EDA - European Diversity Awards

The European Diversity Awards recognise and celebrate those organisations and individuals that have shown innovation, creativity and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion during 2014.

The awards recognise excellence in the areas of gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, race, culture and religion across Europe.

The EDAs are unique in recognising all aspects of diversity across the whole of Europe and celebrate the best across both the corporate and campaigning aspects of diversity. The awards are a key date in the diversity calendar in Europe and are widely acknowledged as the “Oscars of diversity”.

Some of the Judges

Anthony Watson, President and Chief Operating Officer - BitReserve (Head Judge)

Anthony Watson is a leading British business and technology executive. He is the President & Chief Operating Officer of BitReserve; the worlds first cloud based financial service that allows anyone to pay, transfer, hold or exchange any type of currency or commodity without the need and cost of a traditional bank or transaction intermediary. BitReserve is completely free, instant and transparent.

Before joining BitReserve, Watson was the Global Chief Information Officer of Nike, Inc. where, as a member of Nike’s executive committee, he had company-wide strategic and operational responsibility for leading and delivering technology for the world’s largest sportswear and sports apparel brand. Prior to Nike, Inc., Watson was Managing Director & Chief Information Officer of Europe Middle East Retail & Business Banking and of Global Operations at Barclays Bank PLC. Previously he was Senior Vice President & Global Head of Technology Services for Wells Fargo & Co, where he led the technology division of the bank across 44 countries. Watson has also worked for Microsoft and First-e Bancorp, Europe’s first Internet bank.

In addition to serving as a member of the National Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit Committee of GLAAD, Watson is an Independent Non-Executive Director, Member of the Board and Chair of the Audit Committee of Digital Global Services, a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange. He is also a Patron of Diversity Role Models, the LGBT education and anti-homophobic bullying charity based in the United Kingdom and Chair & Head Judge of the European Diversity Awards, Europe’s largest awards ceremony, which recognizes and celebrates individuals, organizations and companies from across Europe, that make a difference in the field of diversity and inclusion.

In October 2014, Watson was placed 19th in Fortune Magazine’s “40 under 40” which lists the world’s 40 most powerful C-Suite executives under 40. In the same month, in the Financial Times, Watson was ranked as the 4th most influential LGBT business leader in the world. In July 2014, In the World Pride Power list published by the United Kingdom’s Guardian Newspaper, Watson was voted in a readers poll as the 9th most influential LGBT person in the world.

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, OBE

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, OBE was born in Jamaica and travelled to the UK at an early age. Baroness Lawrence completed an Access course as a mature student, a starting point to embark on a BA Hon Humanities degree. Stephen, Baroness Lawrence’s first son was murdered in the first year (1993) of her course and she was left with no choice whilst still studying, to challenge the justice system and the police because of their racist behaviour against her family.

Baroness Lawrence successfully completed her degree in 1995.

After enduring the initial bungled investigation, the acquittal of suspects, the Macpherson Report’s findings of institutional racism and its conclusion that ‘Stephen Lawrence’s murder was simply, solely and unequivocally motivated by racism’, a measure of justice was achieved with the conviction of two suspects of Stephen’s murder in January 2012.

Baroness Lawrence is currently the Director of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. A Charity she set up in 1998 to give bursaries to young people who want to study architecture because her son Stephen aspired and worked towards being an Architect. The Stephen Lawrence Centre built in Stephen’s memory is situated in Deptford in the London Borough of Lewisham and provides a broader range of the professional and vocational skills that help shape our environment.

Baroness Lawrence was appointed OBE for services to community relations in 2003 and received a life peerage in 2013, taking office in the House of Lords as a Labour Peer in October 2013. Baroness Lawrence OBE was admitted as an Honorary Freewoman of the London Borough of Lewisham on 14th March 2014 in recognition of her work in seeking justice for her son, Stephen and creating a positive and dynamic legacy in his honour through the setting up of the Stephen Lawrence Centre and Charitable Trust.

Blondel Cluff, Chief Executive, West India Committee 

Mrs Blondel Cluff is currently the Chief Executive of the West India Committee, a UK registered charity incorporated by Royal Charter and founded in 1735. The object of this NGO is the promotion of agriculture, manufacturing, trade and industry in and with the Caribbean, Belize and Guyana to improve the general welfare of the peoples of the region and its global diaspora. Her work includes the development of Cultural tourism as a means of protecting and disseminating the heritage of the region.

Blondel is a Fellow of King’s College London and served on the College Council for nine years and remains on the College’s Investment Sub-Committee. She also served on the Development Committee of the National Arts Collection Fund for several years. She is currently a Governor of the Museum of London, representing the Mayor of London, and a non-executive Director of Cluff Geothermal Energy.

She is a solicitor with over 18 years experience in the City where she was recognised as one of the leading experts in Stock Exchange Money Broking. In that capacity, she wrote the industry standard documentation that was adopted globally, as well as working with the London Stock Exchange and Bank of England to devise the regulatory framework that would govern the market. She also worked with the Inland Revenue to introduce Statutory Instrument 1299 by which the market would be taxed.

Whilst at Lazard Brothers & Co., Limited she established the first in-house legal department, still in practice today, and became an Assistant Director to the main board at the age of 28. In conjunction with her legal career, Blondel became a successful jewellery designer, with many pieces in various Royal collections.

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