20
DIVERSITY
RAILSTAFF MAY - JUNE 2022
EXPERT
COMMENTAR
PAUL McGUNNIGLE-WHITE, TREASURY MANAGER AN
P
aul McGunnigle-White is an experienced finance manager and team builder, with a passion for diversity and inclusion. He is a driving member of the EDI group at Trenitalia c2c and represents the company on the RIA / WR EDI Charter working group. RailStaff caught up with Paul to talk about the broad subject of diversity and inclusion, his experience working in the rail industry, and his vision of EDI for the future. Hi Paul, thanks for joining us. To begin could you give me a brief overview of your work at Trenatalia c2c and what led you to join the company’s EDI committee? I’ve worked in finance for about 20 years now, but only joined the rail industry in 2017 when I became treasury manager at Trentitalia c2c. I manage all bank accounts and payment related company relationships for c2c and Trenitalia UK Limited. I also manage the Station Accounts functions and my job as treasury manager, can sometimes be very demanding. One of the main reasons I wanted to be a part of the EDI committee, is because I wanted to be active in trying to make a more inclusive workforce. For me, as a gay man, I sometimes still get looks of RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
disapproval if, for example, I’m out in public holding hands with my husband, and it makes you feel so unwelcome. There are still places pubs and bars for example - where I can walk in and instantly feel ‘this isn’t the right place for me’. When the Black Lives Matter movement became big news, there was a lot of talk here at c2c, asking whether we were doing enough to support people of colour. Were we making our staff’s voices heard? I remember that really lit a fire underneath me and I was really encouraged by the company to pursue my passion for diversity and inclusion. At times it’s a juggling act between my role as treasury manager and my EDI commitments, but I've been given the freedom and autonomy to work on projects for the EDI group and I'm really proud to work for c2c because of the company's commitment to this area.
What does EDI mean to you? For me, EDI means being able to be proud of who you are. And not only being proud of it but showing it too. You often find that when people are not at work, when they're with their friends and their family, they may be a completely different person to the one they portray around their colleagues. I feel like EDI lets people be exactly the same person inside and outside of work. It’s about celebrating ourselves, celebrating the differences between people and different cultures, and learning from one another. It makes us all better people if we open ourselves up and share our experiences. It makes life much richer.
What does a good EDI strategy include and what makes an inclusive employer? I think it's important to constantly look at your staff and the people who represent your company, it's about empowering them, making sure they have a voice, and feel that they’re listened to. You need to look at the makeup of your workforce. Is it diverse? If not, how do you change that? If you have EDI initiatives in place, are they having a positive impact?
