Leon Hijazi-Killin
Sumo Group
Leon (he/him) is a gay trans man with 15+ years experience in employee advocacy, change management, strategic leadership and critical thinking with a focus on inclusivity.
He has background in academia and social activism now working in the games industry as well as a writer and consultant producing narrative-driven fictional pieces for video games, comics, and short story anthologies.
He is currently Head of Inclusion & Belonging at Sumo Group, is a member of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain's Games Committee, and a admin for the UK Games Industry Slack.
Leon Hijazi-Killin is speaking at the following session/s
You’re Expensive for Just Dealing With Pronouns and Wokeness: The Real Cost of Workplace Inclusion
In a rapidly changing world, businesses on the surface seem to be stepping back from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and investments, while much our newly emerging talent in the job market is specifically seeking working environments with proven track records of prioritising the emotional and psychological safety of their people. Are inclusive practices really "too expensive" for business or have we been lead to think about this from the wrong angle?
This talk asks and seeks to answer the questions:
- Within this precarious market, are short-term savings costing us greatly in the long run, and are we missing out on opportunities to attract critical talent into our businesses by discounting inclusive working practices as simply "pronouns and wokeness"?
- What is the cost for companies who opt not to invest in people-first mechanisms and support, materially, financially, legally, reputationally and emotionally?
- Are inclusive practices really "too expensive" for business or have we been lead to think about this from the wrong angle?
Session Takeaway
- Taking inclusion seriously as a strategic component of business planning and analysis.
- The different ways in which overlooking, or down playing, the important of inclusive practices in the workplace, costs the business as a whole.
- The value of investing in people today paying dividends in products, reputation, and talent in the future.
Session speakers
