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“Equally important: diversity is not a threat to men, a sentiment you sometimes hear. The further we support diversity then the greater opportunities there will also be for men to achieve success. It is not about beating up men. It’s about elevating women,” he said.
David believes that open, honest conversation will help to continue to drive diversity and shift behaviours.
“The conversation around this is critical as well as modelling behaviour. A friend of mine in the UK is a member of HeForShe and wears a pin to show his support.
“He told me it has given him the visual license to speak up in meetings and ask ‘what does that mean’ from a gender perspective. He has formally committed to calling out behaviour that undermines diversity.
“It’s positive action that really resonated with me. Even though I don’t wear a pin — and you certainly don’t have to — I try to champion and support opportunities for all team members. It’s about encouraging other people to adopt more supportive behaviour and seeing it in action is important,” he said.
An important way of enabling diversity is flexible working, which, for David personally, required a mental shift.
“I work flexible hours to juggle my various family commitments. It took me a while to not feel guilty, but I feel real acceptance and support at all levels. Moreover, I hope that flexibility of this kind enables more female professionals to pursue both their career and personal goals.
“I think flexible work is really about juggling all aspects of your life, not just family commitments. Pursuing that balance allows other people to see what’s possible,” he said.
So, how do we maintain momentum? David sees men as a critical component to the success of diversity.