You are forthright in your desire to champion female success and diversify female presence in commercial and legal fields. What makes diversity such an important asset to a workplace?

Diversity is a non-negotiable in creating a more equitable, innovative and sustainable world. 

When defining diversity, it extends beyond a singular dimension like gender. Everyone carries a unique make-up of characteristics, experiences and adversities. The concept of intersectional diversity embodies these overlapping identities and recognises that people may face discrimination and oppression for different aspects of their identity such as age, ethnicity, or religion. 

Alongside diversity, the other key element of importance is inclusion. You may have a diverse team, but this is effectively redundant if people are not empowered to speak up and be heard. 

In any inclusive workplace, there is a strong commercial rationale for diversity. Substantive bodies of international research show that diverse teams get better results in every way. 

Beyond this business case, there is an ethical argument to be made. Globally, we face a myriad of social, environmental and economic problems. I believe these can only be solved if we work collectively within all organisations, governments and communities by valuing every person equally for their unique strengths and perspectives.