As part of our ongoing commitment to support our partners and community, we are offering upcoming webinars to support people leaders as they consider how to adjust talent and diversity efforts amid COVID-response and enhanced focus and urgency around racial inequity and diversity. 

Join us for a discussion on how DE&I efforts need to transform to address our new world, hosted by Ceresa and LiveOak Venture Partners.

In this session, we will focus on how diversity, equity and inclusion needs to evolve, and how to keep it high on the priority list for companies. We’ll also touch upon the role of data, technology and AI in support of the new complexities of DE&I.

Our special guests are Letitia Adu-Sarkodie and Terra Terwilliger who are both deeply immersed in the topic of DE&I and working to bring forward-thinking approaches to companies grounded in the latest research and technology.

This event is co-hosted by Anna Robinson, Ceresa CEO and Co-Founder, and Krishna Srinivasan, Founding Partner at LiveOak Venture Partners.

Discussion topics:

• Developing a holistic approach to DE&I: what should organizations focus on to increase representation such as community building, employee learning, promotion and retention initiatives, creating open channels for discussion.

• Why representation is particularly pertinent within AI.

• The value of role models (mentors, sponsors) in increasing representation at leadership levels.

• Additional insights across companies and research.

Letitia Adu-Sarkodie | Diversity & Inclusion Specialist at DeepMind

Letitia has been with DeepMind, the UK's leading AI lab since 2015 - prior to which she spent time as an agency recruiter. Her current role, as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Specialist, sees her partner across the organisation to support DeepMind in its goal of building Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) for the benefit of all of society. Letitia leads internal strategic initiatives, develops learning and training opportunities and partners with DeepMind's various Employee Resource Groups to host awareness raising initiatives. She also spends time working alongside a range of outreach organisations and is involved in DeepMind's commitment to diversifying the AI ecosystem via its Scholarship Programme. A fluent russian speaker, she studied her undergrad in History and Russian at the University of Manchester, with a focus on gender and race. She is currently in the process of completing a Gender Studies MA at UCL and is enjoying working towards her dissertation - an intersectional analysis of socio-technical systems.

Terra Terwilliger | Founder and Publisher at D&I In Practice

Terra advises corporate and academic institutions on developing and implementing D&I strategies that create meaningful change. Terra has spoken on diversity and inclusion at many leading companies, as well as in the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education program. Prior to consulting, Terra led the Corporate Program at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University, where she worked with professors and leading technology companies to translate cutting-edge research into company practices. Terra spent 20 years in leadership roles at technology companies, most recently as Vice President of Marketing at Citrus Lane. Other experience includes Director roles at Microsoft and AT&T Wireless, and consulting with McKinsey & Company. She also led her own firm, offering interim executive services to venture-backed companies. Terra holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.