DEI as the Bridge to Sustainable Culture

About the guest

Kellie Wagner

Founder & CEO, Collective – A DEI Lab

Kellie is a HR influencer, leader and a “Forbes Next 1000” nominee, who launched the Collective, a DEI lab, to change the way the workplace engages with its most marginalized team members. She believes in driving grassroots change through employee-led DEI initiatives that are human centered and backed by design thinking and data. Kellie’s consultancy has worked with companies like Spotify, Glossier, Food52, and Taco Bell. Her thought-leading work on equity, intersectionality, and mental health has been featured in Forbes, GQ, and New York Magazine.

She is also a seasoned DEI practitioner and renowned speaker at various HR conferences. Kellie is a graduate of NYU’s Managing Workplace Diversity & Inclusion program and holds an MFA from The New School. Here’s a gist of what Kellie speaks about in this video: The need for senior leadership to take ownership of DEI initiatives like employee empowerment and employee advocacy and make their employees feel respected and valued. The importance of managers being mindful of referencing values and cultural norms whenever they’re giving feedback to employees and being more accountable for their management style.

The significance of people leaders in making employees participate in the DEI initiatives and convert them into flag bearers of company culture. Why a proper employee listening strategy is important and what role can pulse surveys play in helping you listen in continuous listening and in identifying DEI problems to solve for it. Catch all this and more with Kellie Wagner in Episode 11 of Season 3 of CultureClub X. Guest Kellie Wagner Founder & CEO, Collective, A DEI Lab