Iain Haddow, Senior News Editor and co- chair of BBC PRIDE shares his experience of how staff networks in global companies can use their voice to support members in minority groups.
Iain has been a member of BBC PRIDE for around 15 years and served a two year term as Co-Chair with his Belfast colleague and fellow Radius Leadership graduate, Anthony McKee, until October 2023. As a gay man and BBC Senior Manager with a long career in journalism, he took on the role because he wanted to use his skills to support and advocate on behalf of LGBTQ+ colleagues. He says, “I hope that being a visibly gay man in a leadership role and talking about some of the issues affecting the community, normalises conversations for colleagues, wherever they are based in the UK or around the world, and makes it easier for them to bring their authentic self to work.”
BBC PRIDE has been closely aligned with the organisation in terms of its commitment to building an inclusive workplace. Iain says “The BBC is a creative organisation which thrives most when its staff reflect wider society. When we work together with the business, we can achieve great things. “
One such example of collaborative working is the LGBTQ+ Allies programme which was launched jointly with the BBC Diversity and Inclusion team in 2019 and is still in high demand. There are more than 100 allies signed up and the scheme works both in-person and remotely for people based in the UK and overseas. Iain says an important factor to this programme is equity and ensuring staff are not left behind when they are less visible and located in places which are not as advanced in terms of LGBT rights, “The situation for LGBT colleagues around the world is not the same so we need to speak up for them wherever they are located, while respecting local laws. As a staff network, it is our responsibility to help build inclusivity where we can.” In the last five years, Iain has taken the Allies programme to colleagues in India and Kenya and adapted it to ensure it is both culturally and legally fit for employees in these countries. He feels that it has been really successful in educating some people about the LGBTQ+ community as well as helping colleagues feel more comfortable to be themselves.
Iain has been keen to support other minority communities in BBC Pride and recently was involved in setting up the BBC trans and non -binary support group, which exists under the BBC Pride umbrella. He says “We wanted to make sure these colleagues had a safe space to discuss issues that impact them as a community. It helps them raise their voice and with visibility through BBC Pride, we can share relevant issues with key internal stakeholders.”
Running joint events with other staff networks has also fostered a wider sense of inclusion. This has included collaborating with sister BBC staff networks such as Global Women in News and Enigma, the BBC’s network for colleagues who are neurodivergent. Iain says these kinds of events engage a wider audience and highlight intersectional themes amongst different communities.
Over the last few years, BBC PRIDE has been focused on building its presence and community outside of London. This has included starting new chapters in all four UK nations and also running roadshows and in person visits to smaller places. Iain says “Last year, we took part in 12 Pride parades around the UK, which BBC Pride members and their allies joined. We’ve also made the PRIDE committee more geographically diverse.”
Participating in the Radius programme has helped Iain mature his network and bring it to the next level. He says “The resources that you get from the training programme help validate your work with the business.” It has also given him the opportunity to make new connections with other networks and understand their challenges. “We can all learn from each other and seeing what good looks like can inspire you,” he says.
