The Great British Diversity Experiment has begun

Monday evening saw hundreds gather at Google HQ for the launch of The Great British Diversity Experiment.

The GBDE seeks to prove that diversity leads to better solutions, experience and ultimately a better world. Participants formed by diverse individuals according to gender, ethnicity, age and socio-economic backgrounds attended the event.

Karen Blackett, chairwoman of Mediacom “this is the most diverse room I’ve ever been in” #diversityexperiment

— Jess Goodfellow (@goodflo) January 11, 2016

Speakers for the evening spoke on creativity and the importance of diversity, and included Eileen Naughton, Managing Director, Google UK & Ireland, Miranda Brawn, Vice-Chair, Black Cultural Archive, Scott Knox, MD, MAA and Karen Blackett, Chairwoman, Mediacom. Nadya Powell, co-founder, GBDE and managing director, Sunshine said: “The purpose of The Great British Diversity Experiment is to prove diversity works and give companies the confidence to improve the diversity of their people across all levels.  The creation of diverse teams we hope will work in three ways – it will be better for society as all participants are exposed to different cultures, experiences and perspectives.  It will be better for business as a collective of truly diverse people will lead to solutions that are original and empathetic to our eclectic society.  And the combination of both of these leads to a better world.  This is a very bold ambition – but whats the point of trying to do anything else?” Following talks, teams were introduced to the challenge set by Tesco and BBH London. The brief: How to help Tesco customers reduce the amount of food that they waste? 

The brief for the teams at #diversityexperiment @TheGBDE: what would you do help @Tesco to reduce food waste? pic.twitter.com/Oxa91cIK3V — MediaComUK (@MediaComUK) January 11, 2016

40 mentors from across the industry were there to support 17 teams of volunteers taking part in the experiment, and will help mentor groups in tackling the brief, hopefully proving that diverse groups will lead to more diverse thinking and better creative outputs.

The experiment comes to an end on the 15 February, with the team who came up with the best answer to the brief set to be announced 24 February. The initial findings will be announced at SXSW and the full findings of the experiment will be announced on the 28 April.

The Great British Diversity Challenge is lead by founders Nadya Powell (managing director, Sunshine & BIMA executive), Daniele Fiandaca (co-founder, Creative Social), Alex Goat (managing director, Livity), Jonathan Akwue (the new chief executive at Lost Boys), Laura Jordan-Bambach (creative partner, Mr President).

Follow @TheGBDE and #DiversityExperiment to keep up to date.