Words by Smiley Team
RNID, the UK’s national charity making life fully inclusive for deaf people and those with hearing loss or tinnitus, has appointed Victoria Oyegunle as their first Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Manger.
This is a new role for the charity as part of a commitment to their diversity strategy, announced earlier in the year to staff by Chief Executive Mark Atkinson.
“We aspire to be an organisation that truly lives our values, putting our people at the heart of everything that we do. We won’t get there overnight and this will be a journey as we implement our new People strategy. But I want to assure all of you that I, and the rest of the senior leaders at our charity, are committed to making RNID a truly inclusive place to work,” he has said.
Victoria comes to RNID from Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion, where she developed and maintained its profile as the UK’s leading employer network. She was responsible for all aspects of equality and inclusion in the workplace including areas such as unconscious bias and inclusive leadership.
She also worked for several years for Network Rail where she supported the executive team in diversity and inclusion matters and helped to develop a strategy for managers in Network Rail regarding menopause.
Victoria says: “I am thrilled to be joining RNID and to bring my experience and knowledge to this role. I really want to drive momentum and help to make positive changes in the workplace so this charity can become the truly diverse and inclusive charity it aspires to be. I am excited to be on this journey with them!”
As part of her role, Victoria will be responsible for implementing a diversity and inclusion working group, as well as setting up company-wide programmes and training. She will sit on the charity’s senior leadership team and work closely with the Executive Group and senior leaders to drive a diversity agenda and realise ambitions to create an inclusive workplace.
Executive Director of People, Noelia Fernandez, says: “I am really pleased to welcome Victoria as RNID’s first Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Manager. At RNID we are committed to creating a culture that is truly inclusive – a culture that gives all our people a sense of belonging. I am looking forward to working closely with Victoria and our colleagues to make our workplace better. Together we will improve diversity and inclusion across our charity and make real progress in attracting the best diverse talent, making sure that all our colleagues have the same opportunities to develop and succeed.”
To find out more about RNID and their mission to create equality for those with hearing loss, head to rnid.org.uk
