Leaders in EDI: Nielsen Sport’s Lynsey Douglas & BCOMS founder Leon Mann

In today’s episode, we bring you two conversations with two key leaders in sport around the importance of measuring progress and implementing change in the ED&I Landscape. 

Leaders in EDI is a monthly series covering news, views, comments and debates happening across the equality, diversity and inclusion space. It also shines a spotlight on the progress being made and the challenges being faced in EDI across sport. 

Our first conversation, beginning at 08:40, is with Leaders’ Managing Director Laura McQueen and Nielsen Sports’ Head of Brands, Lynsey Douglas. The focal point of the discussion was the survey that Leaders ran in collaboration with Nielsen in order to benchmark where members of the Leaders Meet: Diversity series feel we are in the EDI space. The pair cover key statistics from the survey findings and what changes we can make to ensure even better results over the coming year, and take the opportunity to discuss having ambition to drive change, the importance of having an inclusive work environment as we return to the office space, and the key approach to joining a community.   

At 21:15, we then move to a guest interview with Leon Mann, an entrepreneur, activist, broadcaster, filmmaker and founder of sports consultancy and production company, Refresh Sport. This conversation expanded on the theme of change, with a focus given to the distinction between short-term change and long-term reform. Within it, Mann offers his valuable insight on reflecting on your own biases, holding leaders accountable, and how taking action in the diversity space will maximise the performance of your business.  

The Leaders in EDI podcast is part of the Leaders Meet: Diversity Series, delivered in partnership with Meta, which provides a platform for executives within sport to come together to drive diversity across the industry, accelerate the pace of change and inspire the next generation of executives, through thought-leadership events and digital forums. To find out more about the Leaders Meet: Diversity series, please visit https://leadersinsport.com/leaders-meet-diversity-2

The fourth edition of Leaders Sport Business Summit Abu Dhabi returns on 16th and 17th March. To find out more and register your interest, please visit https://leadersinsport.com/AD2022