Championing intersectionality and inclusivity in the corporate world

Nadia Ahmed, HR Insights & Learning Partner at Diageo, shares a profound journey shaped by diverse intersectional identities. Discussing her experiences as a biracial woman and a proud lesbian, Nadia's story is a testament to the power of authenticity and resilience in the workplace. 

Could you please introduce yourself and provide an overview of your role within your workplace?

I’m Nadia Ahmed, I’m from the north of England, near Leeds but I’m currently living in Amsterdam where I’ve been for the last 1.5 years. After my A-Levels, I went further north of the UK to study English Literature at the University of Newcastle, I had the best time there and stayed after my studies to work at the Students’ Union as Welfare and Equality sabbatical officer.

I started at Diageo on the HR graduate programme in 2021 and after my two rotations, the first in Talent Engagement in London and the second as a HR generalist for our Northern Europe Market, I took the opportunity for a promotion in July 2023 as an Insights and Learning Partner. Ultimately my role is very diverse, everything links together but it’s a broad remit where I partner on People Leader capability, internal talent strategy and utilizing people insights to drive business impact for our Northern Europe business.

Can you reflect on your journey as an individual with diverse intersectional identities in the workplace, discussing the challenges you have encountered and the strategies you employed to overcome them?

When I reflect on my intersectionality, two things have been clear to me since I was young, one being I’m not white and secondly that I’m a woman. I was brought up in a very non-diverse place in rural Yorkshire, I’m half Indian and half welsh and I have an Islamic name from my dad’s side of the family. My visible identity has always been a little different to the invisible, my sexuality. Being brought up in a predominantly white area brought struggles as I was ‘different’ and so my race has always been what I experienced most ‘othering’ because of. The discovery of my sexuality came later, I ‘came out the closet’ when I was in my 2nd year at university, and I identify as a lesbian.

The different layers of my identity meant I was particular about who I wanted to work for, my non-negotiable was working somewhere that diversity and inclusion is a priority. Perhaps that’s something quite unique when your identity could make you unsafe in certain spaces, you have to be mindful of the spaces you choose to be in. I knew I needed to work somewhere progressive that I could be myself and work for a company that was doing the right thing. When I was applying, what struck me about Diageo was the external facing commitments to DEI, that fired up my passion and I truly love working here.

My sexuality is a lesser-known part of my identity, it’s something I share once I’m comfortable with someone and I’ve never had a bad experience with sharing it. In saying that, everyone has a different level of understanding and willingness to understand when it comes to others lived experiences. What I’ve learnt over the years as I’ve become more comfortable with who I am within the workplace and as a person, has been you don’t always have to argue or fight every injustice, microaggression or moment. Sometimes you need to take yourself away, cry if you need to and connect with someone you feel safe with.

Navigating difficult conversations and spaces sometimes looks like taking a breather, listening to your own needs and not always taking up the role of educating others. My friend Mimi told me about how ‘rest is resistance’, I carry that with me. It’s not up to those experiencing the suffering to have to educate those who benefit from the structures that cause our suffering. When you feel strong and empowered, correct that person or have that difficult conversation or share how something hurt you, but on the days where you just need to cry whether out of frustration or sadness or anger, do just that and lean on those you feel safe with.

Another option for when I feel tired is questioning a belief or statement, this doesn’t feel defensive but welcomes someone in to share how they came to that conclusion, they’ll likely be less confident to say something problematic boldly next time if they have to justify it.

In what ways do you believe your intersectional identities shape your experiences within the workplace? How do you navigate and address the distinctive challenges that arise?

Having intersecting identities has become my superpower. It’s enabled my ability to build relationships quickly and sustain them, and I love that I can be a safe space for people of colour, women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. From day one on this earth, I was born into two cultures starkly different from one another, being biracial has helped me to find the middle ground between two ‘opposites’.

At the very beginning of my career, I believed that navigating the corporate world was that I needed to learn everything about how to act and who to be in order to be successful within it. Over time, I discovered that my strength is everything that makes me ‘different’. There’s no set recipe for success and showing up authentically can encourage others to do so, too.

I navigate challenges by giving myself grace first, I’m a sensitive soul and I believe feeling is the most important part of overcoming. The workplace has evolved and I’m glad that compassionate leadership, emotional intelligence and psychological safety are topics on the table at Diageo. Once I’ve done my feeling and then my thinking, that’s when I decide how to navigate the challenge.

It doesn’t always have to be a conversation, for example recently someone said something that felt reductive of my identity, I took the time to feel, I spoke to someone I feel safe with then I sent an email outlining what they said, how it made me feel and offered a conversation once they’d reflected. My main duty was to feel and give myself grace, then it was to act in a way I’d be proud of and help them on their allyship journey.

How do your various intersectional identities impact your professional journey, and how do you leverage these aspects of yourself?

The aspects of my intersectional identities have impacted my professional journey a LOT. My passion for diversity, equity and inclusion comes from being determined to create spaces where people feel seen, heard and valued.

When we talk about our experiences we can often focus on the tougher parts, but there’s so much to be celebrated about who we are. I had the opportunity to be on a ‘Ethnically Diverse and queer’ panel last year during our Race Equity Week at Diageo and we were each called upon to share who our role models are, what our experiences mean and how we can celebrate our difference. It was inspiring to be on a panel with people who are standing in their truth and celebrating what makes them shine.

In what ways has your identity influenced your leadership style and your ability to mentor and support others in the workplace?

That’s a great question! One thing I’m determined to do, is always lift as I climb. I’ve been blessed with multiple women along my career journey who have said my name in a room full of opportunities, I know I’ll pay that forward and I’m doing so wherever I can.

One of the most fulfilling parts of my work is taking the lessons I’ve learnt myself previously being on the graduate programme and moving geographies, to mentor or coach those still on their journey’s or just starting out. Also, my identity has influenced my style by always making sure I stand up for myself or others if I see unfair treatment, and ensuring I give any negative feedback privately as I know how much this can impact if it’s done in any other way.

Are there any personal or professional role models who have significantly inspired and influenced your journey as a professional with diverse intersectional identities, particularly during events or occasions celebrating diversity and inclusion?

 In terms of intersectionality, there’s someone called Gatonga Theuri at Diageo who from early on in my career was so open about his sexuality and has been a beacon of light for me, he’s also someone who encouraged me to take up space and share my story, I’ll forever be grateful to him for that.

A personal role model for me is Munroe Bergdorf, she is an icon who has inspired a generation to be true to themselves. She also uses her platform for activism and creating systemic change for trans, LGBTQIA+ and people of colour. When we look back at history, black trans women have been paving the way for all of us in the LGBTQIA+ community, with Marsha P Johnson spearheading the Stonewall riots in New York, I think we owe every piece of queer joy we experience to those who made our rights possible, and to those still fighting for equality.