ECWO Conference 2024 – Pathways To Inclusion

Save the Date for ECWO’s 2024 Conference!

ss Rotterdam, 3e Katendrechtse Hoofd 25, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, NL, 3072 AM

In the year in which we celebrate our 10th anniversary we are preparing for our most engaging, unmissable conference yet – and we invite you to save Friday November 15th in your agendas now.

The theme for this year is Pathways To Inclusion and we will be gathering at the ss Rotterdam, a unique historical location on the Nieuwe Maas waterway in Rotterdam.

Workplace Pride Members receive a €25 discount when you apply code is “ECWOWorkplacePride”. 

Morning programme

09.30: Walk-in – Registration, coffee, and networking (Odyssee Lounge)

10.00 – 10.15: Introduction and welcome, Prof. dr. Hanneke Takkenberg, Executive Director ECWO

10.15 – 10.45: Keynote and Q & A, Laura Killingbeck On the value for society of encouraging ‘’Wholeness’’, from her unique perspective as an independent female adventurer. Laura is an adventurer and writer. Her work and writing focuses on sustainability, regenerative food systems, and intentional living. She blends travel experiences with practical insights into how individuals and communities can live more sustainably and in harmony with the environment and each other.

10.45 – 11.15 Keynote and Q & A, dr. Hafez Ismaili M’hamdi On his vision for what inclusive healthcare in The Netherlands will look like, and what it will take to get us there. Professor M’hamdi’s work focuses primarily on medical ethics, with particular interest in reproductive justice and responsibility in healthcare. His research often explores the ethical implications of reproductive technologies, and the distribution of responsibilities among healthcare providers, patients, and society.

11.15 – 12.15 Guided interactivity and dialogue among participants, Prof. dr. Wiley Davi On what we can learn from each other about the imperatives for creating inclusive environments as leaders and as colleagues. Professor Wiley Davi is an ECWO faculty member whose work focuses on diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Wiley’s research and teaching emphasises the importance of inclusive learning and creating environments in which participants productively and safely engage with diverse perspectives.

12.15 – 13.30 Lunch

Afternoon Programme

Breakout sessions from 13.30 – 14.30 and 14.45 – 15.45:

Session 1: Measuring inclusion ECWO Associate Director Dorothy Grandia and ECWO Researcher Kirsten Kardijk engage participants in a dialogue on the imperatives and approaches to measuring inclusion in work environments. They will share ECWO’s Inclusion Gap Instrument, which aims to link measurement to programmatic- or policy-related inclusion interventions in a way that understands specific gaps in the experience of inclusion of employees sharing a wide range of identity groups, including traditional categories such as gender and age but also non-traditional categories such as educational background.

Session 2: Inclusion in the US and the EU Executive Director of the Bentley University Center for Women in Business (Massachusetts) Dr. Yaro Fong-Olivares and colleagues engage participants together with Ewout Goudsmedt, Senior Adviser and Lead of the Learning Institute at DeBrauw Blackstone Westbroek (NL). What can we learn from developments in DEI in the two vastly different regions that can mutually benefit DEI interventions and innovations?

Session 3: Workplace Pride Engaging Allies for Inclusion Yuli Kim, Director of Program Development at Workplace Pride in Amsterdam, engages participants in how LBGTQ+ initiatives and women’s (networked) initiatives can learn from each other. Participants from a variety of perspectives are invited to share challenges and their own insights into how to engage allies and create inclusive environments.

Session 4: Women in male-dominated environments Juliette van der Laarse, Chairperson NN Women in IT, and Ahmed Shafik, Head of IT Group Services at NN engage participants in a dialogue on what it takes to ensure the voice, visibility, and strategic networks of women in male-dominated environments, including engaging men in the inclusion of female talent.

Session 5: Inclusion through the life stages Maria Carmen Punzi is a PhD researcher, lecturer, and consultant. She explores how different life stages—such as hormonal changes, menopause, and aging—impact work experiences and performance. This interactive session delves into why organisations should address these shifting needs to foster inclusivity and belonging. Participants will discuss how to create supportive workplaces that acknowledge these evolving employee needs.

Session 6: Reshaping Healthcare Systems for Women* Professor Takkenberg and guests involved in the Dutch Women’s Health Initiative and other inclusive healthcare initiatives engage participants in a substantive discussion of the pathways toward a healthcare system and interventions designed with women’s health in mind. (13.30 – 14.30)

Session 7: ECWO Inclusion Lab* Professor Michael Page hosts practitioner guests involved in HR or IDEA through an interactive session discussing how to assess and bridge the gap in organisational inclusion. Based on ECWO’s ongoing research developing an Inclusion Gap Instrument (IGI), participants will explore key insights on defining and evaluating inclusion. The session invites diverse perspectives and encourages participants to share challenges and strategies for fostering a more inclusive environment within their own organisations. Through this collaborative lab, participants will discuss and help further develop robust approaches to assessing inclusive culture and developing actionable methods to enhance workplace belonging. (14:45 – 15:45)

*Please note that Session 6 and Session 7 only run once, at the times indicated.

15.45 – 16.15 Break

16.15 – 16.30 Dianne Bevelander Prize 2024 Presentation to Georgina Booth.

16.30 – 17.00 Keynote and Q& A Prof. dr. Angela Maas, on closing the women’s health gap, with a focus on creating systemic change toward more inclusive healthcare. Her work centres on gender-sensitive cardiology, addressing female-specific risk factors and improving care for women with heart disease.

17:00 – 18.00 Networking drinks

Diversity is measured in quantity. In the 10 years since our founder Professor Dianne Bevelander, imagined a world in which women have an equal share of power and influence, modest gains on gender diversity have been made. The public conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion of female talent is now built upon a better understanding of gender and bias from the perspective of those negatively affected.

The public conversation has now evolved. When we speak of inclusion, we speak of including everyone, regardless of gender (identity), sexual orientation, ethnicity and nationality, and even educational, economic, or functional perspective. More importantly, for people and organisations, inclusion is no longer simply the end goal, it is also the means to better organisational performance and a sustainable, innovative, and prosperous society.

Join us in exploring the value and the pathways to inclusion.
Make sure you add our event to your calendar. And keep an eye here and on our social media platforms for programme, booking details and updates.

Workplace Pride Members receive a €25 discount when you apply code is “ECWOWorkplacePride”.