Diversity


DE&I: ENCOURAGING ROLE MODELS


Kyndryl, a provider of IT infrastructure services, is a company that pro- actively encourages diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in every aspect of its business. Here, two of Kyndryl’s team share their stories and discuss the importance of role models in business.


Tony Shannon, security and resiliency architect. I


came to understand and recognise my sexuality in my mid to late teens, but I was in no rush to come out given the political and cultural


climate at the time. Nineties ‘lad culture’ was in full swing and Section 28, a law passed in 1988 by a Conservative government that stopped councils and schools from “promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”, was entrenched in British society. With partners, I’ve always been open; my sexuality


is part of who I am and it’s never been an issue. I also came to be more open with social groups and close friends in my early twenties. Many of my friends are a part of the alternative, goth and rock scene, which has always been supportive of those that don’t confirm to societal expectations, and they accepted me for my true self. At work, I didn’t come out until I was in my early forties, shortly aſter joining Kyndryl. A meandering career path led me to where I am today. I initially


wanted to join the forces as an engineer, but was medically unable to due to my eyesight, so I was unsure what to do next. I ended up pivoting my university studies from soſtware engineering towards cyber security, via a detour on a busy IT service desk. Troughout my career I’ve worked in startups and enterprise


companies across multiple industries, including Oil and Gas, Defence, Aviation, Manufacturing and the Charity sector, in roles varying from Sysadmin to Incident Response Lead and Security Architect. I firmly believe that every day is a school day, and if you stand still or stop learning, you too become legacy. I think that every experience and every role has helped me to get


to where I am now. Work-wise, sitting on a service desk honed my skills in fault-finding, improved my intuition and gave me a greater insight into business operations. Working at startups reinforced the importance of iterating solutions – perfect is the enemy of done. My time working on incident response highlighted just how fragile IT systems oſten are, and how risk management and acceptance need to improve across all sectors. Technical solutions without the human factor struggle to solve process and people problems, and effective


22 | September/October 2024


communication skills are critical to success. My current role as a security architect is both exciting and challenging. I’ve had to draw on my experience from all my previous roles to adapt to an ever- changing landscape. Whatever the industry or role, having an ‘out’


role model programme is so important for so many reasons. In my specific case, during the UKI LGBTQ+ history month kick-off, it was noted that our employee LGBTQ+ identification is below what we’d expect for a company of our size – the only way


to improve this is for people to be the change they want to see. People who identify as bisexual oſten ‘pass’ or appear apart from


the wider LGBTQ+ community, especially when dating a partner who presents as the opposite gender. As someone who doesn’t fit on either end of Te Kinsey Scale – which aims to show that sexuality isn’t a fixed state but a fluid one – if part of the community isn’t represented, then a small step to change that can go a long way to help others feel more welcome. While progress has certainly been made to mitigate the challenges


that LGBTQ+ people face on a daily basis, we cannot assume that progress is inevitable, and that it will continue. Groups who oppose LGBTQ+ rights are oſten well funded and politically connected – they should be taken seriously and challenged accordingly. Opponents of LGBTQ+ rights will attempt to divide the community and isolate it from other progressive causes to further their interests. We should maintain and sustain LGBTQ+ community outreach, providing support to groups under attack, vocally, visually, and for those who are able, financially. An attack on one, is an attack on all. Tere are some small steps that everyone can take to become


a better ally and help to make a difference; if you encounter inappropriate behaviours, be willing to challenge them, whether they happen in your personal or professional sphere. Make yourself visible and try to lead by example. Look for groups who are trying to make things better for the LGBTQ+ community and lend a hand where you can. We can’t take progress for granted; we must keep moving forward together.


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