Roundtable:

Our Journey - October

AFBE-UK facilitated a roundtable event for our corporate members based on BHM’s theme of “Actions not Words”. The event discussed what an inclusive workspace should look like and what we can do to move towards that within our organisations. The event was sponsored by the Royal Academy of Engineering and our members were treated to an ongoing piece of research on creating inclusive cultures by Yohanes Scarlett, Policy & Research for the Royal Academy of Engineering. We had representatives from Amazon, Ramboll, IMechE, TetraTech, Durham University and the RAF among other corporate members. The participants then broke into groups to share D&I stories within their organisation. The key take aways were that senior management had to be involved in shaping the D&I culture of their organisation, as well as the priority of being transparent with policy and data and ensuring organisations can remain accountable. Feedback during the event was taken by the Royal Academy of Engineering to be used in their ongoing research and we plan on following this

November

With 15-20% of the population being neurodivergent, most organisations still do not understand the requirements for their neurodiverse employees. The AFBE-UK was very privileged to have a full panel of neurodiverse speakers who were very happy to share their experiences within their organisations and work environments. Aaron Walters and Celeste Fashanu shared a presentation based on their experiences of being part of Enabled, A BAE Systems Employee Resource Group along with Louis Yaffe and Barnaby Beaver. Gyll Curtis-Machin, an Autism and EDI training consultant and board trustee, Rosie Brighty, a neurodiversity trainer, and consultant, were also part of the panel. Our Jonathan Fashanu, AFBE-UK Industry Lead, who is also neurodiverse hosted the event and facilitated the discussion around the different perspectives of neurodiversity in the workplace. This session really helped many of our members understand about Neurodiversity and we are looking to kick start a series into intersectionality.

Following the useful feedback of that event, the Cabinet Office are looking to carry out a set of workshops to promote greater engagement with the black and minority ethnic communities. We got Krystina Pearson-Rampeearee to join the board and the Industry Events team. So pleased to have her. Krystina Pearson-Rampeearee is a multi-award-winning Chartered Aerospace Engineer and STEM Ambassador who works as a Senior Flight Systems Engineer at BAE Systems and owns her own small business, AviateHer. She studied Aerospace Systems Engineering at the University of the West of England and became the first engineer in her family.

Jonathan Fashanu was named as an Impactful Changemaker by the Engineers Without Borders UK (https://www.ewb-uk.org/ group/jonathan-fashanu/)

Jonathan was incorporated as a Fellow in Royal Society of Arts for the recognition in his entrepreneurial work and teaching in Architecture.

Increasing Diversity in Public Appointments - November

AFBE-UK and The Cabinet Office hosted an in-person event in Manchester to increase representation in public appointments in the North West. The event was chaired by Sue Gray, Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office and we had a host of accomplished panellists that shared a wealth of experience in their public roles and appointments, including William Shawcross, Commissioner for Public Appointments, Dr Tumi Hawkins, South Cambridgeshire District Councillor and AFBE member, Rachel Onikosi, Independent Board Member for the Consumer Council for Water and Yvonne Witter, Member of Peak Districk National Park. It was a great initiative to discuss with potential candidates the roles they were looking to apply for and the introduction of a board apprentice role for those who were interested but did not feel like they had the relevant experience.

Jonathan is the founder of DASH – an integrated architecture and engineering practice that focusses on sustainable residential design and responsible construction. He has over eight years of experience in construction and has worked internationally in projects in Singapore, Germany, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

He is a civil and structural engineer with a graduate degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from Newcastle University and a master’s degree in Structural Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Edinburgh. He is currently pursuing his professional status with the ICE.

Jonathan refuses to be defined by the limits of his profession and has owned an eco-themed coffee house and a retail management software company. His latest foray into architecture is an attempt to work on issues like climate change and sustainability. He enjoys reading and training for triathlons.