'This isn't a cookie-cutter process'
It’s been a little over 14 months since Mary Haddock-Staniland from ‘Timely’ spoke with HRD about her then new role as SVP of PX, Culture and Inclusion, the first culture and inclusion role at an executive level to exist in New Zealand.
Since then, Timely has been acquired by EverCommerce, a global service-commerce platform with offices in six countries. EverCommerce has just announced Haddock-Staniland will lead culture and inclusion programs across EverCommerce in another newly created role, Global SVP of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).
“When EverCommerce started looking at its plans and goals for DEIB, they knew it would be a significant part of its culture,” says Haddock-Staniland. “Given the success Timely had, it made sense to have me help on a larger stage.”
Haddock-Staniland’s roles throughout her career, especially as head of membership services at Diversity Works New Zealand (DWNZ) has prepared her for this next phase of her career. The DWNZ role gave Haddock-Staniland the opportunity to support several NZ & Australian based organisations through their respective DEIB journeys.
“The experience I’ve already gained will come into play when working with all the different global teams across EverCommerce. This isn’t a cookie-cutter process” says Haddock-Staniland of her new role. “I think if we tried to roll out a uniform approach to the DEIB journey across different countries and cultures, we probably wouldn’t be on the journey. We need to empower each team to travel its own DEIB journey and ensure each person feels a sense of belonging while remaining true to the overarching EverCommerce culture and vision.”
Haddock-Staniland admits it is not as easy as flicking a switch. Although it’s been since December 2020 since she took on the culture & inclusion role at Timely, Haddock-Staniland is still the only person in NZ who holds the role at an executive level, but her outlook is positive.
“I’m encouraged because there are a lot of companies and entities that are putting in effort and resources into raising awareness and moving along the DEIB journey,” says Staniland, “but I believe ultimately, DEIB needs to be represented within the senior decision-making process at an executive level to maximise the impact.”
If you are a company that is defensive or is more skeptical of starting a journey into DEIB, Haddock-Staniland sums it up nicely.
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“DEIB is about unleashing potential and not wasting your human resources. At its core, we need to recognize, respect and value people’s differences, and allow people to be their true and authentic selves. This is mindset, this is culture, this is values and call it what you will, it [DEIB] needs to be woven into everything a business is and does. There is no hard and fast rule. Everyone is on a journey. And as long as you’re starting to have these conversations, it is better than not. You know, it is baby steps. But I am on a mission, and excited to be on a rocket ship heading in the right direction and solidifying that within the team at EverCommerce.”