Vince Cable's Diversity Advisor Charlotte Sweeney to Release Practical Handbook for Corporates on How to Create an Inclusive and Diverse Business

Harvard Global Diversity Leadership award winner Charlotte Sweeney, has announced the release of her debut book ‘Inclusive Leadership - The Definitive Guide to Developing and Executing an Impactful Diversity and Inclusion Strategy – Locally and Globally’. Set to be a practical how-to guide to diversity and inclusion, the book has been co-authored by Fleur Bothwick OBE, head of Diversity and Inclusive Leadership for the EMEIA region at EY and draws on their collective real life experience. Offering insightful stories and guidance by two master practitioners, Inclusive Leadership brings to life a much needed guide for businesses, on how to drive sustainable, corporate culture change.

Published by The Financial Times in September 2016 and on general release from October4^th , the book provides a thorough introduction to D&I with practical and pragmatic advice on how to convert words into action and create a truly inclusive culture. Studies show an 80% improvement in business performance among those with high diversity levels. Exemplifying that the most successful organisations are those with the most diverse and engaged workforces.

Charlotte has dedicated much of her life to championing universal social mobility and the benefits of a diverse workforce in business. Charlotte’s specialised work through Creating Inclusive Cultures’ in large-scale change programmes with a focus on inclusion, engagement and wellbeing for over 15 years, meant that when UK Secretary of State Dr. Vince Cable needed an independent review on the Voluntary Code for Executive Search firms in relation to getting more women onto boards, Charlotte was the woman he called on. ‘The Sweeney Report’ is now widely referenced.

“Charlotte Sweeney is admirably qualified to write about practical problems in promoting diversity in business. She advised me and my department when we made a push to increase the representation of women on boards during the Coalition Government. In particular she produced a good, forensic, analysis of recruitment consultants and designed a Code of Conduct to improve practice . Overall we made genuine progress on the diversity agenda and Charlotte was a key factor," saidtheRt Hon Sir Vince Cable, Former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Prior to setting up Creating Inclusive Cultures, Charlotte spent twenty-five years working for Blue Chip companies in the Financial Services sector (Barclays, Barclays Capital, HBOS and Nomura International.)  Her debut book The Definitive Guide to Developing and Executing an Impactful Diversity and Inclusion Strategy – Locally and Globally, will be on general release from the4^th  October and the Creating Inclusive Cultures mobile app launches later this summer.