For Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, and Cunard, at the very heart of we do, our purpose, is a belief that as human beings we grow when we’re given the opportunity to experience new places, new cultures and build connections. We become better versions of ourselves and do better work when we are curious, open-minded, and accepting of others and their ideas. And with a global, multi-cultural and role-diverse workforce, it’s no surprise that being an inclusive organisation is a strategic priority for the brands of Carnival Corporation.
Last week at Carnival UK, we celebrated National Inclusion Week – we want people to choose us for our inclusive community and the event creates a great platform for us to raise awareness, share stories and prompt discussions on how important this is for us.
In a week that saw us host TED talks, meet with strategic partners, extend inclusion challenges, share inclusion stories and on Friday, reveal our National Inclusion Standard results, we took the opportunity to host a thought-leadership and networking event for the local business community to explore the theme of Building Inclusive Organisations.
Orlando Ashford
The keynote speaker was Orlando Ashford, President of Holland America – the first black President of a cruise line and former senior executive of organisations such as Coca Cola and Motorola. He shared compelling examples of why inclusion is so necessary for commercial success and in the panel discussion afterwards, speakers Toby Mildon, Julie Feest and Aryana Neo were able to give some practical examples of things organisations can do to be more inclusive, including some smart ideas on recruitment, running meetings and engaging with educational institutions.
L to R; Toby Mildon, Julie Feest, Aryana Neo and Orlando Ashford