Get inspired by our latest content of podcasts, articles and knowledge bites.
Colourful leaders

Step into the Light
Aartie is known for building diverse yet strong teams and is well aware that women and people of colour are...

The Journey Never Ends
Born to Surinamese parents, Julien had quite the culturally diverse upbringing in the city of Amsterdam. His friends came from...

The Price of Success
Born and raised on Curaçao, Ference moved to the Netherlands at the age of 18 to pursue a degree in...

Owning Your Narrative
A very open and honest conversation with Curaçao born, Netherlands raised - global citizen Sue Stephens, who currently resides in...

The Line is Never Straight
Born in Hong Kong, Robert moved to England when he was only 4 years old. He had a challenging childhood...

Forging your own Path
Known for being empathic, versatile and a problem solver, Dessi wears several hats at IHS Markit across the Legal function...

Leading with Compassion
Gyzlene moved to the Netherlands from Morocco at the age of nine to live with her mother who had immigrated...

Everything you need is already inside you
It is our pleasure to introduce Willem Pennings, a highly energetic and positive go-getter who believes in the power of...
Media

Forging your own path – my unconventional career path
In this episode, we talk with our special guest and mentor, Darius Askaripour, on his unconventional career path. Darius is...

Being Intentional about your Personal and Professional Development
In this episode, we’re joined by Triston Francis, People & Organisational Strategy expert, ex BCG consultant and co-creator of the...

The art of mentoring – how to leverage it in your career
In this episode of the Roots Inspire podcast, we hear from Claudine Adeyemi, the Founder & CEO of Career Ear....

Diverse leadership styles –the impact of cultural heritage
The culture we were raised in has a tremendous impact on our values and who we become as a person....

Making a first impression – the role of clothing and language
For our third Roots Inspire podcast, we talk to our special guest Mr Q Msimanga who was born in Zimbabwe,...

Managing imposter syndrome: Unconventional careers
Managing imposter syndrome, how can we do it? In the second episode of the Roots Inspire podcast, we talk to...

The first black student in an all white high school
In this first Roots Inspire podcast, we have a special guest with a unique story. Hopewell Hlophe was the first...
Articles

Why are we so confused about racism?
I don't particularly like talking about racism. It hardly ever leads to a desired outcome. A strong word like racism...

Communicating with Purpose – the Power of Conviction
Conviction has always been incredibly important to me throughout my career. It takes you to another level. Whether it’s being...

Building Credibility and Trust at the workplace
When I think about credibility, I think about trust as the two go hand-in-hand and it’s something that I’ve always...

There can be Only One – the Power of Authenticity
Authenticity can be defined as your actions, behaviors being in line with your value system, instead of being influenced by...

That’s Okay, and Here’s Why – the Power of Perseverance
The startup you were interviewing with was just bought out by a larger corporation and the job listing has been...

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall— the Power of Reflection
Let me tell you a story…many years ago, I was one of the final candidates for a job I really...

Right and wrong in the race discussion
Talking about race in the workplace is often a slippery slope. Especially in Europe, where we are taught from an...

BCG Diversity Driver: building a virtual mentoring scheme
With COVID a continuing reality and people locked into their homes across Europe, Roots Inspire brings a practical solution to...

Diverse Talent: Meeting your future self
My dad promised me he would join me for each university introduction day. Together we set foot that day, for...

The odds of wasted talent
Born in Suriname to a Curacaoan mother and an Indian-Surinamese father. I moved to the Netherlands at a young age,...
Knowledge bites

Failing up: why some climb the ladder despite mediocrity
Most of us know the frustrating feeling of watching someone ‘fail upward’: landing successively sweeter gigs even after professional mediocrity...

Why diverse teams perform better
In numerous studies, diverse teams are associated with business success. The evidence shows that these are not mere correlations, but...

Performance and Empowering yourself
Contrary to common belief, how well you do your job has very little to do with how successful you are...

Why diversity programmes fail
The powerful article by Harvard Business Review on Why Diversity Programs Fail has a few surprising findings. It shows how...

Diversity in the work place is lacking at the top: Here’s why
In management positions across large companies, diversity in the workplace can be very difficult to achieve. BCG in partnership with...

Soft skills for business success
Formal qualifications and technical skills are only part of the requirements for modern employees, as ‘soft skills’ and personal attributes...

Mentorship: Creating a work place culture
A research piece published by the global advisory firm, Heidrick & Struggles entitled “Creating A Culture of Mentorship” presented its data on...

Why your D&I strategy needs to be more diverse
Although diversity has clearly moved up the UK business agenda in recent years, nearly half of the respondents in a...

Diversity and Inclusion wins: Why inclusion matters
In 2020, international management consultancy, McKinsey & Company published a report entitled – Diversity wins: How inclusion matters. The report revealed that...