22nd May 2023

Celebrating Multicultural Inclusion Month

Image of many people from different ethnicities celebrating multicultural inclusion month

Multicultural Inclusion Month is a celebration of heritage and an appreciation of the role culture plays in producing a more diverse representation of people and perspectives.

Throughout May, our Multicultural Inclusion Network (MIN) provided content showcasing different cultural traditions and stories from our colleagues from all around the world, putting a spotlight on various individuals across the network, inspiring us with stories from their ethnic backgrounds. Plus, at the end of each week, they hosted fun knowledge quizzes to test everyone’s knowledge!

The content allowed our people to think about how we can begin to relate to our colleagues that have varied experiences to us and show them that their differences are valued and embraced.

In this article, we wanted to shine a light on some of our incredible people to showcase their involvement in the network and what celebrating MIN month means to them.

Jas from MIN Network smiling
Jasvir Tamani
FP&A Finance Partner

Tell us about yourself...

I am of an Indian heritage following the religion of Sikhism. I love all things about my heritage from the cooking, dressing up, to learning about the history of how we were born as a faith. I love doing all these things not only with my husband but our extended family as well! I have been lucky enough to travel back to my fathers home town in Punjab India and see where he was born, the school he went to and his first family home. Being able to travel back to India with my family and with my grandfather - who is no longer with us - was such a happy occasion and he was so proud to show us where my dad grew up and the life he had provided for my dad and his siblings. This sense of ‘being proud’ has stuck with me through life growing up and has resonated with me being proud of my heritage and culture, something I will most definitely be passing on to my own family.

What is your role in the MIN network?

I'm currently working within the Total Vodafone Business FP&A team and am really enjoying being the communications lead for the Multi Cultural Inclusion Network here in the UK. My main role in the network is to promote and educate our members on a number of different cultural and diversity days throughout the year as well as promoting any in person events/online webinars we have coming up as a group.

What does MIN month mean to you?

MIN month for me is the perfect time to come together and celebrate all the different cultures within the business, engaging with our members and getting to know them a little more by the stories and videos they are sharing. It’s been great not only engaging with our members on a one to one basis but also getting to know them and their life more when receiving these stories/videos.

A photo of Mia our GB Business Industrial Placement smiling
Mia McLaughlin
GB – Business Industrial Placement

I was born in Kent, and I am half English, half Irish (with my Irish roots coming from my Dad’s side of the family). I’m an industrial placement student this year at Vodafone, and have really enjoyed helping out with various aspects of the Multicultural Inclusion Network. One of the main projects I took a large role in was planning MIN Month in May, which involved sharing stories and recipes from members of our network. This has provided a great opportunity to celebrate different cultures within the organisation, and it’s great to see that so many colleagues have enjoyed the posts and videos we have shared each week.

A photo of a woman smiling
Bina Patel
Billing Relationship Lead

Tell us about yourself...

I was born in North London and then moved to Northamptonshire and went to University in Leicester. My parents are both Indian - my Dad was born in Tanzania and Mum in India. I am married with two children; son aged 8 and daughter aged 10 and we live in Essex. I love planning events, going to new places and countries and have a passion of cooking.

What is your role in the MIN network?

I am responsible for our SharePoint, Comms and Events - and work with other colleagues to bring everything together. 

What does MIN month mean to you?

MIN month is a chance to see and celebrate the uniqueness that everyone brings to Vodafone.

A woman in a truck on a safari with giraffes in the background
Divya Sandhu
Financial Crime Manager

Tell us about yourself...

Hi, I’m Divya, I have worked at Vodafone UK for almost 3 years in the Legal Security and Compliance team. Whilst working at Vodafone, I was selected to complete a cross-organisational cohort for Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority employees in the work place last year with Business in the Community (BITC), where I got to network with individuals from other companies and learn how to drive a cultural change in the business.

I am of Indian (Punjabi) heritage and my family are from Kenya, and so we have grown up with East African and Indian influences. Here is a picture of me in Safari in 2018, this trip was special to me as we got to visit my dad’s birth place and learn about my families time in Kenya. Growing up with a mixed heritage has been amazing as it has opened my eyes to two cultures that have merged together in such a lovely way. I was lucky enough to live with my grandparents and used to love hearing their stories, they taught me how to make traditional Indian food and taught me Punjabi. I recently had a big fat Indian wedding at Royal Ascot and fully embraced my Punjabi culture by having a week full of pre-wedding party events!

What is your role in the MIN network?

I have recently become an events lead for the Multi-Inclusion network to help drive the diversity and inclusion agenda. In addition to this, I am a qualified Mental Health First Aider and I am a mental health advocate for Vodafone’s Wellbeing Network. I will be focusing on organising and hosting events to really help make that change and raise awareness to become the most diverse and inclusive place to work.

What does MIN month mean to you?

The Multi-Inclusion network and MIN month for me is about bringing people together, making people from all backgrounds and with all interests feel like they are in a safe home. It has been great in raising awareness by having some wonderful stories, recipes and experiences shared from employees from around the world. The MIN network developed a cooking book last year and all of the new short recipes will be shared in the updated version (I can’t wait to try these!).

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Working with our employee networks and internal teams, we’re creating a workplace where people of all backgrounds and cultures can be themselves and achieve their best. Make your next career step with Vodafone by searching our roles below.

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