The case for diversity and inclusion in the workplace is compelling, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because numerous studies suggest it can drive better business performance too. It is disappointing therefore, that progress as confirmed by McKinsey's women in the workplace 2019 study remains slow, not just in gender, but in all areas of diversity and inclusion. A statistic that really emphasises the challenge ahead comes from the World Economic Forum, which estimates that the global pay gap between men and women will take 202 years to close.Our guest on today's episode is Dr. Zara Nanu, and she brings data science to the art of developing productive, engaged, and diverse teams and improving decision making when it comes to people. In our conversation Zara and I discuss: Why the topic of gender and fair pay is increasing in importance The role of people analytics and data science, as well as some of the challenges involved in data collection when it comes to gender and fair pay We talk about some of the examples of organisations who are leading the way when it comes to gender and fair pay and the wider diversity and inclusion space,  As with all our guests we look into the crystal ball and ponder what the role of HR will be in 2025This episode is a must listen for anyone in an HR leadership or people analytics role, as well as HR and business professionals interested in how people data can drive business outcomes and support initiatives around gender and equal pay as well as the wider diversity and inclusion area.Support for this podcast is brought to you by Gapsquare, to learn more visit www.gapsquare.com/accelerate. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.