The Power of Now: our proactive approach to inclusivity

This year’s theme is Time to Act: The Power of Now… and we couldn’t relate more. 

At CPI, we’re acting now. By actively encouraging inclusivity in all its forms, we’re creating a culture of conscious inclusion. 

Striving for a collective sense of belonging

As we grow geographically, from our North East roots to across the North of England and Scotland, and technically, expanding into new sectors such as HealthTech, it’s important that our incredible people are part of our collective journey. Everyone at CPI brings unequivocal personal value, being an integral part of our mission to deliver impactful healthcare and sustainability innovations that benefit people, places, and our planet.

So, what have we done in the last 12 months?

Since our #UnitedForInclusion commitment last year, we’ve adopted an action-focused, progressive approach to inclusivity initiatives. In addition to our Gender Pay Gap Report, we’ve also been collecting ethnicity and disability data, and have established Equality, Diversity and Inclusion affinity groups led by our people to better understand lived experiences, foster safe spaces and solve challenges: 

• PRISM – LGBTQ+ 
• EmbRACE – Religion, Culture and Ethnicity 
• Disability, Hidden Conditions and Carers 
• Gender

We also delivered a successful ​‘My Whole Self’ campaign, which was recognised by Mental Health England, to give our people a platform to share how we’re all multifaceted beyond what first meets the eye in a workplace context. 

Piloting Professional Workshops, we explored our use of inclusive language and have subsequently incorporated neurodiversity in our Management Development Programme. 

Collaboration lies at the heart of CPI, so we signed the Catapult Network’s Inclusivity in Innovation Charter to share and learn best practices and commit to driving inclusivity in everything we do. 

Our recent collaboration with Inclusive Employers saw us undertake a foundation assessment to gain insight into our existing inclusivity practices. These results will amplify our successes, highlight improvement areas and inform our next steps to ensure we adopt intersectional workplace inclusion. 

Delivering innovation with PRIDE

Most notably, this year we launched our PRIDE values which hold inclusion at its core. 

• Purposeful empowerment: our clear purpose empowers us to make positive challenges to the status quo. 
• Radical thinking: our radical minds and revolutionary thinking allow us to look beyond the obvious. 
• Impactful innovation: we work to create lasting impact through genuine and thoughtful innovation. 
• Diverse people: we are inclusive and value diversity of thought, culture and background in our people. 
• Entrepreneurial mindset: we are ambitious, creative, and competitive when driving our ideas forward.

Through PRIDE, we’re all striving to ensure CPI is a diverse organisation delivering incredible innovation through purpose-focused people with entrepreneurial and radical mindsets. Our PRIDE values define who we are, how we’re unique, and what is incredible about us. They guide our decisions and actions, energise and motivate us through the empowering culture they create. 

Inclusivity is a feeling

Inclusivity is needed to fulfil our values. It’s at our very core. So for this reason, inclusion goes beyond internal policies. It’s ultimately about how our people feel. And as we develop our inclusive culture, practices and initiatives, we will continue to hold the sense of belonging in the highest regard. 

“Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard” – Liz Fosslien.

Tom Simpson, one of our Quality Managers, said:

During my 6 months at CPI, I have seen inclusivity embedded within policies, campaigns and the team culture. From the accessible hybrid working structure to mental health projects that promote well-being and support individuals, inclusion is championed at all levels. 

As a member of the inclusivity team, I’ve supported the facilitation of internal discussions, staff surveys and our Maternal Mental Health Week campaign, which involved colleagues sharing stories and experiences. As we develop our inclusion metrics to better inform our decision-making, I am excited to see how our contributions positively impact CPI as we continue to grow. 

I’ve not been here long, but CPI is acting now. Creating a culture of inclusion is an ongoing process, but I already feel like I belong. At CPI, I’m able to be my whole self.