As Chair of the Black Women at Capgemini UK network, Cynthia Baffour is passionate about expanding opportunities for women of colour and helping them to resonate with the value they bring to the workplace. Combining her role as Director of Business Transformation and End User Experience with her DE&I focus, she’s looking to build and expand the network, which has grown at pace since it started, to continue to provide a powerful resource and community for professional women.
How did you become involved with the Black Women at Capgemini UK network?
When I arrived at Capgemini just over a year ago, I quickly learned that the business was very interested in ensuring everyone was comfortable and heard. It’s one of the few organisations where I’ve seen regular employee surveys with a survey every four weeks and a clear action plan against the key themes that come out everytime. In February 2022, a few black women from Capgemini UK held some focus sessions with the purpose of sharing experiences from throughout their careers. The overwhelming reaction was one of catharsis and sparked unanimous agreement for further sessions. This enthusiasm and excitement led to the start of a formal support network and BlackWomen@CapgeminiUK was born – now with over 200 strong membership.
My involvement started with an informal conversation with a colleague, by the end of which she’d invited me to speak at the next event. I really liked what the community stood for with a vision to sponsor a sense of belonging and to empower and support professional black women in their personal and career development while celebrating their achievements. I quickly became actively involved, and when the network convener left the business, I became the Chair.
What drives your passion for diversity and inclusion work?
While I have certainly found myself on projects where I am the only black woman during my career, I wouldn’t say that has necessarily been why I’ve been interested in this agenda. My interest has been more based on the feeling that we are missing many opportunities as black women if we continue to accept a stereotype or an incorrect narrative that can so easily become entrenched. We are all different for a reason, and progress is about giving people confidence that it is okay to be different and in the value they’re bringing. You have to be careful others’ biases are not limiting you, but a part of that is also not limiting yourself by what you’re thinking about yourself.
What is the most important thing you feel you’re bringing to the network?
I don’t believe in stereotypes, but I know from experience that popular culture and beliefs advocate humility and this can sometimes be easily misinterpreted within the black community. I will always remind us that humility does not mean the absence of confidence; you can be humble and confident at the same time. It is okay to be be heard and to speak up. We also have a responsibility to speak up inclusively, so that our actions do not have a negative impact on others; and we become the example we want to see without being intimidated or shying away from having tough conversations if needed.
How does the network work to achieve your vision?
The network’s vision translates into four key pillars: empower, support, community and celebrate. We categorise all the events, initiatives and the engagements our team drive under these four pillars. For example, empower is about shattering ceilings, and we can lean into that from providing a forum to celebrate achievements, to share something amazing they’ve done or want to do that is innovative, or through our professional network outreach, which opens up opportunities for people to ask for coaching from other network members. With each of our pillars, we are constantly reviewing what is needed. People in the network need to feel that it is adding value to them, so we ask for regular feedback to ensure the initiatives are aligned to delivering value for members.
What are the biggest benefits of the Black Women at Capgemini UK network?
This network provides an opportunity for members to own and lead something truly meaningful to them personally outside of normal day-to-day work. The network aligns with the Capgemini values of boldness and honesty, and encourages a team spirit within the workplace that enhances sense of community and commeradeship. For members, it provides a community at work to meet people and feel they can open up without any judgement. They can ask questions, and someone who might have been through something similar may share ways to manage or overcome them. Generally, though, having support and community helps to build key things like confidence that have a massive impact on people’s career ambitions and trajectories.
What are the key things you want to focus on to expand the impact of the network?
The focus now is on a mindset shift and continued empowerment through the various initiatives underway. It’s about being aware that bias still exists in society but not feeling victimised or defensive because of it. It’s about recognising it and knowing that you can speak up. It’s also about being able to advocate for others or support them to advocate for themselves.
Which initiative for you at Black Women at Capgemini UK has been the most impactful?
I am passionate about mentoring, which sits under the support pillar, as I feel it’s an important ingredient to have irrespective of the stage one is at in their career. I recommend that people become a mentor and get a mentor themselves. Mentoring also allows people from the network to add value beyond Capgemini, and we recently did some work with black communities outside the company, which was very rewarding. Shattering ceillings will be a key focus for the year ahead.
How do you encourage a more inclusive environment in your day-to-day life and work?
You need to work on yourself first, and that goes for everyone, not just black women. You need to look for opportunities to learn about other people because there might be things that you might actually be doing that make other people uncomfortable as well. We always need to be aware of the impact our behaviour may be having on other people, and be the example you want to see; in other words, in much as you want to be treated in a very inclusive way, be inclusive yourself.
Going forward, how would you like to see the programme develop and grow?
Continued support from the business to drive the agenda would be my ask, and collaborating more with other networks within the business. Something we’re trying to push is getting more leadership presence at our key events to motivate members and motivate the team. Our UK Managing Director has supported the network from the start, and we have a male VP executive sponsor with strong leadership allies across the business. It’s important to have advocates and people who are interested in what we stand for and who can bring gravitas and encourage wider membership. You don’t have to be a black woman to be part of Black Women at Capgemini UK…
