Alvaro Garrido: Driving inclusion at all levels
Standard Chartered’s Interim Group CIO and co-sponsor for the Black and African Talent working group shares his vision for building inclusion at the Bank.
We invited Alvaro Garrido to tell us more about how he sees inclusion within the Bank, including the creation of pathways so that everyone with the capabilities to excel can do so.
What inspired you to become a sponsor for Black and African Talent?
I’ve lived in Spain, UAE, Malaysia, Denmark, Singapore with long stints in another five countries so far and have friends and colleagues from a diverse range of backgrounds. I really appreciate learning from their different experiences and perspectives and have always passionately believed that everyone should be treated fairly and given equal opportunities.
I was very impressed by the innovation and drive I saw in our African colleagues during the Harnessing Africa’s Transformative Talent (HATT) challenge that we held last year. I understood more than ever that we needed to do more to offer advancement opportunities to our Black and African talent, so when I heard of this opportunity, I did not hesitate to step up.
What have you learned so far?
Since taking on my co-sponsor role, I’ve learnt so much about what inclusion really means, and how the lack of it can impact individuals on a personal level. I’ve felt humbled learning from the lived experiences of my colleagues. After all, they were sharing their vulnerabilities so that I could be better informed and use my allyship and sponsorship to help to make a difference.
My aim is to be a driving force in achieving tangible results swiftly through initiatives that benefit both Black and African colleagues as well as colleagues across the broader organisation (one example being the pilot of a peer-to-peer International Buddy scheme, supporting colleagues as they settle into new markets).
My aim is to be a driving force in achieving tangible results swiftly through initiatives that benefit both Black and African colleagues, as well as colleagues across the broader organisation
What are your current priorities as a group?
We have identified sponsorship and accountability as two critical areas we need to explore. Sponsorship is key at senior levels and goes a step beyond allyship.
When it comes to driving accountability, our focus is on defining key principles and stakeholders for to help us progress initiatives to recognise and advance our Black and African Talent.
Alongside this, we are preparing for the launch of the Global Black Employee Resource Group (ERG). Active ERGs are so important for the Bank as they give us a way to connect with what really matters to our people and effect change to benefit our diverse workforce.
As we look at our focus and priorities for the group, we are also looking at how we encourage colleagues across Standard Chartered to get involved. There are so many benefits to being part of an ERG – the support, networking and connections are just a few examples that spring to mind.
And how about for you personally?
My personal priority is to deliver change through the engagement of senior leadership and being the representative voice of our Black and African colleagues at key decision-making points. As an active advocate and sponsor, I will look for opportunities to engage at all community levels in the Bank. It’s important that our diversity is celebrated as a catalyst for innovation and growth.