Belinda Parmar – Empathy & Culture Transformation

Belinda Parmar OBE, a diversity campaigner and the CEO of The Empathy Business, is committed to transforming the world of work. Belinda has three key talks:

1. Breaking the Bias: How empathy is the first step to breaking the bias
2. The Great Resignation: How an empathetic culture can engender loyalty.
3. Effective leadership and the Human Revolution: How you can transform your culture, one nudge at a time.

Who is Belinda Parmar?

Belinda Parmar is a diversity campaigner and the CEO of The Empathy Business. Belinda uses the science of empathy to change the way companies transform their organisations focusing on leadership, communications and operations. She is the creator of the Global Empathy Index which was published in the Harvard Business Review- the first index to measure empathy and inclusion at scale.

Belinda works with large companies to implement hundreds of ‘nudges’ and interventions that organically build an empathy revolution and give people simple practical ways they can create more inclusive cultures. Her focus is on belonging and diversity and creating more courageous cultures.

Belinda was Empathy-In-Residence at Barclays, Lloyds and Centrica and she created the first ever Empathy Hub in Europe’s largest bank. Belinda was chosen in 2019 to speak at Davos as she is a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum.

Belinda was awarded an OBE in 2015 by the Queen for her services to women in technology. In 2020, she was chosen as one of the top 20 Global Public Figures in Diversity and in 2021 she was voted a top 20 Diversity Champion.

Belinda has a law degree and a languages degree and believes that the magic in companies happens when you combine rational and emotional thinking to drive change.

Belinda is the author of Little Miss Geek which is used in schools to inspire young women to become tech pioneers and is currently shortlisted for Woman of the Year 2022 in the Women in IT Awards.

Achievements

• Leader of the Year, HR Awards, Shortlist, 2022
• Woman of the Year, Shortlist, 2022
• Women In Marketing 2021, nominee
• Top 20 Diversity Champions in 2021
• Campaigner of the Year; European Diversity Awards, Shortlist, Oct 2021
• Top 20 Global Diversity Figures in public life in 2020
• Changemaker 2020 Finalist in the Drum
• Awarded Champion of Change 2020 commendation by Management Today
• Listed as one of the UK’s most influential women in tech in 2020 & 2021
• Received an OBE in 2015 for services to women in technology
• Spoke at Davos in 2020 & 2019 on Responsible Leadership, Empathy and Mental Health
• Pioneered the first Global Empathy Index published in the Harvard Business
• Set up the first ever Empathy Hub within an organisation at Europe’s largest bank
• Chosen to be a Young Global Leader for The World Economic Forum
• Voted by Forbes as one of the most innovative women on Twitter

Testimonials

Just wanted to give you some feedback on Belinda, who spoke at our IWD event today as we really couldn’t have asked for a better speaker. She took the time to prep with us (more than once), she really listened to our goals for the event and tailored her content with examples to match our audience expectations. Her delivery on the day was incredible; personable, funny, authentic and solicited really strong feedback from our attendees. We would absolutely recommend her to other businesses looking for someone to speak in her area of expertise and please don’t hesitate to contact me if anyone needs a reference.

Belinda’s Bio 2022
Laura Hillier – Marketing Director EMEA Belinda’s Bio 2022 Bullhorn / March 2022

Belinda led a half-day empathy workshop for our AB inBev Direct-to-Consumer People (HR) team and it was the perfect session to upskill our team members on this important quality. Belinda really stepped in and got to know our team, our organisation and the individuals in the session, which meant the workshop was perfectly tailored to our specific needs and challenges. It was clear that during the session, the team responded to this and instantly connected and felt safe with Belinda. Belinda is a true expert when it comes to Empathy, but her super-power is bringing this to life within a corporate environment, to draw out the “so what?” and bring people on the journey with her. Whilst we loved the session, the whole team were left wanting more and I know this is therefore only the start of us working together with Belinda! Thank you again Belinda and team.

Annie Gorman – Global Head of People, DTC AB-InBev / April 2022

#BREAKINGTHEBIAS WITH EMPATHY: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Belinda talks about the power of language in breaking down bias at work. Language is one of the most important tools we have in changing behaviour, yet the language we use at work is transactional, passive and lacks empathy. We use words such as “stakeholders” and “assets”, where we “cascade” information rather than bringing emotion and honesty into our conversations.

In this session, Belinda will cover:

• How biases are reflected in language, and how this is counter to an inclusive culture.
• The biases that affect women more than men at work, regarding likeability, performance and confidence.
• What companies can do to measure and start to #BreaktheBias to create more inclusive cultures.
• Her own experiences on #BreakingTheBias with Europe’s largest bank, and helping the UK Government with its Covid communications.

THE GREAT RESIGNATION

Empathic cultures engender great levels of loyalty, as they create a sense of belonging and diversity.
The Great Resignation is a product of frustration, burnout and unhappiness at work. We have a desire to belong, a need to feel heard.
While salary is important, it is no longer the most important motivator for 80% of workers.
In this session, Belinda will cover:

• How different generations have experienced the pandemic and how Gen Z prioritizes recognition and fulfillment over salary and job security.
• Simple tools leaders can use to better understand and measure the emotions and needs of different audiences.
• Best practice regarding how leaders can deliver empathy, based on Belinda’s experience working as Empathy-in-Residence at Barclays bank, Centrica and Lloy

EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP AND THE HUMAN REVOLUTION

The world of work is being reset, and thanks to the pandemic the importance of well-being is more important than ever. This talk will debunk some of the myths around effective leadership, help you think about empathy as a leadership tool, and illustrate best-in-class examples of empathy in other companies.

In this session, Belinda will cover:

• How the world of work has changed during the pandemic- emotional burnout, mental health and anxiety.
• How you can start to think about empathy as an effective leadership tool.
• Examples of how Belinda has embedded empathy at scale using behavioural science and ‘empathy nudges’ in some of the biggest brands in the world, including Barclays, King, Facebook and the UK Government.