Proyecto H - Proyecto H

What is Project H?

The H Project: One United Conversation is a space for male business leaders to exchange the experiences, good practices and challenges they have encountered in their personal and organizational spheres, addressing emotions as well as the personal, conceptual and professional challenges that arise out of issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion. It is hoped this will lead to an understanding of the role male leaders must play. Proyecto H seeks to promote a cultural shift in Colombia’s business sector that will make it more diverse, equitable and inclusive. Encouraging men, who are leaders and decision-makers, to have this conversation will hopefully help consolidate awareness and support for multi-lateral action between academia, companies, institutions and individuals. It therefore represents a bridge for the dialogue necessary to help build genuine equity in the workplace, instead of an ongoing reliance on charity, personal consciences and favors.

Projecto H therefore contributes to the ecosystem designed to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Colombia, bringing together male business leaders, who are corporate governance actors, encouraging them to discuss the issue and connecting them with efforts that are already ongoing on the part of women’s groups and academia in general.

We ask ourselves questions that are not intended to be prejudicial, but seek to extend our understanding:

Where are men in the question of gender equity? What can male leaders do to prioritize equity, diversity and inclusion?

What can male leaders do to prioritize equity, diversity and inclusion?

How can we generate spaces for men to take responsibility?

What should be the agenda for the social and cultural transformation this requires?

The People Behind this Initiative

These questions arose following an invitation made by Nicolas Uribe Rueda at the end of the first day of the Women on Boards of Directors’ Annual Meeting, at the Medellin Chamber of Commerce for Antioquia. Nicolas convinced us that men, exclusively, ought to come together to address the role of male leaders in the business sector when it comes to building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society. This linked to an observation Maria Jimena (‘Meme’) Escandón had previously made: it is not easy to find documents written by men that address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. We later had a working breakfast with Juan Carlos Mora and Felipe Bayon to find out what action they had taken on these issues, what inspired them, what challenges they encountered and if they considered it necessary to create a specific space for men to have this conversation.

The work group that led to the creation of Proyecto H has been made up of business leaders including Mariajose Quinceno, Meme Escandon, Carolina Nieto, Ana Fergusson, Maria Bibiana Botero, Emilia Restrepo, Ricardo Pineda, Ana Cristina Quintero, Paula Vega and ourselves, Maria Andrea Trujillo and Alexander Guzman. Thanks to our combined efforts, a book and various podcasts have been made available, which we hope will inspire our joint reflections on the society we all form part of, and wish to transform.

Drawing on the efforts, achievements, challenges and reflections of Felipe Bayón, Pedro Felipe Carvajal, David Colmenares, Miguel Cortes, David Escobar, Juan Carlos Mora, José Manuel Restrepo, Sergio Rincón and Nicolás Uribe, and with an eye on stories of exceptional business leadership, we seek to demonstrate the powerful role male leaders can play in diversity, equity and inclusion, and the impact men committed to these goals can have on both their organizations and their country.

Thanks to Ricardo Pineda and his Talent Hackers podcast, several excellent podcasts are available where male leaders share their experiences and role in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.