To attend the event, please register using this link: https://livestream.com/esmt/diversitybeyondgender
Diversity is often understood and discussed on a very simplified and narrow level. Great emphasis is given to visible diversity, especially to gender, reducing and undermining the wealth of our human experience. To fully enrich our working world from diversity, we must shift focus to appreciate and embrace its multidimensional complexity. At this event, we will tackle the theories and practices driving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the workplace.
Sandra Subel, global head of diversity and inclusion at Axel Springer, will set the stage and then discuss how businesses make the shift from seeing diversity as a problem to seeing it as both an opportunity and a solution to modern business challenges. Her fellow panelists are Rosanna Sibora, vice president of digital products and innovation at Universal Music Group, and Alexander Hijmering, principal consultant at Harbor and ESMT EMBA Class of 2023. Rebecca Loades, director of MBA programs at ESMT, will lead the discussion. Together, they will address why DEI matters in business and business education, how DEI framing has created opportunities and challenges to implementing DEI-affirming business cultures, and the roles that organizations and individuals can play to contribute to real and sustainable change.
5:30 p.m. Doors open
6:00 p.m. Welcome
6:05 p.m. Presentation by Sandra Subel
6:15 p.m. Discussion and interactive Q&A with Alexander Hijmering, Rosanna Sibora, and Sandra Subel, moderated by Rebecca Loades
7:00 p.m. Networking reception
Panelists
Alexander Hijmering has worked for law firms and arbitration institutes for more than two decades and is an advocate for more diversity in the legal industry. He co-founded the first Pride ERG at a Netherlands law firm and is the treasurer of Forward, a network for legal LGBTIQA+ professionals. Intrigued by the lack of progress in creating a more diverse workforce in law firms, he wrote a master’s thesis last year on the effectiveness of the rhetoric used, drastically changing his views on how firms build and retain a more diverse workforce. Alexander is an alumnus of ESMT’s EMBA2023 cohort and currently works as a principal consultant at Harbor Global, advising law firms on how IT can underpin their company strategy.
Rosanna Sibora is a dynamic digital leader and intrapreneur, known for her dedication to cultivating environments of psychological safety, diversity of thought, and constructive nonconformity. Her expertise in IT transformation and passion for user-centric product management and people-centered leadership have distinguished her career. Sibora has significantly contributed to developing and nurturing talent, fostering cultures of experimentation, and leading successful product development initiatives. Her primary focus has been on transforming traditional IT frameworks by building and leading agile, interdisciplinary product teams. Sibora holds a Bsc. in business administration from Freie Universität Berlin, and an MSc. and PhD in management from the University of Gdansk. Sibora also earned certificates from the IT leadership program at ESMT, the product management executive program at INSEAD, and the leading change and organizational renewal program at Harvard Business School. Sibora’s opinion is her own and does not necessarily reflect the views of her employer.
Sandra Subel is a passionate changemaker who values growth, integrity, and curiosity. Her mission is to help people unleash their creative confidence and enable businesses to leverage the potential of their employees. In her pivotal role as the global head of diversity and inclusion at Axel Springer since 2020, Subel she has dedicated over four years to fostering and enabling diversity and inclusion strategies across the group, aligning them with the company’s objectives and the broader ESG agenda. Prior to this, Subel spent nine years at Accenture, mentoring teams and leading transformation programs. Since 2018, she has been a visiting lecturer at the Poznań University of Economics and Business, teaching MBA students about leadership and unconscious bias.
Subel actively contributes to several initiatives and platforms, including the World Economic Forum’s Community of Chief Diversity Officers, Perspektywy Women in Tech, and the #IAmRemarkable initiative. As a Forbes Women Polska columnist, she discusses DEI, leadership, and change management. Subel has degrees in Spanish philology, political science, marketing, and service design. She completed her executive MBA at Poznań University of Economics and Business with honors and has received numerous accolades, including the MBA Giant award and the Female Champion of Change award. In 2020, she received a scholarship from the 30% Club to complete the ESMT Executive Transition Program. In 2023, she attained associate certified coach status from the International Coaching Federation.
Moderator
Rebecca Loades is the director of MBA programs at ESMT Berlin, where she is responsible for the commercial and reputational success of the MBA portfolio. Before moving to Berlin in 2021, Rebecca was part of the Graduate Management Admission Council, where she occupied roles spanning strategy, new product, and market, development.
Rebecca holds an honors degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Bradford (UK) and an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management (Netherlands).
