'We pride our values of bravery and kindness': Northern Ireland lawyer and Belfast partner appointed global DEI chair
Paul Gillen has been announced as the new chair of diversity, equity and inclusion for Lewis Silkin covering Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Hong Kong
A partner in British law firm’s Belfast office has been announced as the new chair of diversity, equity and inclusion for the firm covering Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Hong Kong.
Paul Gillen is a partner in the Employment team in Lewis Silkin’s Belfast office.
Having spent over 12 years in HR management and now over 15 years as an employment lawyer, Paul has developed a real passion for DE&I, both in terms of a key business strategy but also to ensure that businesses create a welcoming culture of inclusion, where each and every person can be their true self at work.
Looking forward to building on the DE&I successes at Lewis Silkin, Paul Gillen said: “We are at a point where DE&I has come into sharp focus globally, and as chair of DE&I for Lewis Silkin I am committed to ensuring that DE&I remains central to the development and success of businesses and is showing care and compassion for all employees and will continue to work with businesses in Northern Ireland to achieve true equity and inclusion.”
He continued: “Lewis Silkin has experienced significant growth over the past five years but it testament to a strong culture that we have not lost our identity along the way. We pride our values of bravery and kindness, which epitomise who we are.
"Key to this is our people and our approach to DE&I ensures that each and every person is valued for what they uniquely bring to our team and can shine by being them.”
Paul has just completed a three-year term as DE&I Ambassador for the Institute of Directors in Northern Ireland and has been involved with many DE&I initiatives, including working alongside Working with Pride, and Lawyers for Pride.
“One of my proudest achievements so far has been in my role within Businesses for Love Equality in advocating for equal marriage in Northern Ireland,” Mr Gillen added.
“I have been really impressed at the value that NI businesses put on DE&I and the initiatives being undertaken to make organisations truly inclusive, and I look forward to developing this even further.”