Case Study
Empowering DEI Leaders to Foster Inclusive Cultures & Drive Business Impact
Role: Strategy Lead – SYPartners
Skills: Organization & Culture, Workshop Design & Facilitation,
Learning & Development
Industry: Financial Services
Client: President, Global Head of DEI
Overview
In 2016, my team at SYPartners partnered with a global financial institution's executive leadership and global head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to create a vision for pioneering the next frontier in DEI by fostering a culture of true inclusion. To achieve these outcomes, we first focused on empowering "DEI Champions" 165 employees spanning across 20 countries. We worked to co-create a system of resources and experiences that infused SYPartners’ theory of change with our client's core principals to develop core capabilities necessary to build belief, inspire action, and navigate difficult situations. Over the course of the project, we were successful in creating training sessions that addressed the most pressing needs of the "DEI Champions." Participants walked away from the sessions with more clarity for their role, and increased confidence in their ability to lead their team’s DEI initiative.
The Ask
1) Industry Landscape & Organizational Background
In 2016, our client was already well established as one of the world’s leading investment management firms, known for its vast global footprint and influential presence across financial markets. Recognizing that innovation and sustainable growth are fueled by diverse perspectives, the company sought to refine and strengthen its commitment to fostering an inclusive environment—one that could attract and retain top talent from a multitude of backgrounds. At the forefront of this effort was the client’s executive leadership team and its Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Their goal was clear: become a pioneer in DEI for the financial services industry.
At the time, the broader financial services sector was under growing scrutiny for its lack of diverse representation at senior levels. Despite incremental progress, women and minorities continued to be underrepresented in leadership, and many firms were grappling with how to move from symbolic pledges to meaningful, actionable change. Against this backdrop, our client recognized that a more intentional, systematic approach to DEI was needed—one that could address unconscious biases, build internal champions, and spark lasting cultural transformation.
The organization’s leadership aimed to increase representation across the firm, while simultaneously nurturing a truly inclusive culture where people of all backgrounds felt supported, heard, and empowered to advance. Rather than focusing on metrics alone, there was a strong desire to instill behavioral shifts at every level, equipping teams with the mindsets and skills required to embed DEI principles into day-to-day workflows and decision-making.
2) Key Considerations
Problem/Opportunity to Address
When our client’s executive leadership and Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion set out to expand and strengthen their DEI efforts, they identified a critical need for a structured, interactive learning solution to guide their newly appointed “DEI Champions.” These 165 champions—spread across 20 countries—were responsible for sparking and sustaining local-level transformations that would ladder up to firm-wide culture change. In response, our team was tasked to create a suite of four comprehensive guides and training sessions that would:
Equip DEI Champions with a clear understanding of how to build and nurture a more inclusive culture.
Provide practical methods and tools for championing diversity in everyday team interactions.
Strengthen Champions’ confidence in facilitating conversations around sensitive DEI topics.
Lay out a cohesive roadmap for creating cascading impact across their global workforce.
Parameters
Business-Relevant Content: The client sought to ground the importance of DEI in tangible business outcomes, such as market competitiveness, innovation, and talent retention. Our materials needed to balance the moral imperatives of diversity and inclusion with clear, data-backed arguments for why it matters to the bottom line.
Fostering Vulnerability and Openness: To make DEI initiatives truly impactful, our training sessions had to create a safe environment for open dialogue about sensitive topics—things like unconscious bias, race, gender, and identity. Facilitating these discussions in ways that felt supportive and non-judgmental was critical to building trust among participants.
Remote Collaboration: Because DEI Champions were located across 20 countries, our solution had to be effective in a remote, virtual environment. This meant designing interactive online sessions with thoughtful pacing, clear facilitation guidelines, and digital-friendly materials that could keep participants engaged despite geographical distance and varying time zones.
Cultural Nuances and Localization: The Champions represented a diversity of regions, languages, and cultural contexts. We had to ensure our content and delivery were culturally appropriate and resonant for each group—avoiding one-size-fits-all language and examples that might miss the mark in certain locations.
These constraints shaped the way we developed our program: every book, exercise, and discussion guide was designed to integrate cultural awareness, business applicability, and emotional safety. By addressing these challenges head-on, we aimed to craft a DEI learning experience that would empower Champions to drive inclusive behaviors both within their local teams and across the organization’s global network.
Fig 1-6: Capture from an alignment session with client
The Work
3) Developing Training Materials
Through insights gained from interviews with DEI Champions and working sessions with our client, we aligned on for focus areas:
The Business Case for DEI (aka “Diversity as a Must”)
To address skepticism within their teams and articulate how DEI translates into tangible business benefits (e.g., higher innovation, stronger risk management, and enhanced client trust).
Fig 7-10: Selected pages from Diversity as a Must
Compelling Storytelling Techniques
Structured guidance on how to craft and share personal and relatable narratives that connect emotionally, build credibility, and inspire belief in DEI initiatives—while addressing skepticism and fostering a shared vision for inclusion.
Fig 11-14: Selected pages from Diversity as a Must
Practical Tools for Everyday Inclusion
Simple, immediate behaviors that could be implemented in team settings—such as adopting inclusive meeting practices, ensuring all voices are heard, and recognizing and mitigating unconscious bias.
Confidence to Navigate Sensitive Topics
Structured guidance on how to discuss issues around race, gender, identity, and belonging without fear of judgment or repercussion.
From these insights, we considered several avenues: a robust digital learning platform for self-paced modules, a series of “DEI bootcamp” workshops held in select global offices, and a blend of targeted training guides paired with hands-on, live-facilitated sessions. Ultimately, we concluded that a hybrid approach—combining structured, modular resources with interactive and discussion-rich sessions—would best meet the Champions’ varied needs while respecting diverse regional contexts and time constraints.
Impact
5) Outcomes & Next Steps
The final strategy revolved around three key elements:
Purpose: A succinct statement encapsulating the organization’s reason for being and the positive impact it aspires to create.
Vision: A forward-looking, quantitative goal outlining what success would look like over the next three years.
Bold Moves: A set of prioritized actions and investments necessary to achieve the vision.
By engaging employees from multiple divisions, the strategy-building process fostered a deep sense of ownership across the organization. The President of Card Benefits reported feeling confident about the organization’s future direction, and stakeholders throughout the company confirmed their perspectives were taken into account. As a result, the newly established strategic roadmap provided a unified focus, positioning the team to navigate industry challenges and capture emerging opportunities in the years to come.