The New York Times recently quoted Joe Gregory, the president of Lehman Brothers, who once said that 'you can't build a great company without great people - and great people are not just white, straight men aged 25 to 40'.

Diversity has become the watchword of companies claiming the desire to see the full spectrum of their customer base reflected in their employees.  But how much of this goes beyond lip service and, in terms of gender and cultural diversity, how much opportunity is really being made available to women and those of African and other minority ethnicities in the West?  Are companies really prepared to change their outlook and culture and offer an inclusive workplace for all their staff?

According to a study by Columbia University’s Center for Work-Life Balance, white males represent just 17% of the global talent pool of individuals with graduate education.  Yet, it is interesting to note that a study sponsored by investment banks Goldman Sachs and Lehman in the USA in 2004, revealed that of 2,443 'highly qualified' women questioned, only 5% of the 2,271 who wanted to return to work, were looking to return to the places they had left.

To brand themselves effectively to candidates today, companies need to bear in mind that today’s new talent, Generation Y, also dubbed the “Millennials,” say they value balance more than financial security.  When employers are prepared to put both the will and a budget to addressing issues of work/life balance, inclusion and diversity, in all its senses, the use of the ‘D’ word might finally appear to have some substance.

In this issue we look at a recent report by the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development on Diversity and ask Fitzroy Andrew, a leading expert on the subject of diversity, for his assessment of what the findings mean for UK plc.

ReConnect Africa is all about people and management and we speak to Lyndon Jones of Association of Business Executives  about their work in developing management talent in Africa.  As continuing news of conflict, terror and crisis hits our TV screens, it is an opportune time to address how companies are preparing their staff for working in conflict zones and, in this issue, we ask Jeff Toms of Farnham Castle  about their new programme to help employers keep their staff safe.

Ghana continues to make the news (in a good way!) and we highlight the recent visit to London by President Kufuor and his briefing to African media on the newly signed Millennium Challenge Account.
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