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07-09-2021

The case for diverse boards

Episode: 023

In this super stimulating interview packed with nuggets of wisdom from the ‘front line’ Monique Choudhuri explains clearly and passionately the benefits of a board level focus on Diversity and Inclusion.

Monique is a Non-Executive Director for Brentford FC where she is board champion for EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) and has spearheaded their quest to become the most inclusive club in English football.

She tells the story of how a professional sports business, Brentford FC, a Premier League football club based in London, has employed cutting edge leadership practices to create a massive and frankly unlikely success story. This success has been based on the use of data.

As Monique says: “Everyone has bias and to stay humble you have to challenge your bias. We use data to challenge our own assumptions to make better decisions. This takes the bias out of decision making.”

We discuss Brentford’s success factors including “humility and togetherness on and off the field”, “inclusivity” and “doing something they never thought we could do”. Also that the “culture is set by the board” (not the CEO and his/her team). In addition, Monique explains the role of “discretionary gold dust” and “pre-mortems” at the club.

All this has application to businesses across the board.

Please explore and enjoy!

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