Lecture to focus on equality and diversity

Katrina Marshall is a writer and journalist and a founding member of the Public Relations and Community Association’s race and ethnicity equity board and a frequent conference speaker on diversity, equality and inclusion.

During her lecture, she will be discussing the common wealth of a diverse public relations industry and why it is a fool’s errand to think the personal can be separated from the professional when it comes to tackling the subconscious bias that is often at the root of the discrimination faced by black and other ethnic minority groups in public relations.

She will attempt to demonstrate why addressing personal sub-conscious bias is where the work must start, which, while uncomfortable, is one of the steps to creating sustainable change.

Professor Clare Schofield, director of the business school, said: “As Birmingham prepares to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the guiding ethos of this grouping of countries is about the universality of world class sport as a great leveller.

“But as those who work in the communications industry know only too well, the cosmetic window dressing of shoving disparate cultural groups under a single heading in the colours of the rainbow actually does more harm than good.

“It assumes that similar protected characteristics mean personal experiences are monolithic. Which is not the case.

“We’re really pleased to be welcoming Katrina Marshall to our annual CIPR lecture to speak on such a vital topic.”

Free spaces for the event that takes place between 6 pm and 7 pm are bookable via Eventbrite.