Real Talk: Belonging Beyond Boundaries

Join us for an honest and authentic conversation which is a part of our event series ‘Real Talk,’ brought to you by a partnership between Diversify and The Conduit.

In this session, our speakers, Chisom Udeze, Founder of Diversify, and Astrid Sundberg, Director of Impact Partnerships at The Conduit, will explore what it means to truly belong, with a focus on bridging across differences. We will delve into the importance of vulnerability, courage, honesty and empathy in cultivating a sense of belonging.

This event will explore crucial questions: What does it take to cultivate a sense of belonging, and how does this resonate within individuals and organizations? How can we approach belonging with bravery, empathy, vulnerability, honesty and truth? How can we hold space and show grace for people with differing opinions?

While acknowledging that a deep sense of belonging is often achieved through connections to a community or place of work, we’ll discuss how it is also strongly rooted in shared missions, ownership, and outcomes. Join us for ‘Real Talk’ as we explore belonging and its vital role in how we behave, thrive, and co-exist.

The agenda for the session:

Welcome by Diversify & The Conduit
Fireside Chat with Chisom Udeze, Founder of Diversify and Astrid Sundberg, Director of Impact Partnerships at The Conduit.
A Roundtable discussion that will explore what it truly means to belong to each of our speakers. We will also invite the audience to share their insights. Speakers include:

• Melanie Coffee, VP of PR and Communications at Crayon,
• Astrid Sundberg, Director of Impact Partnerships at The Conduit,
• Gabriella Bossman, Founder & Host, Daughter of Guests & Senior Operations Analyst at 3Degrees Group,
• Iva Ogrizovic, Director at Diversify,
• Anna Schafer, Executive Assistant & Oslo DEI Officer at Boston Consulting Group, and
• Antony Hutchings Director of Organizational Development, Global Regions at NOV
• Moderator Chisom Udeze, Founder of Diversify.

Q&A
Networking & Closing

This event will be held at The Conduit Oslo: Kristian Augusts gate 21, 0164 Oslo

RSVP HERE to join!

Meet Our Speakers: 

Chisom Udeze (She/Her)

 A seasoned Economist and three-time founder, brings over 14 years of leadership experience, driving organizational change and sustainable impact. With a global perspective from working in seven countries across three continents, she excels in uncertain environments. Collaborating with entities like the European Commission and The United Nations, she is adept at building relationships with diverse stakeholders. As the founder of Diversify and Diversify Consult, she spearheads the development of sustainable Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) strategies for companies, governments, and civil society. Notably, Diversify launched the Diversify Nordics Summit in 2022, a significant conference advancing DEIB in the Nordics. Chisom’s commitment to inclusivity extends to HerSpace, a co-creation community, and HerTech, a Women in Tech incubator launched in 2022, prioritizing diversity in leadership. A thought leader in DEIB and advocate for mental health, her writings on these topics, featured in Forbes, underscore her influence.

Astrid Sundberg (She/Her)

Astrid Sundberg is Director of Impact Partnerships at The Conduit in Oslo.
The Conduit is a community of people passionate about social change. Their mission is to unite a global collaborative community to accelerate solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. The Conduit creates a space where the impact of collaboration, the brilliance of diverse minds and a shared vision for social transformation convene. It takes place within a dedicated space where groundbreaking ideas can bloom and partnerships thrive, leading to transformative social impact.

She is a future-focused Leader and change champion, who specialises in Leadership within the startup and scale-up space. She has a long track record for driving organizational change and transformation, while building teams through local and global partnerships. With a fervent belief in Diverse and Inclusive Leadership, Astrid’s led a number of high-impact change initiatives and campaigns, working in a highly collaborative capacity across the Tech, Consultancy, Sustainability and STEM sectors. She recently led a high-impact programme for 1,000 global employees at online food retailer Oda. In 2022, she was recognised for outstanding commitment to the Norwegian Diversity and Inclusion field, with a BLAZE Trailblazer Award.

Astrid gives her spare time to providing workshops, advisory, mentoring, and mental health advocacy with a particular emphasis on amplifying the inclusion of Women in Tech, Women from Immigrant Communities as well as mentoring women who have survived gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence. She is also a regular speaker, facilitator, and moderator, supporting several associations and organizations in the Nordics as well as a Board Advisor at Humans for Humans, a non-profit organization contributing to the awareness and eradication of human trafficking and modern slavery.

Melanie Coffee (She/Her)

Melanie Coffee is the VP of PR and Communications at Crayon. She is focused on sharing the best stories to bring awareness to a cause, business or product.

She is an award-winning journalist with 20 years of editorial and journalistic planning, content development and management experience across both traditional and digital media platforms. She is currently the VP of PR and Communications at Crayon, an innovation and IT services company that focuses on the power of technology to drive the greater good.

She’s passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion and is a Certified Scrum Master.

Gabriella Bossman (She/Her)
Gabriella is the Founder & Host, Daughter of Guests, and Senior Operations Analyst at 3Degrees Group. She is a strategic thinker who takes a people centred approach to problem solving and solution design in transformational delivery. With experience in the public, private and third sector respectively, she has held programme and leadership roles internationally, placing people and authentic relationships at the centre.

Gabriella is driven by seeing people and programmes, especially those with evident potential and planned benefits to society, achieving their goals. Gabriella has worked towards this both in her professional career but also as a mentor for many young people, a trustee on various charitable boards and as a host and speaker at international events. She is committed to being an active contributor and change agent in any community she is in and strives towards creating curious and inclusive teams. Gabriella is a start up leader in sustainable fashion, building a product to change the way we shop online!

Iva Ogrizovic (She/Her)

Iva Ogrizovic is the Director at Diversify and People & Culture Partner at Diversify Consult. At Diversify Consult, Iva focuses on developing and implementing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) strategies and co-designs and delivers DEIB training and development programs. She is also the Program Director for Diversify’s non-profit arm, where she co-creates and manages many of its initiatives including, but not limited to, The Blaze Inclusion Award, The Annual Gala, various Mentorship Programs and Entrepreneurial Incubators and Accelerators. With a Master’s in Philosophy and Comparative Literature, Iva’s background includes cultural event management, theater, and TV production. She is passionate about professional and personal development as well as empowering people to realize and use their potential for positive life changes.

Anna Schafer (She/Her)

Anna Schafer leads the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) efforts at the Oslo office of Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Her approach to DE&I is shaped by a background in teaching, equipping her with the skills to communicate inclusively and effectively. She’s played a crucial role in developing a comprehensive DE&I strategy across the Nordic region and has successfully driven up employee satisfaction and a feeling of safety at work.

Anna’s commitment to fostering inclusive environments is deeply personal, informed by her own experiences of moving from country to country as a child. These transitions have endowed her with a profound empathy for the feeling of being an outsider, of not belonging. Yet, with resilience and determination, Anna has successfully built her own networks and communities in each new place she has called home, demonstrating her natural ability to connect with people from all walks of life and her unwavering commitment to creating spaces where everyone feels welcome and valued.

Antony Hutchings (He/Him)

Antony Hutchings holds the position of Director of Organizational Development, Global Regions at NOV. In 2003, Antony has a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Industrial Relations and Workplace Law at the University of Western Australia. Following graduation, Antony worked in a number of industries before moving to Norway in 2013. Antony joined NOV in 2014, now calling Oslo his home. Antony is a certified coach in a number of leaderships assessments and holds a certificate of Organizational Development. He is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion, having completed the Energy Workforce and Technology Council’s I&D Champion Program in 2021 and strives to build inclusive leaders through his work at NOV alongside his team.