EMpower is an organisation that helps companies drive greater BAME inclusion at all levels of their business. The EMpower 100 ethnic minority leaders lists the 100 most influential black, Asian and minority ethnic business leaders, and this year our colleagues Irvinder Goodhew, Director of Transformation, and Sarah Nelson, Group Financial Controller made the cut.

Embracing the difference

Recognising that every colleague is unique makes us stronger as a business. At Sainsbury’s, we believe that diversity amongst our colleagues should be celebrated. Our Embrace the Difference initiative, launched last year, inspired a huge number of colleagues to share their stories and be open and honest with one another about what makes them different.

By bravely sharing their stories and acting as role models and mentors for many colleagues, both Irvinder and Sarah have been key in driving Sainsbury’s inclusion agenda. Their involvement in our Race Reference Group has resulted in a number of initiatives aimed at helping our BAME colleagues be the best they can be.

A step in the right direction

We know that there’s always more to be done, but being recognised by EMpower is a hugely positive step in our journey. We’re continuing to run our BAME networking events for colleagues, and they are proving to be popular with almost 500 colleagues across our business attending so far. A number of our Board members are also starting to take on BAME mentoring circles.