MMCS Managing Director Monica Mwanje co-organised and co-hosted the second annual Diversity and Inclusion in UK Nuclear Conference earlier this month.

A global pandemic could not stop proceedings with the event running entirely online. The conference was attended virtually by over 400 delegates and hosted several speakers in leadership roles throughout the key UK Nuclear organisations.

This conference took place in a time where conversations about Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) are more prevalent than ever before, in the wake of global Black Lives Matter protests that have been ongoing since June. Other recent events include the US Supreme Court ruling to prevent LGBTQ+ employees from discrimination, and the UK Government’s recent promise to prevent a rollback on Transgender rights.

Monica, along with Callum Thomas (CEO of Thomas Thor) founded Diversity and Inclusion in UK Nuclear in 2019. Their aim was to provide useful, practical and balanced information and support to stakeholders in achieving diversity & inclusion within the UK nuclear industry. Monica and Callum have organised the annual conference as a way of bringing key employees from the industry together with senior leaders and D&I experts to discuss the issues and obstacles openly, and to share practical tools to create a more equal workplace.

Both speakers and attendees at the Conference recognised that this isn’t necessarily easy. This is because many fundamental structures and policies within organisations will need an overhaul and difficult conversations will need to take place in order to create these workplaces. However, a quote that resonated with many in attendance and galvanised their resolve was by Frank Douglas, the keynote speaker and CEO of Caerus Executive. Whilst talking about his experiences and what he has learned, he said “Your culture is defined by the worst behaviours you tolerate”. This reflected other conversations on the day about the importance of active allyship, and not just standing by when witnessing problematic behaviours, both in the workplace and in daily life.

For more information on Diversity and Inclusion in UK Nuclear and its activities, click here.