Debbie Taylor has spent her career championing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She believes that promoting these values leads to happier employees, high performing teams and the best business outcomes.
Debbie Taylor’s 30 year career in the tech industry has been defined by constant change and taking calculated risks. Before joining the NBN Australia team in 2014, she had held leadership roles at companies like PWC and Vodafone Australia.
Today, Debbie still works at NBN Australia, only now as the Chief Information Officer. As CIO she actively promotes the values of diversity and inclusion at all levels of the organisation.
“If you have diversity and inclusivity people feel like they can bring themselves to work each and every day…”
– Debbie Taylor
Debbie’s Approach to Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
For Debbie, diversity and inclusion are two parts coming together to create a whole.
Diversity is all about having different people at the table. They could be different in terms of gender, culture, age or sexual orientation.
Inclusivity, on the other hand, is about making sure you actually hear those diverse thoughts. It’s about creating space for people to feel confident about saying something different or bringing a different point of view.
If you have diversity and inclusivity in your teams then employees are more likely to speak up. This leads to a diversity of thought which in turn drives better business outcomes. As Debbie says:
“Teams are high-performing when they listen to all the voices that they have”
-Debbie Taylor
It was such a delight to chat with Debbie and hear about her practical approach to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. I have no doubt you will get a lot out of this chat, just like I did.
In this episode we cover:
- Debbie Taylor’s career journey from management consultant, to various General Manager roles with Vodafone Australia, to her current role as CIO of NBN Australia
- She shares some pivotal moments in her career, and how they helped advance her career
- Debbie explains what diversity and inclusion means to her, why it’s important and the impact to businesses, as well as providing an overview of the D&I practices at NBN Australia
- We also discuss the importance of having a diverse team within the context of developing AI solutions
- Debbie shares her advice to women who aspire to joining the C-Suite, and becoming a Chief Information Officer
- And so much more!
Episode Resources
- Game Changers: Melissa Doyle talks to NBN CIO Debbie Taylor about her trailblazing her career
- Book: The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels – Michael Watkins
- Debbie Taylor – CIO NBN co bio
- NBN Diversity and Inclusion policies
[Full Disclaimer: Some of these links may be affiliate links, which means we receive compensation, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase through the link.]
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