Ethnically Diverse Network

British Airways’ Ethnically Diverse Network (EDEN) was set up in June 2010. Since then its membership levels have increased to over 200, reflecting the many different ethnicities represented amongst colleagues and customers.

Manmeet Marwah, an active member on EDEN’s comittee, tells us more:

“I wanted to be involved with EDEN as I wanted to be part of making a difference, working in a collaborative style to ensure British Airways continues to be a great place to work.

I do this role alongside my day job in our Information Technology department. My main responsibility is to raise diversity awareness through the organisation of events. Since we started our journey we have organised numerous events, supporting both ethnic minorities in our business during events such as Diwali and Black History Month, but equally celebrating our differences during St George’s Day. All events were a great success and I look forward to helping to plan and deliver future celebrations. I also organise events that aim to allow EDEN members to learn from one another.

EDEN is not just about ethnic minorities – it’s about recognising and celebrating that we all come from different backgrounds, with varying levels of knowledge and experience in a number of areas. Most importantly it’s about understanding that we are all unique individuals.

Aside from personal and professional development opportunities for our colleagues, we aim to become a centre of expertise to provide advice to business areas and serve as a source of competitive advantage to the company. For example, when British Airways is considering flying to new destinations, they can consult the group about target population, local customs and culture amongst other subjects. It helps the business provide an understanding of their customer base and potential issues and limitations before developing a product.”