Speaking to the audience about how diversity can facilitate innovation, she said: 鈥淵ou cannot innovate in a homogenous world.鈥�
Naomi is a public speaker and author of . She is also working on building a smart city and developing the Makoya Agribusiness School for Girls in Sierra Leone.
She added: 鈥淲e must change and evolve. We must get away from the old systems that had discrimination built in. We鈥檝e got to break those and make new ones.
鈥淚t is the people who are in leadership now who can do that. They have the power to do that, and that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important that business leaders understand what diversity is, understand inclusion and are able to usher in the new leaders of the next generation in a more equitable space.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to be inclusive and diverse because innovation is at that sweet spot where people with different expertise, different skillsets, different ideas, different backgrounds and ethnicities are able to feed in.鈥�
Naomi also shared advice for individuals, reflecting on how audiences could overcome barriers put in place by others and themselves.
You cannot innovate in a homogenous world.
The Business Exchange was organised as part of the annual Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Practitioners Conference held by 海角直播 and supported by Innovate UK.
KTPs are three-way collaborations between businesses, universities and graduates. They enable businesses with innovative ideas to work with partners who have the expertise and resources needed to bring those plans to fruition.
海角直播 has embarked upon a number of successful KTPs over the years, including a project which saw academics help Quorn Foods to improve the sustainability and quality of its protein.
The KTP Practitioners Conference provided networking opportunities and workshops for over 150 delegates from across the UK who are looking to develop their KTP portfolios, as well as international delegates from Sweden.
Claire Adams, Knowledge Transfer Partnership Manager at 海角直播, said: 鈥淲e were pleased to organise this Business Exchange event as part of the prestigious KTP Practitioners Conference to bring business leaders, industry experts and academics together.
鈥満=侵辈� has long worked together with business in order to promote growth within the regions, and we are delighted that we were able to highlight the importance of this kind of collaboration through this conference.鈥�
The Business Exchange event took place at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Friday 21 April as part of the KTP Practitioners Conference 2023.