Hot on the heels of the creation of the Irish Centre for Diversity, Solat Chaudhry, CEO of the National Centre for Diversity and Chair of the Irish Centre for Diversity, has been asked to make a keynote address at a high-profile diversity event in Lisbon on Monday 22nd May 2017.
Secretary of State for Portugal, Catarina Marcelino will make an opening speech to an audience of over 200, which will be primarily made up of businesses, NGO’s and speakers from other European countries. The media will be covering the event extensively, including being broadcast on Portuguese TV.
Solat will be speaking at the National Forum for Diversity about the hugely successful Investors in Diversity approach in the UK; which has enabled organisations to completely change their cultures, to become far more inclusive. He will also speak about the commercial necessity to accept, embrace and utilise diversity, the moral imperatives and also share the National Centre for Diversity’s groundbreaking work on Neuro-equality.
In the days following the event Solat will be meeting with Senior Government officials, to talk about creating a structure which will, in due course, deliver Investors in Diversity Portugal – an accreditation by the Portuguese people for the Portuguese people.
Solat will meet with the Portuguese Diversity Charter Board to study the Investors in Diversity Portugal delivery options, and to ensure that it sits within the framework of the Portuguese Charter. These discussions will ensure that there is a strong sense of collaboration and ownership between the National Centre for Diversity and the Portuguese Diversity Charter.
Solat said “It’s so exciting to be flying out to Portugal. Lots of people have been asking if they can carry my bags! On a serious note though, the Portuguese Government is taking the issue of Diversity very seriously, which is encouraging.”
The event celebrates the first year of the Portuguese Diversity Charter, part of a wider EU initiative on diversity.
Solat went on to say “It’s nice to be asked to speak at the event and I am looking forward to setting something up which will allow organisations in Portugal to have access to Investors in Diversity.
We have already been speaking about the potential creation of the Portuguese Centre for Diversity, and we have created a special tailor-made approach for Portugal and indeed for Europe, based on the Irish model.
We look forward to rolling it out in partnership with the Portuguese Government.”
When asked about the live TV coverage, Solat smiled and joked, “Yes, I’m looking forward to being on TV, I’ll be taking my dark glasses and a couple of pens for autograph hunters”.
The National Forum for Diversity will take place at the University Institute of Lisbon on the 22nd May 2017, for more information and to view the event programme visit http://www.cartadiversidade.pt/.
