Meet & Greet: Deon Pillay, Head of Marketing Operations, Legal and General Investment Management

In this week’s Meet & Greet interview, myGwork member and diversity and inclusion champion Deon Pillay shares how he was outed at work, and suffered from homophobia and racial discrimination in the early years of his career. Deon also explains why he’s an ally to marginalized communities, and provides a glimpse into his work roles as Marketing Operations at Legal and General Investment Management in London – and Co-chair of the firm’s diversity network – as well as his social life.

myGwork: Can you tell us a bit about your career journey to date?

Deon: I grew up in South Africa where I studied engineering and worked for a Telecoms company before coming over to the UK on a working holiday. As you were not allowed to take up professional jobs, I worked in a hotel and then a call centre – both very educational and humbling. It was these roles that helped shape my career both in terms of people leadership and customer service. Having fallen in love with the cooler climate and the life here, I applied for my ancestral visa and took on my first role in finance with Barclays where I spent five exciting years building and progressing my career ending up in their Private Banking division, heading up a large Client Service support Team. I was then approached to explore an opportunity with Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM), to manage the client relationship support function. I've now been with LGIM for 12 years, where I have had the opportunity to manage multiple teams, build new functions, help shape our culture and drive change.

myGwork: What's the most challenging aspect of managing people right now?

Deon: The workforce is constantly evolving and changing, so the needs of our people become very important. As a line manager you have to be flexible and treat the individual in the way in which they want to be treated. So being really invested in your people and knowing how best to manage them is really crucial. It’s about a personalised approach and fostering an inclusive culture that enables them to be their authentic selves.

myGwork: What attributes do you look for in new recruits and why?

Deon: What’s really important for me is a growth mindset, agility, and difference. I want individuals who are keen to continue their learning, are flexible in their approach and can bring a different perspective and challenge thinking. These attributes enable us to be more collaborative, innovative, and agile ensuring the best outcome for our stakeholders, clients, and society as a whole.

myGwork: How important is LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace for you personally?

Deon: Extremely important. I’m passionate about diversity and inclusion – both from a personal point of view and as an ally to other marginalized communities. I was outed at work, and I suffered from racial discrimination and homophobia in the early years of my career and at school, so I want to ensure that others don’t have to experience what I have been through and that all employees feel empowered to be authentic and part of a culture that enables them to thrive irrespective of their gender and/or sexual identity, ethnicity or other protected characteristic.

myGwork: What's your favorite inclusion campaign to date and why?

Deon: The Diversity Project's Fish out of Water campaign, which I got to be part of. It celebrated different identities and allowed the view the opportunity to experience a different perspective, to understand that we are all very similar in that no matter what our background, we each have our own unique challenges, biases, and privilege.

myGwork: How do you encourage staff to have a work-life balance, especially with the increase in remote/hybrid working?

Deon: This is something that I still struggle to master. Thankfully we are a very flexible organization, which allows us to work in the way that best sets us up for success. I actively encourage this flexibility but equally ensure that we build in time to meet in person as a team, enabling us to collaborate on key projects, network with stakeholders and strengthen relationships. I actively encourage teams to stop working at a reasonable time and encourage a 'no emails past 5pm' policy.

myGwork: What's the biggest highlight of your career to date and why?

Deon: There have been so many to be honest, from all the awards for my contribution to diversity to getting a distinction overall for my Chartered management qualification last year, to achieving two distinctions and a pass for my coaching qualification. As a leader, I think it's so important for us to role model the behaviors and attributes that we want from our people. I want to ensure that my leadership helps foster a growth mindset that enables my colleagues and peers to thrive.

myGwork: What podcast series are you listening to right now for your career development?

Deon: I have been so immersed in my coaching material for the past 13 months, so podcasts have not been on my priority list. However, I just stumbled upon the 'School of Greatness' by Lewis Holmes. It’s a fantastic podcast which features some really inspiring people, filled with practical tips. And most importantly, it’s really motivational.

myGwork: Are there any DE&I-related podcast series you would recommend?

Deon: I am going to be biased here but I recommend you check out EQUIiDA’s new podcast. I feature on the inaugural episode and it provides some really great insights into DEI, bias and intersectionality, alongside some practical tips.

myGwork: What was the last book you read? Any interesting take-aways and would you recommend it to fellow leaders?

Deon: The book that I have been reading is on Co-Active Coaching – changing businesses and transforming lives. As managers, we need to really empower our people. Co-active Coaching allows you to be in the moment, using coaching questions, deep listening, and body language to help unlock new ideas and support your team in finding a way forward.

myGwork: What was your last holiday destination and where do you plan to visit next?

Deon: South Africa – it was so great to finally see family after two years of not being able to visit. Having just bought a new flat, I have no solid holiday plans yet, but I do love Portugal. It's got friendly people, beautiful weather, and great gastronomy.

myGwork: What do you do to relax at the end of a hard-working day?

Deon: Spending some quality time catching up with my pet parrot Charlie – giving him head scratches, whilst we both relax on the sofa, sometimes with a chilled glass of bubbles.

You can find more about Deon and connect with him here.

Check out some of myGwork's other recent Meet & Greet interviews, including:

• Booth-Laird Investment Partnership’s CEO Jonathan Booth shares why there are so few ‘out’ CEOs and leaders in the corporate world.
• Business Disability Forum’s CEO Diane Lightfoot shares the importance of being able to work in an environment where everyone is able to bring their whole selves to work, without having to conceal any aspect of who they are.
• Parexel's LGBTQ+ ally and Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Aida Sabo shares her career journey on how she made it to the top in engineering as a Latina woman.
• CTS Group CEO Tom Ray shares why the LGBTQ+ community is "very important" to his company, and how he is promoting inclusion to ensure that all staff are “welcome, feel safe and can be themselves” at work.
• London-based DJ, radio host, filmmaker, social influencer and CBK CEO Krystal Lake explains why organizations need to take homophobic remarks and labels seriously, and do more to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion.
• Criteo's SVP of Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Rachel Scheel on how and why she supports diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion as an ally, as well as workplace wellbeing.
• The Galaxy Trust’s CEO Garry Ratcliffe shares how being an 'out' leader with a collaborative and inclusive leadership style helps to promote equality, belonging and a blame-free culture.
• RS Components’ Group Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement Jessica Chu highlights the 'huge' importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion at work and shares why being an LGBTQ+ ally is really important to her.
• Swapi CEO Pete Howroyd who talks about workplace equality and LGBTQ+ inclusion, and the importance of ensuring that every voice is heard.
• Unilever’s HR Vice President Richard Sharp shares why leadership has a duty to ensure that the LGBTQ+ community feels supported and included in the workplace.
• Greenhouse Software CEO Daniel Chait shares why belonging is one of the company’s core values, as well as a powerful business strategy.
• Burberry's Global Diversity & Inclusion Manager Safia Ann Kukaswadia highlights how she is addressing key challenges facing minority communities to gain fair representation within fashion and why the industry needs more LGBTQ+ role model leaders.
• Dish Dash Deets’ Founder Sunni Patel shares why he founded his holistic wellbeing business, specialising in gut health and eating addictions, which he started after coming out.
• Protiviti’s Director Belton Flournoy talks about the importance of Pride Month, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and the power of being 'out' at work.
• CEO of Vexed Gaming Sonny Waheed shares how his empowering and inclusive leadership style helps him to run a successful company.
• CEO of Wonder Industries Vlady Vyshnevetskiy shares how he is helping to make the fashion world more sustainable and inclusive.
• Oracle's Sara Morley talks about her roles as Account Director and UK Lead for the company’s LGBTQ+ OPEN ERG network.
• Hearst UK’s Chief Commercial Operations Director Gianluca Ena shares the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace, and maintaining a work-life balance.