Careers in Colour #14: ERG Event recap
Recap of our Effective ERG event, recent news and things you should check out!
Event recap: Effective Employee Resource Groups
Last month, CiC held its first event of the year, Effective ERGs: Advocating for racial diversity in shifting times, in collaboration with MindTribes. The event was hosted at Canva Space in Sydney and marked the launch of MindTribe’s report What makes ERGs effective developed in partnership with CiC and the University of Melbourne.
Following an overview about the report’s key insights from Dr Belle Lim (She/Her) - Organisational DEI Consultant at MindTribes, we were fortunate to have Div Pillay (She/Her) - CEO and Co-Founder of MindTribes, Hayley Yeates (She/Her) - Cultural Diversity Leadership EAG Chair Westpac and Matthew D’Cruz (He/Him) - Australia and New Zealand regional Co-Lead for Canva's People of Colour Collective and Strategy and Performance at Canva share their insights as part of a panel discussion. The discussion for the evening was moderated by Victor Ho (He/Him), CiC’s co-founder.
The panellists shared a range of insightful perspectives about role of ERGs in promoting DEI in Australian workplaces. Despite the recent backlash towards DEI initiatives especially in the US, Div noted that this broader context actually provides an opportunity to reassess and reconfigurate the role of DEI initiatives such as unconscious bias training. Although the unconscious bias training is a multi-billion dollar global industry, these training opportunities do little to measure the level of bias in recruitment and promotions.
Hayley provided an overview about Westpac’s various ERGs including its ERG for culturally diverse staff. She stressed that membership numbers is only one measure in assessing an ERG’s effectiveness, and that anecdotal experiences such as the ability of ERGs to foster professional networks and empower employees to seek promotions is also important. Matt outlined his experience in Canva Australia’s people of colour ERG, which is a relatively new initiative expanding on the success of Canva’s womens and LGBTQIA+ ERGs. Aside from the role of ERGs, Matt highlighted Canva’s successful experience with promoting DEI through hiring diverse content creators.
When asked about how we can increase the effectiveness of ERGs, panellists provided recommendations including selecting appropriate executive sponsors responsible for overseeing ERGs, carefully distinguishing between the role of HR and ERGs and ensuring that ERG members practise self care to prevent burnout. It was also pleasing to see a high level engagement from audience members during Q&A, but we wish wish there was more time for more questions!
We thank our speakers and everyone who attended, Canva for hosting us for this event and MindTribes for being our event co-organiser.
Sign up for MindTribes’ ERG course! This self-paced, evidence-based course equips ERG Chairs, Leaders, and Members with the skills to define strategic goals, secure executive sponsorship, and deliver data-informed initiatives. Join a growing community of ERG leaders making measurable progress in workplace inclusion. Enrol here using the code ‘CIC-CSP10’ for 10% off.
📖 In the newsroom and things to check out
As we approach International Women’s Day on March 8, organisations including Diversity Council Australia (DCA) and Missing Perspectives have written on the importance of incorporating an intersectional lens when talking about gender equity. As highlighted by DCA, “culturally and racially marginalised women often face multiple, overlapping barriers shaped by both racism and sexism, making advancement even more challenging.”
MindTribes CEO, Div Pillay, sat down with the Australia and New Zealand School of Government last month to share her views on how and why fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace strengthens public sector performance.
New data obtained by the ABC has found that First Nations and diverse communities were disproportionately represented in NSW police searches between 2020 and 2023. Experts in response have called for an independent national ombudsman investigating allegations of racial profiling by police.
🗓 More events and opportunities
With Ramadan in full swing, so are the Lakemba Night Markets in Sydney which are running every night until 30 March. The holy month of Ramadan marks a period of fasting, reflection and worship for Muslims all around the world. Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset during this month, with the end of month culminating in the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. Ramadan Mubarak to all who are observing!
The Hatchery is holding its first ever Achieving CALD Leadership in the Public Sector conference from 19-20 March 2025 in Canberra and online. Speakers include Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giri Sivaraman (He/Him), MindTribes CEO, Div Pillay (She/Her) and CiC’s very-own Head of Marketing and Community, Bec Yan (She/Her)!
In the lead-up to International Women’s Day, Girls Run the World and Women in International Security - Australia Inc. are co-hosting a panel event on March 4 from 6pm-8pm in Canberra and online. The event will explore the importance of increasing the inclusion of intersectional women in national security with speakers from academia, government and private sector.
