A compassionate approach to integrating diversity into organisations will be the subject of an IGS Diversity Committee (DC) session at EuroGeo8.

The 8th European conference on geosynthetics (EuroGeo8) in Lille, France, in September, this year, will include a talk from global DEI practitioner Daniela Felletti on "Awakening Perceptions: challenging minds to lead with empathy".

The IGS DC session on September 16 (11am-12pm) will introduce the concept and definition of diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), with examples, and aims to show how teams can work together using empathy to break down barriers to a more inclusive workplace.

IGS DC members Mathilde Riot and Anne-Laure Backes are co-organizing the talk, with support from IGS DC colleagues, the organizing committee of EuroGeo8 and IGS France.

Ms Riot said: "We were keen to hold the session at the beginning of the conference so the notion of DEI would be taken into account from the very start and be front of mind for delegates for the rest of the congress.

"Our aims are two-fold. First, to ensure senior managers come away from this conference with a greater understanding of DEI – they urgently need to take concrete action in their companies.

"Additionally, we want to ensure DEI is taken into account in the organisation of the conference, such as disabled access, presence of a quiet room, dissemination of information to all, a good gender mix of speakers, and then ensure people are aware these facilities are in place and to contact us if they have any additional needs."

Ms Riot said a satisfaction questionnaire will be used to evaluate post-conference actions, assess what has been put in place in terms of DEI during this conference, and whether more work was needed for future IGS events.

Following the launch of the IGS Diversity Task Force in fall 2023, the group was upgraded to a full Committee this year in recognition of its drive and vision to champion DEI in the IGS and wider industry. Membership has also expanded from six to 23 members now working together to raise awareness, improve member empowerment, and grow networking opportunities.

To find out more about the IGS DC, contact Committee lead, IGS Secretary General Laura Carbone via the IGS Secretariat's office at igssec@geosyntheticssociety.org.

EuroGeo8 takes place on September 15-18, this year, and is themed 'Technical challenges and environmental imperatives for the 21st Century'. Discover the full programme on the conference website here.