SUCCESS THAT’S ACCESSIBLE

Want to progress within ARL? Then a good first step is to become the “CEO of your own career”.

That’s the advice of careers experts who are working with Arriva Rail London to help colleagues across the business make the most of opportunities to progress.

It was seeing her own mum’s dedication that inspired Winnie Annan-Forson’s passion for helping people and her ambition to support them through their careers.

“My mum worked really hard running a business,” says Winnie. “That was her way to give us a better education, so that we could achieve what we wanted. She sacrificed a lot so that we could have that. I want to see a world where no one feels that they have to make certain sacrifices when the tools to build a career and succeed at whatever they do are at their fingertips.”

Winnie and her co-founder Bukola Bayo-Yusuf established the company Excellerate after discovering a shared desire to help people progress. They work with organisations like ARL to help talented people, particularly from black Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds excel in and accelerate their careers.

“We were colleagues at a financial services company, and had a lot in common,” recalls Winnie. “We are both women from West Africa who came to the UK in our teens, and both had to navigate similar systemic barriers to career progression. We shared a sheer grit and willingness to do everything we could to succeed, but recognised that without the mentors, sponsors and peer network that we had we wouldn’t have got where we were. We wanted to bottle that and provide those same opportunities to others through Excellerate.”

Six-step journey

Despite continuing to be one of the UK’s most diverse employers, recent colleague surveys show that within ARL, there is still a disproportionately low number of black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues progressing to senior positions.

It’s an issue across the whole of UK, and something ARL has been looking to address for some time through its recruitment, training and development.

That’s where Excellerate is helping, providing around 500 ARL colleagues with a career accelerator programme – a six-step development journey including virtual events, workshops, training, advice and support. It also includes access to monthly Scale Up events with guest speakers – ethnically diverse professionals at the top of their game.

Excellerate is also running sessions for HR and hiring managers on how to be more inclusive and promote ethnically diverse talent. 

“A lot of it is about developing soft skills,” explains Winnie. “How to network and speak effectively but also how to think differently about the way you approach your career and take more ownership.

“The first module on the programme is about being the CEO of your career. How you can be the person in charge, the driver and the biggest cheerleader for you, and be clear about the support you need from others to achieve your goals!

“Don’t just assume someone will tap you on the shoulder to offer you an opportunity. But if they do, make sure you are ready to take it.”  

Break the cycle

One of the issues particularly affecting colleagues from ethnically diverse backgrounds, says Winnie, is a lack of sponsorship. A sponsor is someone in an organisation who will speak about your skills and ability with colleagues at a higher level.

“It’s one of the biggest factors in career progression yet only a small percentage of black, Asian and ethnically diverse colleagues benefit from this kind of sponsorship in their career,” she adds. 

“Unconscious bias is another big issue in all industries. People gravitate towards people who look like them. We work with individuals and organisations to try and break that cycle.”

The Excellerate programme is just one of the many activities ARL has in place to address the imbalance.   

“Our ultimate aim is to see more black and minority ethnic colleagues in senior positions in the company,” says Elizabeth Umoke, head of revenue protection and security and ARL’s equality diversity and inclusion steering group lead.

“In the shorter term we want colleagues to feel they are prepared to take opportunities when they arise and feel confident that their managers are giving them opportunities to progress.”

For Winnie, the satisfaction will also come from seeing more ARL colleagues given an opportunity to shine: “The theme for Black History Month this year was Time for Change: Actions Not Words. There have been so many words to this date, I would love to see that pivot into action – and I think that’s where we are now. At Excellerate we look through the lens of ethnic diversity because there is a specific need to address this, but these career tools are great for everyone!

“Helping people is what we’re passionate about. We want people to know that success is accessible.”