Putting young people at the heart of your organisation: how Selfridges is breaking barriers in luxury retail
Selfridges’ Head of Recruitment and Onboarding Sharlene John joins us for a fireside chat to talk about how to drive inclusion with young people at the heart of your organisation. Demonstrating her passion for creating a diverse and inclusive environment at Selfridges, she will share how the luxury brand is cultivating a culture where all team members can thrive - from the shop floor and up - and what other brands can learn.
Sharlene John is Head of D,E&I, Recruitment and Onboarding at Selfridges, overseeing and leading the teams responsible for recruiting and onboarding across all departments and business functions in all four stores and setting the DE&I strategy for the business.
Sharlene joined Selfridges in 2021 as an award-winning business leader with over 20 years’ experience in HR and Recruitment and has been instrumental in making progress towards Selfridges’ goal of building an inclusive retail culture. Sharlene is focused on engaging and educating leadership and management teams, raising awareness around DE&I, inclusive hiring and HR best practices. Her work has supported closing the gender pay gap and has increased representation at different levels across the business.
As a recognised business leader within the industry, Sharlene was awarded a British Diversity Award in 2023 and has been recognised by Diversity in Retail as a Woman to Watch in Retail and a Retail Role Model. Her passion for D,E&I extends beyond the workplace and she is an actively involved in her community, supporting local authorities providing career advice to young people and mentoring women to promote empowerment and self-belief. As a woman of colour in business, Sharlene understands first-hand how critical representation is and has used her lived experience to educate and shape inclusive hiring strategies.
Kian is the Founder of The People and Author of Marketing for Social Change. The People is a Gen-Z consultancy powered by a global community of young changemakers. He is listed as one of the Top 50 Future Leaders by the Financial Times. Kian is also an Advisor to UN Climate Change and a TEDx speaker. He regularly writes about Gen-Z marketing and social impact for Forbes CMO Network. Kian is deeply passionate about using the power of creativity for good.