What was it that  made an attempt to celebrate diversity turn parochial?

I went to see Gay Icons last week-end  and left the National Portrait Gallery feeling both puzzled and disappointed.

The exhibition was put together by ten selectors, including Billie Jean King and Elton John, who were asked to name six people - who may or may not be gay - “whom they personally regard as inspirational, or an icon for them”.
Gay Icons missed a great opportunity to celebrate prominent figures for their roles as advocates of gay rights. Instead, some of the people selected appear to have been chosen only for personal reasons. Awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic gets only a few brief mentions.

The exhibition also lacks diversity in terms of nationality. Most of the people in it are either British or American. How sad!

Here is a list of people who were totally ignored but ought to have been part of the exhibition in terms of what they represent as gay icons:

- Greek poet Constantine Cavafy
- German film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder
- Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka
- Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar
- Greek soprano Maria Callas
- American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe
- Italian film directors Pier Paolo Pasolini and Luchino Visconti
- US movie star Rock Hudson
- English novelist E.M. Forster
- American author Gore Vidal

It’s so exciting! My friend and fellow CWN member India Gary has been included on the Powerlist 2010, a list of the 100 most influential black people in the UK.

Her citation describes her as “one of the most senior black women in UK banking.”

Today, India is visiting 10 Downing Street  with others who have been similarly recognized. The Powerlist is topped by Baroness Scotland, the Attorney General and Tidjane Thiam, chief executive of Prudential.

Awareness of the business case of diversity seems to be growing these days in Europe – also thanks to fierce competition coming from emerging economies. 

One of the main points Bieneosa Ebite and I made on Monday during our talk at the CIPR is that homogeneity leads to blind spots.

Organisations need diverse teams if they want to be able to look beyond the conventional frames of reference and innovate.

Diversity is no longer a pet project on the sidelines of corporate life.

A number of trends indicate that companies with a diverse workforce are likely to perform better in the years to come.

According to official data, the amount of mutual fund assets under management (AuM) is shifting from the Global North to emerging markets. AuM decreased by 10% in Europe in the past three years, while it increased by 37.6% in Brazil and Chile and by 19.2% in Asia including China, India  and Korea.

Multinationals from emerging economies are engaging more and more with businesses in Europe and the US. Companies with a diverse staff will find it easier to understand these new business partners. A diverse  workforce brings a mixture of experiences and resources that employers will be able to turn into a powerful competitive advantage when dealing with other parts of the world.

And let’s not forget that Generation Y is coming into the workforce and is looking for jobs that resonate with their values. Inclusion ranks high among them. Gen Y is used to being in contact with people from other cultures. Social networking and online games have turned their world into a digital orange.

Annette Verschuren, President and CEO of The Home Depot for Canada and Asia, believes that the business secret of the future will be about including and inspiring people who in the past we thought did not belong.

Bieneosa Ebite and I will be talking about Cross Cultural PR and Diversity at the CIPR in October. Bienosa is the managing director of Bright Star Public Relations and a founding member of the UK Black and Asian PR Networking Group, which aims to encourage diversity in the PR industry.

Click here to join us on 12 October.