine (and all) children have the best future possible where they can truly be their authentic self is not optional, a place where as my Nan would say we can all ‘Aim for the Highest.
Having worked within the Robert Walters Group since 2009 I have been lucky enough to work with an amazing group of people across our business who have been able to bring themselves and their unique personalities and experiences to the table to help make our business what is it today and encourage me to learn and think differently is why I love working in this space. Working in a leadership role within our business, supporting clients on driving their DEI agendas as well as chairing our regional and global councils, driving awareness and education through events, initiatives in the business prior to moving to my role as Head of EDI with the Group, I’m really proud of how inclusive our business is and the work we have done on this so far. But like many other companies, we are not perfect and we are on a journey and so in my role I am passionate about working with our leadership teams across the group to drive that sense of belonging, creating a mindset of growth and continuous learning underpinned by an ability to look at things through the emphatic and equity focused lens.
Ozlem Simsek
Managing Director – Belgium
Remember when you were a kid in school, and two of your classmates were choosing sides for a game of soccer or volleyball? Were you ever the last one to be picked for a team? It’s not a good feeling. At some point in our lives, we’ve all felt excluded from a team – and working now 18 years at Robert Walters, a company which I deeply value, would be heart breaking to me if we would lost talent because we failed to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. My aim is to help all our colleagues feeling comfortable bringing their authentic selves without worrying about how their ideas will be viewed. On a personal level, I know how important inclusion and belonging is. My husband and myself are raised in two different cultures which makes that we have different ways of gestures & expressions, which makes us think different. I even see this diversity at our 2 girls, they are polar opposites in terms of personality. One is an extroverted risk taker, and the other is more introvert, attentive &thoughtful! Each of them brings her own way of energy and ideas to our family.My personal passion for diversity overflows into my professional life. As a business leader, my role is to ensure that our teams are as diverse & inclusive as possible, so that we challenge ourselves to find our way to the best ideas and solutions out there.
Joshua Bryan
Director – Tokyo
ED&I has long been both a personal and professional passion of mine. Professionally, when I joined RW supporting banks with hiring in 2007 I quickly found myself working in close partnership with some inspiring senior female leaders. These were typically Japanese women who were breaking moulds in conservative Japan, people who had chosen early in their careers to join comparatively progressive Financial Services companies for the fairer opportunities available for them to thrive. 2011 was pivotal timing for me and my ED&I journey as I stepped up to lead our HR and Legal coverage in Tokyo. This move opened up fresh opportunities for meaningful dialogue with clients and candidates about equality, culture and progress for our organizations and Japan.
As a gay man who came out at 18 years old in the UK, I had an interesting experience when I moved to Japan at age 22 including having to re-come out several times in both hostile and welcoming work environments. My personal experiences inform my appreciation of the importance of creating an inclusive environment where everyone can feel a meaningful sense of belonging.
Today I am fortunate to manage 50 wonderful people from 15 countries, with a gender balance through the entire division including my management team. We are parents and single folks, from gen Z to gen X. We are proud of our diversity, and the richness of culture we believe gives us a competitive edge in the market.
Following the Black Lives Matter movement, I sensed a real opportunity to address some areas for development in ED&I more broadly in our organisation and enthusiastically raised my hand to contribute. These past 2 years have been among the most rewarding in my 15 years with RW, full of opportunities to collaborate with and learn from people within and beyond RW, across our global locations. In many ways we are still early in our journey, but we have come a long way too from where we were 2 years ago thanks to many and diverse people contributing in our vibrant network of cross-APAC ED&I councils.
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