When the team at Northern Power Futures went live from our broadcasting studios for a conversation on “Harnessing the PoWEr of Neurodiversity”, the themes and key messages really struck a chord with MSP Global.
This discussion, facilitated by Simone Roche MBE, founder of Northern Power Women & PoWEr Collective, in partnership with Northern Power Futures’ partner BNY Mellon, brought some much needed and very welcome representation to an important topic: how we can best accommodate and support our neurodiverse colleagues in the workplace.
Simone was joined by three panellists, each with unique and valuable perspectives on neurodiversity:
Jamie Pratt
Lead Analyst of Global Asset Safety at BNY Mellon
Having received a diagnosis for Asperger Syndrome when he was younger, Jamie emphasised that neurodiversity is a spectrum. Not everyone experiences Autism, Asperger Syndrome or any other condition in the same way, and Jamie reinforced the importance of listening to individual needs in the workplace.
Tori Roberts
UK Neuro-Diverse CoE Leader at EY
Tori is the lead for EY’s UK Neurodiverse Centre of Excellence and co-chair of the EY Women in Tech community. Tori brought a unique insight into inclusivity challenges and the value in creating inclusive environments, the benefits to businesses of integrating neurodiversity, and learnings from EY’s approach and their Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence. Tori highlighted the need to continue conversations on these topics and urged viewers to communicate with their organisations about what they can do to make a difference.
Irene Afful
Founder & Director of Ametrine Coaching & Consultancy
Irene Afful MSc is a former Merseyside Detective Inspector who is now founder and director of Ametrine Coaching and Consultancy. Irene has a neurodiverse son with ADHD, Autism and sensory issues as well as some other conditions. He struggles with certain aspects of language and doesn’t understand subtle nuances like sarcasm and common sayings. Yet he is incredibly intelligent and creatively talented. As a parent of a neurodiverse child, Irene spoke of the challenges that come with seeking a diagnosis, reminding other parents in similar positions that they are not alone.
Facilitating this event from our state of the art broadcast studio at our Liverpool headquarters, the topic was of particular significance to the MSP team. We have a longstanding and authentic relationship with the PoWEr collective and also firmly believe in taking an inclusive approach to neurodiverse employees.
One topic that really resonated with us here at MSP was the question of disclosing neurodiversity to an employer. The panellists offered valuable advice and practices to ensure the provision of both comfort and support to the employee. At MSP Global, we take pride in having created a working environment where our employees have always felt comfortable and supported in sharing this information. An environment of authentic understanding and listening allows us to unlock the full potential of our team members and improves our service as an events company.
The events industry bisects a wide range of sectors and disciplines, with a hybrid need for different approaches and ways of thinking. Creative minds are often needed to overcome certain challenges and help tell a story about what we do, while a more technical approach is valuable when it comes to the logistics of putting on the seamless events we produce at MSP. We work with all of our employees to ensure we give them the right support to be the best they can be and to bring their specific skillset to our team. Only then can we utilise and embrace the brilliance of all different ways of thinking to find the best possible solutions to our problems.
Whether neurodiverse or neurotypical, we know that each of our employees makes a unique and valuable contribution to the services we offer. At MSP, we have recognised this for years and believe it’s something all organisations can benefit from.
Watch the full discussion and discover what the panellists see as the key factors for harnessing the PoWEr of Neurodiversity>>>
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