DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Barnes-Humphreys says she is not suggesting it ' s only women who care about sustainability “ because that ' s not true ”. But she does feel the way women think can benefit the supply chain .
“ Women are more likely to ask about the impact of the work they are doing beyond just time and transit and the cost of moving products . They are more likely to ask how their work is connected to the entire supply chain .”
Demato believes there can never be enough diversification in any work environment .
“ We know that more-diverse workforces perform better ,” she says . “ I think that in terms of inclusion it ' s really about power , right ? Do you have the ability to make the changes that you want ? I was very fortunate to have amazing mentors and bosses that really shepherded me along the way .”
Demato can remember instances in the pre-LinkedIn business world where her presence as an Indian woman surprised people .
“ I definitely know that it was sometimes shocking for people to meet me , because we might communicate over email and then we ’ d meet in person and they would be surprised that I was an Indian woman . Nowadays , you can search online and have a sense of who you ' re talking to .”
So in 2022 , what hurdles does Demato feel people of colour deal with in the supply chain ?
“ To begin with ,” she says , “ the phrase ‘ people of colour ’ - that ' s a massive group of people , so who are we talking about exactly ?”
She adds : “ There ' s racism and bias in general but I would bring it down to education . That ' s something I think is really interesting about supply chain . For example , do you need a college degree to work in
the supply chain ? Not necessarily . So much is based on experience . And this isn ’ t just about people of colour . There are a lot of socio-economic challenges .”
So what opposition do women meet in the industry , exactly ? “ It depends on the environment ,” says Barnes-Humphrey . “ Women have many more allies than we used to - allies who stand up to conference organisers and
102 February 2022