This is a YouTube video titled "ACT Will COVID Push Diversity & Women in Treasury To The Forefront" containing a conversation recorded in September 2020 discussing the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on diversity and inclusion within the treasury community. The dialogue features multiple speakers, including Mike Richards, who shares insights on the importance of treating people as individuals and supporting diversity holistically in the workplace.
Do you think the current crisis is bringing real focus? Of course, on liquidity and cash management, and the treasurer is front and center. Sure that, as you've already said, do you think this increased awareness of the treasurer role could be something that could help us increase our levels of diversity within the treasury community? As you've not spoken for a while, Mike, maybe I can go to you first.
Yeah, I think it definitely. Well, we talked a lot and we talked on the rehearsal call before. We talked about homeschooling and the pressures on the social world, if you like, of how treasurers are meant to act and the support they're given. But I think it actually goes way before pre Covid. You know, I wrote some articles about how I've got two daughters, two sons, and, you know, but the way that when they move forward into the world that. The way that, you know, say there's a chap going, coming back from illness or something like that, and. Or a lady coming back from maternity leave. The actual help that is provided, the support and the way that people are treated, I found is very different and can be very different a lot of the time. And again, I know that Caroline, we spoke before about Linda at Tesco's, who I've spoken about and we've interviewed. She was on the podcast. She's. She was given such amazing support when she came back, when she was throughout her career at Kingfisher. And then she came into Tesco's. And I think that makes a hell of a difference. I think it comes down to companies taking that more holistic view of all those different things, ethnicity, diversity, male, female, everything, and actually stepping back from that and looking at people as individuals. And I get asked sometimes there are some publications that ask about the women in treasury and various other bits, bits and things. And I don't feel. I sometimes say that I can't really comment on that because what I'm focusing on, the people as individuals, whether they're black, whether they're white, whether they're male or female. But I think what we're after is a fair chance for everyone. And I think that's the issue with companies, that they need to focus on that first and foremost. I mean.
