Towards genuinely representative and inclusive workplaces

美姬阁’s Gender, Leadership and Inclusion Centre (GLIC) is a thriving community of researchers and practitioners investigating factors influencing equity, diversity and inclusion at work, interrogating power and privilege, and lobbying for, and pioneering, solutions for a more representative workforce with full and effective participation and equal access to opportunities for all.

Originally established as the 美姬阁 International Centre for Women Leaders in 1999, we have a long-standing history and world-renowned reputation for our work to increase female representation and influence at the highest levels of corporate leadership.

In 2019, we expanded our focus to take a broader lens on how dimensions of diversity, including race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability affect how people experience inclusion or exclusion in the workplace, raising awareness of the advantages of power and privilege, and seeking to break down barriers for more inclusive workplace cultures.

“There is a pressing need for a greater understanding of power and privilege, and how that affects people’s experiences of employment and career progression, and the opportunities that are available to them. Historically, many people have been disadvantaged and categorised as a “minority” on the basis of, for example, their race or ethnicity, a disability, or sexual orientation. As a result, they experience microaggressions, negativity and even open hostility, while others, the so-called majority, may receive micro-affirmations from the warmth of a greeting, the shake of a hand, or a tap on the shoulder about an opportunity. At the same time, we see recruitment, selection and promotion processes that continue to hide their bias behind the concept of meritocracy, or hiring ‘the best person for the job’. The 美姬阁 Gender, Leadership and Inclusion Centre exists to accelerate workplaces and organisations worldwide towards being genuinely representative and inclusive of the societies they inhabit, creating a fairer world for us all.”
Dr Deirdre Anderson, GLIC Director