Connected Cultures

What activities does Connected Cultures organise?

With this network we pay attention to cultural and religious holidays and organise an annual event around a relevant theme like leadership, profiling, networking, etc. In addition to this annual meeting, we also have periodic catch-up sessions and we meet monthly with our lead ambassadors of the different business units to discuss the developments there. Furthermore, we pay extra attention to the onboarding process of colleagues with a diverse cultural background. And we organise virtual walking sessions where people can exchange thoughts during confidential conversation with one of our board members.

Connected Cultures engages in dialogue with external parties about inclusion and diversity and exchanges best practices. We are also connected to the Agora network, a national multicultural network of big organisations. Agora Network is a foundation that unites talented individuals with roots from all over the world to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experiences and networks. People and organisations are stimulated to exploit the power of different backgrounds and perspectives. PwC works with Agora to organise an annual mentoring programme where participants learn from the diversity that everyone brings with them to the workplace.

Sharing personal stories

We all felt the vulnerability of diversity through the Black Lives Matter movement. In answer to that we started an internal chain letter where colleagues openly shared their personal stories. We also organised dialogue sessions about our inclusive culture, about the impact of our prejudices and how we want to connect with each other.

Also read the interview with PwC colleagues Pauline Mbundu and Remold Krol where they talk about the internal chain letter kick started by the Black Lives Matter movement, about racism and discrimination, inclusion and diversity.

When we think about the ethnic background of our people, there is still a lot to be won. In 2030 we want fifteen percent of our partners/directors to have a diverse cultural background. Right now that percentage is at four. We have also set goals in line with our ambition around the SDGs. Through our predictive analyses we know that our transformation to a more diverse culture must accelerate if we are to meet our ambition.

We have fine-tuned our inclusion and diversity policy further to contribute to this acceleration. We put more emphasis on personal leadership skills, a diverse succession plan, sponsoring diverse talent and challenging each other on our blind spots.