This year's Annual Diversity Lecture will be given by Dianah Worman, Public Policy Adviser on Diversity for the CIPD.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is the leading professional body in the UK focusing on people management and development. Dianah directs the Institute's diversity research programme and leads the development of good practice guidance on diversity to support employers in making progress in this area. She also leads the Institute's public policy work on diversity, helping to shape governmental policy and legal provisions such as the Equality Act 2010.

In her role Dianah has driven a range of research on diversity and inclusion issues including tackling discrimination on the basis of age and disability, issues related to equal pay, harassment and bullying, as well as race, work–life balance and employing people with criminal records.

She was awarded an OBE for her services to diversity in the Queen’s Birthday honours list in 2006.

The Annual Diversity Lecture, established in 2005, forms part of Imperial College London's commitment to promoting a culture of diversity and increasing knowledge, awareness and understanding of diversity issues. In her lecture, Dianah will discuss managing an age diverse workforce.

Dianah took some time to answer questions ahead of the lecture:

What progress would you say has been made in the area of diversity over the course of your career?

There is much wider protection now in terms of the law than there was 25-30 years ago – but there is still lots of work to do. We have succeeded in shifting the agenda, and we have moved forward, but it is important to remember that there is no endpoint.

What are the challenges of working in diversity?

It’s a bit like pushing jelly up a hill, because you’re constantly challenging the status quo. It’s about managing change and getting people to think about doing things differently. Part of the challenge is how to make the philosophy relevant to a particular institution. You need to enable institutions to benefit, but also individual people to do so as well.

You have worked with government quite a bit over the course of your career. What kinds of projects have you been involved with?

I have worked with government on a range of projects, including women on boards, employing ex-offenders, and flexible working provisions. I advise government on what they need to take into account when providing the infrastructure to enable change – and profiling the outcomes that might develop as a result of this change.

What would you say to someone who felt that diversity wasn’t relevant to them?

It’s an enormously interesting area, it covers everything really. And it’s an issue that involves everyone – you shouldn’t see it as someone else’s responsibility.

And finally, what advice would you give to ordinary employees?

Get going, keep going, and don’t give up.