Britain should ‘continue to do what's right' on diversity, says Microsoft executive

Telegraph

26-03-2025

Pamela Maynard won the Black British Business Person of the Year award last year. She has gone on to become Microsoft's Chief AI Transformation Officer, having worked at a range of tech and consultancy groups from Oracle to EY.
Nominations are open for the 12th year of the awards. You can submit yours here.
How did you end up in the technology industry?
There was an expectation coming from a West Indian family that I would become something professional like a lawyer, a doctor or an accountant. I was set to go down the path of doing a law degree at Leeds University
Then, just as I finished my A-Levels, I walked into the house and I remember having a conversation with my mum. She said: 'Why do you look so glum?'
And I said: 'Because I'm not really sure what I want to do. I hope I'm not going to disappoint you by saying I don't want to do law. What I actually enjoy is business studies'. I'd done business studies as an A-Level. And she said: 'Follow your instinct.'
My career has been characterised by not always knowing where I am going to end up, following my instinct and using mentors to help me to navigate some of those tougher decisions. I think about my mum as being one of my greatest mentors.
What has inspired you in your career?
My parents were of the Windrush generation. They came to the UK in the Sixties, which was a big change. They were both from Barbados.
They actually met in London. My dad was a teenager, my mum was in her early 20s. They both had that courage to continue to push forward, to go into situations where you don't really know what the outcome is going to be.
They instilled that courage in us - I'm one of three siblings - and my passion comes from them.
What progress has been made with representation of Black professionals?
In the latest Parker Review report [a Government-commissioned study of representation on boards of directors] we now see 95pc of FTSE 100 boards with an ethnic minority board member. And so there is progress.
But one of the challenges that I see is that when you look at the senior manager layer, there's still only 1.2pc of those who are Black.
Is the UK seeing the same backlash against initiatives to boost representation as in the US?
I've been asking that question recently of peers: are we seeing the same impact in the UK as in the US? I would definitely say there's a nervousness. But what people are saying to me is that they're not yet seeing the same sort of actions being taken as in the US.
I think it's really important in the UK that we continue to do what's right. And what's right is that we have the right level of representation in leadership positions.
I learned a lot from employee networks in terms of how to create a more inclusive environment. So ensuring that you've got somewhere safe for people to go to connect with others and learning from those networks is incredibly important.
I still talk to my leadership team today and ask: what can we do to mentor up-and-coming talent? Sponsorship [supporting others' career advancement] is just as important: how are we representing people when they're not in the room?
What is the significance of the Black British Business Awards to Black professionals?
While I eventually had a really successful career, there weren't many people who looked like me. What the awards do is help you to see others who look like you.
It's incredibly inspiring. In terms of the winners, the judges are looking for what contribution you're making - what's the journey of impact that you've had.