Rosenblatt Intelligence Forum
Our thanks go to Frances Murray for hosting our meeting on 3 September (on only her second day) at Rosenblatt. The company provides a range of legal services to a diversified client base, including companies, banks, entrepreneurs and individuals.
The theme of the meeting was very much “people” and our first speaker was Ben Mason, CEO of globalbridge, which gives its name to a unique product that allows young people to showcase their talents to educational institutions and industry.
After sixteen years as a teacher in the state system, Ben more recently found himself as Durham School’s sports coach. Universities and colleges, seeking talented sports people for their intake often approached him to seek out students who had both academic and sporting ability.
He recognised that students needed a way not only to inform universities and employers of their academic prowess, but also to showcase their interests and other talents, in order to portray a more rounded profile of themselves, and the concept of globalbridge was born.
The reality followed over three years during which he balanced family and business angels to develop an online platform which helps students to reveal, and universities and employers to discover, the personality behind the exam grades.
The globalbridge platform is free to use for students, and provides them with a secure multimedia environment through which to fully communicate their skills, talents and aspirations using a portfolio of videos, images and soundbites, in addition to written cv’s.
By subscribing to globalbridge, universities and colleges can support their students with a platform through which they can interact with respected organisations providing graduate employment. For example, graduate software developers, may not immediately think of pharmaceutical companies as prospective employers in their field, but through globalbridge these and many other employers can showcase a variety of opportunities and create a dialogue with talent which they may not otherwise be able to access.
Prospective employers and universities which subscribe have at their disposal, a searchable, fully customisable database which can identify individuals who have specific skills and interests. Ben gave the example of a bank which seeks A* students who also have Grade 8 music qualifications, to recruit as coders. Through globalbridge employers can connect with talent that truly fits their needs and role requirements, rather than depending solely upon academic achievement as the indicator of performance.
Above all parties can make contact and interact without the barriers of geography or background standing in the way. Surely globalbridge is destined to become a household name amongst students, universities and colleges and employers alike?
Maria Coulson is Managing Director of Ricorda Consultancy which specialises in wellbeing, organisational and cultural development and inclusivity at the heart of business.
Maria is passionate about people, but believes that in many organisations there is an overemphasis on diversity. Her view is that while diversity is a fact, inclusion is a choice.
She cautioned that people can often be stifled by an established corporate culture and the need to fit in with it. It should not be necessary for every employee to fit a particular mould in order to contribute to the business. Everyone needs to feel respected for who they are and what they bring, not necessarily for conforming to an organisational culture. Recent generations want to be valued for their “whole selves” at work, and Maria’s message is that that employees who are valued in such a way are more at ease, stay longer in their jobs and are more productive.
She highlighted that studies show that organisations with an inclusive culture are:
2 x more likely to exceed their financial targets;
6 x more likely to be innovative and agile;
8 x more likely to meet business targets.
She summed up by stressing the importance of trust in creating an inclusive culture - people must feel comfortable in speaking up without retaliation or retribution. The values of inclusivity must be lived and communicated by senior and middle management, in fact at all levels throughout the firm. Inclusivity does not come about through ticking boxes.
A lesson, perhaps for our politicians?
Cynthia Corbett is Founder and Director of Cynthia Corbett Gallery, an international contemporary art gallery, which represents emerging and newly established contemporary artists.
Cynthia spoke of her early career in banking as an economist and negotiator for African debt rescheduling, latterly training executives for roles in sub-Saharan Africa. That was until the pressures of international travel collided with the demands of home life. Undaunted, she saw opportunity and enrolled on an art history course, setting out with determination to understand the business of art.
Immediately clear was the lack of support for those wishing to become a gallerist, but she successfully negotiated the transition from a corporate employee to entrepreneur, by opening a gallery in her own home.
What did it take? Above all, a passion for art, and a determination to succeed. Her academic background in diplomacy and economics as well as her corporate career all contributed, as did her natural ability to understand people and different cultures. Key, too, was her decision to brand her business with her own name. That she is essentially the brand has she believes, contributed to the success of the gallery.
She stressed the importance of continuously investing in the brand to build the business. For example, in 2009 the gallery launched the Young Masters Art Prize, a unique not-for profit competition, open to international and UK-based artists, which aims to give an international platform to both emerging and established artists. Now celebrating its tenth anniversary the prize is an established event in the artistic calendar.
The Cynthia Corbett Gallery has grown from strength to strength over the past fifteen years and is now a regular exhibitor at major international contemporary art fairs. Testament itself to Cynthia’s entrepreneurial flair.