Rhiannon Reilly is Co-Chair of Inspire, the Gender Network at Atos. Here Rhiannon shares how the Radius Network Leadership Programme helped her to elevate her network’s impact and make valuable new connections.
When I first became Co-Chair of the Inspire Gender Network one of my priorities was to broaden our reach. I wanted Inspire to be a network for every gender – for men, women and non-binary colleagues too. I joined the Radius Network Leadership Programme to learn how to connect with hard to reach groups and elevate our long-term impact, while also developing my skills as a new Co-Chair.
One of the first things I took from the programme was the importance of intersectionality. As a Chair, you naturally focus on your own network’s needs but by engaging with other groups you can maximise impact. EDI should be inclusive, but for some it can feel exclusive. The Radius programme inspired me to reach out to people right across the business.
Gender diversity is a huge area and the Umbrella Network aspect of the Radius Network Leadership Programme was especially useful. Our network has many different strands supporting men, women and non-binary colleagues plus issues such as the menopause and fertility. The programme helped me to see that good network leaders need expertise in all of these areas, to make the experience authentic and relatable.
After taking part in the programme, I was inspired to do more to support our non-binary colleagues at Atos. Radius prompted me to have an initial conversation and since then our non-binary membership has grown. As a movement, it’s really gaining momentum.
I enjoyed the networking aspect of the Radius programme. Understanding where other networks are in terms of their life cycle helped me to consider where we are and to adopt different approaches. In terms of widening my own network, the connections I made were also invaluable. The opportunity to connect with such a wide range of people with an interest in EDI, from so many different industries, is unique. It’s something I haven’t seen anywhere else.