Globally recognized, diversity and inclusion expert Stephen Frost helps organizations understand, lead and deliver inclusion systemically, adding measurable value to their bottom line.
Stephen is the Principal of Frost Included, and has worked with hundreds of clients to embed inclusive leadership into their decision-making. In his keynote talks and workshops, Stephen delivers and facilitates honest and fresh conversations to build an essential foundation for the important work of diversity and inclusion to occur. He helps attendees to understand diversity and inclusion, and provides solutions for organizations to lead inclusively.
From 2007-2012 Stephen designed, led and implemented the inclusion programs for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games as Head of Diversity and Inclusion for the London Organizing Committee (LOCOG). In this role, he was responsible for 22 programs across a 200,000 person workforce, £1.1 billion procurement spend, and 57 delivery functions. These ranged from inclusivity in an 11 million ticket program, to accessibility at 134 separate venues. His team managed a series of recruitment outreach action plans that achieved unprecedented workforce inclusion. The LOCOG Business Charter set new standards in supplier diversity and LOCOG became the first organization in the UK to achieve the Diversity Works for London Gold Standard and Advanced Level of the Equality Standard for Sport.
From 2004-2007 Stephen established and led the workplace team at Stonewall, Europe’s largest LGBT equality organization; establishing and growing the Diversity Champions program to over 300 members, launching the UK’s first lesbian and gay recruitment guide, establishing the LGBT Leadership Program and developing the Workplace Equality Index, which has become a standard across many leading UK and global employers.
Stephen started his career in advertising, where he worked on disability and age awareness campaigns, and has worked in consultancy and communications in the USA, Greece, Tanzania, China and Brazil.
He was a Hertford College Scholar at Oxford and a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard. He was elected recipient of the 2010 Peter Robertson Award for Equality and Diversity Champions and in 2014 he was named one of the top 100 influential LGBT people in the UK. And, is a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
He teaches Inclusive Leadership at Harvard University Business School in the US, Singapore Management University, and Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) in France. Stephen has served as an expert advisor to the British Government, The White House, and KPMG’s Diversity and Inclusion Program.
Stephen is the author of The Inclusion Imperative: How Real Inclusion Creates Better Business and Builds Better Societies (Kogan Page, 2014), Inclusive Talent Management: How Business Can Thrive in an Age of Diversity (Kogan Page, 2016), and Building an Inclusive Organization: Leveraging the Power of Your Diverse Workforce (Kogan Page, forthcoming, 2019).
How to Develop an Inclusive Mindset and Behavior for Business and Personal Success
There’s a simple contradiction in the way leaders manage their people and run their organizations that is too often overlooked; they are addicted to sameness in an age of diversity. That is fundamentally an unsustainable position to be in. Understanding and being adept at inclusive leadership will help leaders thrive in their increasingly diverse environment.
Inclusion is not just about accepting people’s differences – it’s about leveraging colleagues’ and employees’ unique experiences and backgrounds, as well as understanding your customers’ needs, to drive innovation and results.
Stephen reframes the business case for diversity and then shows how it is in all leaders interests (whomever we may be) to embrace difference. With reference to in-groups and out-groups in addition to self and role, audience members are guaranteed to have an a-ha moment in terms of why they should lead inclusively. They’ll leave this session equipped to take business goals, customer loyalty, and their career to the next level.
Intended Audience: Senior leaders and executives – especially those skeptical about the results of diversity and inclusion.
