Web Summit: Emeli Sandé speaks about the need for more diversity in top executive positions and how the movement can benefit from a change in psychology

LISBON, Portugal, Dec. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

• Emeli Sandé spoke about the need for more diversity in top executive positions and how the movement can benefit from a change in psychology.
• MOBO and Accenture launched their new platform Mobolise at Web Summit, with the goal of connecting black talent with the best career opportunities.
• Emeli Sandé joined European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at 100,000-attendee online conference Web Summit.

MOBO CEO Kanya King, singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé, Accenture managing director Nnenna Ilomechina and entrepreneur Natasha Chetiyawardana discussed diversity and MOBO's new platform – Mobolise – with the goal of creating a more equitable and representative creative industry.

"I definitely feel that we need more representation within executive roles. It still is completely disproportionate – even more so now that you have so much black music in the charts – and still I can count on one hand how many executives I know. You go into the labels, and you have people and A&Rs, but to actually get to the top boss and sit in an office and it be a black man, let alone black woman, is very, very rare," said Sandé.

MOBO and Accenture came together at Web Summit to launch Mobolise, a platform that connects black talent with the best career opportunities and most forward-thinking organisations.

"I think the one thing that really excites me about this project is the change of psychology. Because I think we get stuck in this mindframe that everything should be a struggle; it becomes normal that everything is a battle. We forget that that's actually not as it should be," said Sandé. "You kind of get used to this resistance all the time, and having to stand by yourself – you against the world. It helps you move forwards, but it's a hindrance. You know, it'll always put us on the back foot compared to somebody who doesn't have to face this resistance all the time."

Nnenna Ilomechina, managing director at Accenture Strategy, acknowledged the importance of a strong network for building diversity.

"As I moved forward in my career, especially in technology and professional services, one of the things that I noticed is that your network is the most powerful thing that gives you the experiences which then enable you to develop and grow. I was lucky enough in my career to have some folks who were in my network, who were able to provide some of those experiences that would break the barriers that unconscious bias can sometimes put in your way. That's why I think something like this is so important."

About Emeli Sandé

Multiplatinum-selling Emeli is one of the UK's most revered artists. Her critically acclaimed number-one record, Our Version of Events, was the biggest-selling album of 2012 and the second biggest-selling album of 2013.

About Web Summit

In the words of Inc. Magazine, "Web Summit is the largest technology conference in the world". Forbes says Web Summit is "the best tech conference on the planet", Bloomberg calls it "Davos for geeks", Politico "the Olympics of tech", and the Guardian "Glastonbury for geeks".

Useful Links:

Web Summit website: https://websummit.com/
Web Summit Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/websummit/albums/
Web Summit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJtkHqH4Qof97TSx7BzE5IQ

SOURCE Web Summit

Related Links

None