Inclusive leadership and accessibility: key takeaways from the first “DE&I Practitioners Club” meeting

17/ 02/ 2025

Listen to online Stop   On February 13, the first meeting of the “DE&I Practitioners Club” took place at the JTI Ukraine office, organized in partnership with the European Business Association and OLX Job. The event aimed to exchange experiences and practices on creating an inclusive culture within companies. The session was moderated by Olena Kior, People Lead at Mondelēz Ukraine, who emphasized that DE&I is no longer a requirement but a necessity in today’s world. She highlighted the importance of engaging employees in creating an accessible environment. Anna Tolmachova, HR Director at METRO Ukraine, shared the company’s DE&I practices, including a 2021 accessibility audit that helped identify key areas for improvement. “We created a physical accessibility map for employees and customers and developed our own accessibility concept, which includes inclusive leadership, barrier-free spaces, equal opportunities, fair treatment, and inclusive communication,” said Anna. She also shared interesting cases implemented under this concept, noting that accessibility is a comprehensive strategy that should be integrated into all societal processes. Anna Lakshanova, People and Culture Business Partner at JTI Ukraine and DE&I Ambassador, presented the topic of inclusive leadership with JTI’s example. Building an inclusive culture in a company is an ultramarathon that must start with the company leaders, as they are the ones who must become its ambassadors, she said. JTI Ukraine runs a local training programme based on real stereotypes examples, and all employees have access to a self-assessment tool for biases. Awareness of one’s biases and working with them is a key characteristic of an inclusive leader, which is why inclusive leadership is a focus of JTI Ukraines DE&I strategy. Lesia Polataiko, Partnership Director at AllTogetherJobs and CEO of Brainy recruitment agency, spoke about tools for self-assessing the level of inclusivity in companies. She stressed the importance of metrics such as workforce diversity, equality in compensation and benefits, turnover rates of underrepresented groups, and employee engagement in DE&I activities. According to Lesia, the most crucial element is the presence of a diversity strategy and its integration across all functions. Companies interested in assessing their inclusivity level can access this tool by reaching out to the AllTogetherJobs team. Nazar Bedii, Head of External Communications and Customer Care Supervisor at McDonalds, discussed DE&I approaches in a global company. He presented the development of accessibility initiatives within the corporation and noted that in 2025, McDonalds will not abandon these initiatives but will evolve them with a focus on advancing the culture of inclusivity. He also spoke about how DE&I policies are changing in Ukraine in response to the war’s demands: “We are now focused on three areas: veterans, people with disabilities, and all employees.” During the Q&A session, the speakers discussed how to communicate accessibility in companies just starting this journey, which stakeholders are involved in accessibility projects, and the role of HR, among other topics. The European Business Association thanks JTI Ukraine for its hospitality and all partners for their support in organizing the event. We hope that such meetings will contribute to the development of an inclusive culture in Ukrainian companies and raise awareness about the importance of DE&I practices.

On February 13, the first meeting of the “DE&I Practitioners Club” took place at the JTI Ukraine office, organized in partnership with the European Business Association and OLX Job. The event aimed to exchange experiences and practices on creating an inclusive culture within companies.

The session was moderated by Olena Kior, People Lead at Mondelēz Ukraine, who emphasized that DE&I is no longer a requirement but a necessity in today’s world. She highlighted the importance of engaging employees in creating an accessible environment.

Anna Tolmachova, HR Director at METRO Ukraine, shared the company’s DE&I practices, including a 2021 accessibility audit that helped identify key areas for improvement. “We created a physical accessibility map for employees and customers and developed our own accessibility concept, which includes inclusive leadership, barrier-free spaces, equal opportunities, fair treatment, and inclusive communication,” said Anna. She also shared interesting cases implemented under this concept, noting that accessibility is a comprehensive strategy that should be integrated into all societal processes.

Anna Lakshanova, People and Culture Business Partner at JTI Ukraine and DE&I Ambassador, presented the topic of inclusive leadership with JTI’s example. “Building an inclusive culture in a company is an ultramarathon that must start with the company leaders, as they are the ones who must become its ambassadors,” she said. JTI Ukraine runs a local training programme based on real stereotypes examples, and all employees have access to a self-assessment tool for biases. Awareness of one’s biases and working with them is a key characteristic of an inclusive leader, which is why inclusive leadership is a focus of JTI Ukraine’s DE&I strategy.

Lesia Polataiko, Partnership Director at AllTogetherJobs and CEO of Brainy recruitment agency, spoke about tools for self-assessing the level of inclusivity in companies. She stressed the importance of metrics such as workforce diversity, equality in compensation and benefits, turnover rates of underrepresented groups, and employee engagement in DE&I activities. According to Lesia, the most crucial element is the presence of a diversity strategy and its integration across all functions. Companies interested in assessing their inclusivity level can access this tool by reaching out to the AllTogetherJobs team.

Nazar Bedii, Head of External Communications and Customer Care Supervisor at McDonald’s, discussed DE&I approaches in a global company. He presented the development of accessibility initiatives within the corporation and noted that in 2025, McDonald’s will not abandon these initiatives but will evolve them with a focus on advancing the culture of inclusivity. He also spoke about how DE&I policies are changing in Ukraine in response to the war’s demands: “We are now focused on three areas: veterans, people with disabilities, and all employees.”

During the Q&A session, the speakers discussed how to communicate accessibility in companies just starting this journey, which stakeholders are involved in accessibility projects, and the role of HR, among other topics.

The European Business Association thanks JTI Ukraine for its hospitality and all partners for their support in organizing the event. We hope that such meetings will contribute to the development of an inclusive culture in Ukrainian companies and raise awareness about the importance of DE&I practices.