When I think about this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Accelerating Action”, I find myself bristling at recent headlines. The notion that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is somehow “dead” or outdated has been circulating in certain corners of the business world—a perspective that fundamentally misunderstands both the purpose and the power of diverse teams.
At Xynteo, we’re taking a stand with a simple truth: DEI is not dead because the evidence of its value is all around us, driving tangible outcomes that matter and it’s thriving where it matters most—in organisations that understand its true value.
The evidence in action
Many women have inspired me across my career in all sorts of ways. I’ve been awestruck by young women I’ve hired who arrive in the workplace with a clarity of vision and ambition about their professional lives that is truly remarkable – certainly not something I could claim about my 20-something-year-old self.
I am inspired daily by my colleagues for our diversity of perspectives – coming as we do from all over the planet, with different beliefs, different life and professional experiences, but bound by a shared drive to do meaningful work that contributes to a more just and sustainable way of living and doing business. This rich tapestry of viewpoints isn’t just personally enriching; it’s precisely what makes our sustainability work so effective.
The data supports this lived experience: Firms in the top quartile for board gender diversity are 27% more likely to exceed financial performance compared to those in the bottom quartile. But numbers only tell part of the story. The real magic happens in the collaboration, the creative friction of different perspectives rubbing against each other, creating sparks that ignite innovation.
Watch our women colleagues explain why they think diversity isn’t just alive—it’s creating measurable impact for our clients and accelerating sustainability transitions.
It’s about impact, not scorecards
While improving gender balance at senior levels remains crucial, we must also celebrate the impact our incredible women are already making throughout our organisation. Their contributions extend far beyond metrics on a diversity scorecard—they’re driving real-world change in sustainability.
The business case for DEI has been made repeatedly – diverse teams deliver better financial results, greater innovation, and more robust decision-making. But at Xynteo, we see something even more fundamental: sustainability challenges are inherently complex and interconnected. Addressing them effectively requires bringing together different viewpoints, experiences, and approaches—exactly what our diverse team provides every day.
Consider climate transition. It’s not simply a technological challenge, but also one of policy, behaviour change, equity, and economic transformation. A homogeneous team might excel at optimising one dimension while completely missing others. Diverse teams, however, naturally scan across dimensions because their varied experiences prompt them to ask different questions and consider different implications.
Authencity makes for better business
One of the things I particularly love about the women at Xynteo is the sense of solidarity. The outside world might see unstinting professionalism, but I cherish their special ability to flip between being utterly serious, poised, and irreverent, often in the same breath. These women are my tribe. They understand that professionalism doesn’t mean abandoning authenticity, and that sometimes the best solutions emerge when we give ourselves permission to colour outside the lines.
To be sure, accelerating action on both sustainability and inclusion requires bringing men into the conversation. This isn’t about creating divisions – quite the opposite. True progress comes through allyship, not an “us versus them” dynamic.
Our male colleagues have crucial roles to play in ensuring that women’s voices are heard, that microaggressions are addressed, and that inclusive practices become embedded in how we work. When we integrate these perspectives, we develop more holistic approaches to sustainability challenges that consider social and environmental factors alongside commercial imperatives.
Diverse perspectives, superior results
The time for waffling on DEI has long-passed. At Xynteo, we’re taking a more assertive stance, not just in what we say, but in what we do, and by focussing on where it matters most—delivering positive, progressive impact through our client work.
While I’ve focused primarily on gender diversity in this piece—fitting for International Women’s Day—it’s essential to acknowledge that true inclusion spans a much wider spectrum. Race, ethnicity, sexuality, social mobility, neurodiversity, disability, age, and many other dimensions of identity shape our experiences and perspectives.
And therefore, the connection between diversity and sustainability isn’t just theoretical at Xynteo. It manifests in our client work every day. When we bring together teams with varied backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, we develop more innovative and comprehensive solutions to complex sustainability challenges. This is precisely what we’ve seen in our work with Kosala, where diverse perspectives helped reimagine traditional artisan supply chains for the modern market while preserving cultural heritage.
Whether we’re helping clients transition to net-zero operations, develop more sustainable supply chains, figure our new ways to reduce plastics consumption, or create inclusive growth strategies, diverse teams consistently deliver better outcomes. Our Climate Week NYC panels demonstrated this principle in action, bringing together voices from different sectors, regions, and backgrounds to tackle the most pressing climate challenges with a comprehensive systems view.
Our Waste No More initiative further illustrates how sustainability challenges require systems thinking, and diverse teams are simply better at seeing the whole system. By incorporating perspectives from across the value chain—from materials scientists to consumer behaviour experts to community representatives—we’ve developed circular economy solutions that address environmental, social, and economic dimensions simultaneously.
All these examples are underpinned by our core belief that many voices, when brought together with purpose, create more resilient and effective solutions than any single perspective could achieve alone. This is the true power of diversity in action.
The path of most resistance
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I’m profoundly grateful for the women who make Xynteo what it is, and for the women in our professional networks that help us all go faster together towards a more sustainable future. I’m grateful not just for their professional contributions, but for their humanity, their humour, and their unwavering commitment to building a more sustainable and inclusive world.
DEI isn’t dead. It’s evolving, accelerating, and more essential than ever. The evidence is in our work, our impact, and the voices of the extraordinary women you’ll hear in our video. Listen to them. They’re building the future we all need.
If you would like to get in touch about any of the points raised in this piece, or discuss how Xynteo can help your organisation, contact Amy below.
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