The Power of Storytelling in Creating a Diverse & Inclusive Environment with Maeve DuVally of Goldman Sachs and Ishviene Arora of Vested

As marcomms leaders in financial services (and beyond) know: people have the unique power to change the narrative of an entire world, one conversation at a time.

Using stories to create a more diverse and inclusive culture was the focus of our latest conversation with Maeve DuVally, Managing Director, Corporate Communications at Goldman Sachs, and Ishviene Arora, COO & Fo-Counder of Vested. As a communications leader herself, Maeve was one of the first transgender Goldman team members who formally transitioned at work and her story highlights the key importance of acceptance. 

“Quite frankly, it really comes down to acceptance. I think for myself, and anyone in an underrepresented group, and actually for any human being in general, being accepted by those around you is the most important thing.”

Below we share a few of the high points and key takeaways from the conversation:

• The cultivation of diverse perspectives, by educating team members and having people in underrepresented groups share their experiences, is of vital importance in creating an inclusive culture
• Organizations need to continue to talk about the macro perspective of diversity and inclusion, but for true success, the issues have to be humanized by putting real stories and people in the spotlight who have their own stories to tell
• Start small support groups, affinity networks within your organization that will create a trusted, open environment for employees