19. DEI From The Inside with Pauline Miller

“[Working in the DEI field] I learnt lots of things and things we should always remember –  One: we don’t know everything. One: We can’t resolve everything on our own...But most importantly, I learnt about myself.” In Episode 19 of the ‘Why Care?’ podcast, I am joined by Pauline Miller, Chief Equity Officer, EMEA for dentsu, where Pauline is responsible for shaping and leading its DEI strategy and execution. We discuss the challenges of being an internal DEI practitioner, how to engage the C-suite and board of organisations, and the importance of celebrating the short-term wins. Pauline shared that she has been interested in a career in HR since she was a teenager, but it was later in her career when she worked with employee networks in the US that captivated her to forge a career in the sector. We then discuss learning moments and Pauline shares her most impactful one, which is when she found herself going from accepting a meeting from a group about empowering girls, to sitting in a refugee camp in Ethiopia working with them in the short span of 4 months. The experience was formative in developing a passion for empowerment and a strong sense of self-confidence. These lived experiences are important for informing how we practice as DEI professionals, but Pauline urges that you must account for and utilise the lived experiences of others around you and how they may differ from your own in order to successfully practice DEI. DEI is often about the long-term goals of how we want the future of organisations to look in terms of inclusion, but these goals can take a long time to manifest. Pauline is a big believer in celebrating the short-term wins, both to inspire the organisation and keep morale high, but also to demonstrate to stakeholders the benefits of DEI strategy to an organisation. We wrap up the conversation by discussing what is important for both effective DEI strategy and being an effective DEI practitioner, such as striving for continuous learning, joint accountability so everyone recognises the part they play, and pushing for DEI to remain a strategic imperative by organisations. Links For more from Pauline, you can find her on LinkedIn at Pauline Miller For more from dentsu, you can visit their website at: www.dentsu.com The Promises of Giants by John Amaechi Dope Black Women podcast show Mindsetby Carol Dweck To hear Why Care? episodes first, sign up to our newsletter here, and you can find more from us at Avenir via our LinkTree here.