MASF consults with executives and directors of companies with employees in both Ireland and abroad.

 

They come to us because they struggle with 3 key business challenges:

• how to attract, retain and develop the best talent;

• how to connect better with customers and understand their needs; and

• how to out-smart the competition. 

 

They seek us out for help in unlocking the rich business value that comes with implementing diversity & inclusion programmes.

 

We’re called in to support their strategic direction and in many cases the implementation of transformative initiatives such as talent sponsorship, workplace agility procedures and inclusive communication plans.

 

For many clients, it’s a case of providing an informative and interactive learning solution on understanding unconscious bias or how to be an inclusive leader.

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Every company has a diversity statement on their website. It looks great on the surface, but a really great place to work is one where every employee is included, understood and developed.

 

It’s not just about having a diverse workforce, it’s what you do with it that counts.

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As we all adjust to the new and challenging environment (both socially & professionally) that Covid- 19 has created, MASF believes that the relevance and impact of Diversity & Inclusion (‘D&I’) strategy, leadership, communication, policy and practice and the importance of Executive Coaching remains of paramount concern and need to us all.

Over the years, MASF has developed and delivered a wide array of D&I and Coaching supports, both face-to-face and online. The purpose of this document is to provide relevant details of some of these workshops and webinars on which MASF would be delighted to have a 30-minute consultation, free of charge.

MASF’s virtual workshops culminate with an explicitly voiced and agreed set of individual and collective commitments and, where appropriate, an in-group generated workplan. Both are then leveraged as part a follow-up nudge campaign to maintain the momentum of the learning and its day-to-day application. This will enable the embedding of key messages and provide a series of top tips to carry forward for inclusive and effective working practices and an engaged and collaborative workforce.

In addition, specific Bias Awareness sessions are centred around MASF’s trade-marked Catch It. Call It. Change It. workshops. A significant proportion of the workshop time is spent on lively online group participation using a variety of methods (interactive quizzes and word cloud generation, videos and so on as determined appropriate by your organisation or institution). 

Virtual D&I training

Participants benefit from comprehensive virtual workshops on how to make better decisions / be bias aware and learn how to mitigate the negative influence of bias. This covers the following:

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• Focus on D&I and why it matters.

 

• Identify and answer some of the WIIFM queries (what's in it for me?).

 

• By applying MASF’s proprietary 5G model, workshops can produce an internally-built plan of action that everyone can get behind. In addition, the workshop will culminate in a series of individual and group commitments to make a difference through D&I.

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Leadership teams benefit from an examination of their purpose and value and how to embed and leverage trust to generate/maintain high performance levels. This workshop covers the following:

• Purpose/Team – The importance of clear purpose (individually & collectively) drives a greater sense of team and cohesion. This is hugely beneficial for all and is based on a positive mindset towards each other, our strengths, weaknesses and differences.

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• Awareness – Enhanced cognisance of one’s own communication style and ways of thinking enables success in collective collaboration. Recognising the power and influences of our biases and of trust is key. Some theory and empirical research behind the ingredients and business benefits of inclusive leadership is a useful input to the debate.

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• Action – In-session creation of ideas & insights to improve individual and collective learning; a recognition of progress and success to date and an identification of the next steps all lead to a greater buy-in and sense of purpose/team.

Other people leaders and HR teams can benefit from an in-depth session which provides lively interaction and comprehensive discussion on the origin, nature and impact of unconscious bias, specifically directed towards talent attraction, retention & promotion processes and the development and management of High Performing Teams.

D&I webinars
The entire workforce can access an interactive webinar, which may include both a real-time audience Q&A session and an interactive quiz. This learning session can be recorded and made available to all (along with the slides, videos and other related links used) for re-watching and as a follow-up/nudge campaign across your organisation or institution.

Why work with MASF?

Unconscious Bias, Inclusive Leadership and other Diversity & Inclusion training as well as extensive Executive Coaching services delivered across a wide array of domestic and international sectors. These include the following:

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• Financial Services – tailored workshops with Credit Suisse, HSBC, MUFG, Davy Stockbrokers, Ald Reinsurance, Aegon

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• Professional Services – Bias and Inclusion workshops with full Ireland partnership of Mazars; high-impact mini sessions with all 110 Ireland-based partners of PwC as part of their executive away day; munch n’learn bias session with Chartered Accountants Ireland, Mason, Hayes & Curran and Indeed.com (with a focus on Cultural Intelligence and Age Bias), Core Media and IAPI

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• Executive Recruitment - multiple bias sessions with the entire workforce of MERC Partners, Ireland’s leading executive recruitment firm

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• Higher Education – Train-the-trainer bias and D&I workshops for University of Limerick D&I council; executive coaching with MBA students in University College Dublin; strategy sessions with National College of Ireland management; ongoing support as an associate of the Irish Management Institute (and to its clientbase)

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• Healthcare - Masterclasses with VHI (Ireland’s #1 health insurer) senior management; ongoing strategic support to UDG Healthcare plc; multiple workshop and strategy sessions with ICON plc, panel discussions with Fitbit

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• Public/Semi-state bodies – Ongoing series of Bias & Inclusion workshops across senior management, people managers and HR executives of the IDA and NSAI; Extensive rollout of bias training across the entire management workforce of the Department of Health, Six- month project to design, develop, document and launch a nationwide D&I vision, strategy and detailed action plan for RTÉ (Ireland’s national broadcaster), Eight An Post (Irish postal service) workshops focused on unconscious bias and inclusion (Board, Senior Management, HR leadership and graduate programme) and a national focus group campaign (>100 people involved, across 11 groups covering 6 sites); specialised programme for two Bank of England senior teams

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• Retail – Ongoing rollout of unconscious bias training and train-the-trainer facilitation (Executive team, top 50 managers, HR leadership teams) for Musgrave plc

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• Engineering - Ten separate bias & inclusion workshops across the UK with Hoare Lea LLP covering the entire partnership (65) and two cohorts of future leaders; detailed DIB benchmark review for SGN in the UK

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• Designed and delivered impactful D&I initiatives on talent sponsorship (e.g. with Paddy Power Betfair across EMEA and within the AXA Group world-wide).

 

• Successfully advised on and designed a New Ways of Working (N-WoW) approach across JTI globally, Avolon and the entire Bank of Ireland Group (Ireland, UK, France & US) including an opt-out model to flexibility of role & individual, a validated a detailed maturity model, a N-WoW charter and an agreed action plan

 

• ​MASF Consulting Ltd is led by a PwC-trained Chartered Accountant and First Class Honours qualified Executive Coach (Irish Management Institute) with 20+ years international experience.

 

Sample client feedback & referees

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Client testimonials covering both specific bias training and other broader D&I programs, include the following:

"Not only is Mark a great consultant/trainer in the field of diversity/inclusion he has real world business experience and insight which helped him achieve immediate buy-in from the team“
(John Glenny, Partner, MERC Partners).

"Mark was the first person to bring a proper meaning to Diversity and Inclusion with the emphasis that you can't have Diversity without Inclusion. He explains this so well through the simple use of a jigsaw. We were fortunate to have Mark as a Keynote Speaker on IWD this year where he conveyed this message and that of sponsorship of Women in the workplace. We had a packed room with over 260 in attendance of which Mark had everybody hanging on his words. I look forward to hearing Mark speak again in the future, thanks Mark."
(Niamh McInerney, Head of Graduate Recruitment, HR D&I Project Lead, PwC).

MASF is delighted to offer referees upon request. Two relevant client contacts are noted below.

 

Siobhan Kennedy (Talent & Resourcing Partner, Musgrave plc) / Matt O’Callaghan (Chief Human Resources Officer, Musgrave plc) siobhan.kennedy@musgrave.ie / matt.ocallaghan@musgrave.ie

Jo Edwards (Senior Partner, Hoare Lea LLP) / Erica Coombs-Prole (Head of HR, Hoare Lea LLP) JoEdwards@hoarelea.com / EricaCoombs-Prole@hoarelea.com