What RTÉ means to me
I have always felt that RTÉ, as our national public service broadcaster, is an important, relevant and trusted institution. As someone who has lived and worked abroad for a significant majority of the last 20 years, I have grown to respect and rely upon access to its news, current affairs and sporting content, no matter where I found myself.
As the founder of an advisory firm, specialised in promoting the business benefits of Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace, I am proud to have contributed during 2018 to a significant and sustainable cultural change within RTÉ. This shift (both in mindset and make-up) culminated, for me, in two clear ways this week.
On Wednesday morning, I attended RTÉ’s first stakeholder-focused reception – led by its Director General, Dee Forbes – involving several engaging panel discussions and showcasing heart-warming and blood-thumping successes and future strategies. The sense of positive communication and innovative inclusion was paramount. This was re-inforced by the publication on Friday afternoon on the RTE website of its first ever fully-articulated, designed and documented vision and strategy on Diversity & Inclusion (check out https://www.rte.ie/about/en/policies-and-reports/policies-guidelines/).
This vision & strategy is ambitious and its action plan is detailed. Most of all, it is fully supported by many in RTÉ and the Executive have had no hesitation in making these public statements of intent for anyone to review. I’ve greatly enjoyed working with up to 20 individuals within RTÉ on this new Diversity & Inclusion strategy and action plan and I firmly believe that it forms a fundamental foundation for RTÉ’s relevance and success well into the future.
RTÉ is rightly committed to represent and reflect all the voices & views of an ever-increasingly diverse Ireland. It has many gaps to fill and lessons to learn. But, in my personal view, it is changing for the better and changing quickly. I want RTÉ to be with me over the decades to come as much as it has been so far in my life; its approach to Diversity & Inclusion and the direct link that has with its long-term corporate strategy is the right one.
