OW Spotlight Daisy Crowfoot

Tell us about yourself

I am Daisy, my pronouns are she/they and I currently work as the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Lead at Energy Saving Trust. My previous role was working in the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion team at Queen Mary University of London and before that, I was at Welcome Trust. Outside of work, I am still working to smash the patriarchy but also tend to my many baby houseplants, I love being outdoors/hiking, reading, watching an eclectic mix of TV, cats (!) and occasionally cooking, but mainly eating, yummy vegan food.

 

What motivated you to apply for your current role?

I have always wanted to work in the environmental sector and care deeply about the climate crisis, so when I saw this opportunity at Energy Saving Trust, I was excited. The role of D&I Lead is also new at Energy Saving Trust, which means I have the opportunity to ‘start from scratch’, create an organisational D&I strategy and work with colleagues across the organisation to implement it, which I am really enjoying.

 

Can you see a positive change in the workplace in relation to diversity and inclusion?

Yes, I think there’s been some much-needed change recently with more employers taking equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace seriously. However, what is important is that efforts to ‘do’ D&I work are not tokenistic and are properly prioritised, resourced and championed by senior leaders. The aim of roles like mine is to effectively embed principles of inclusion, accessibility, and equity across everything that an organisation does, both internally and externally, so that D&I is no longer an ‘add on’ but a core part of an organisations culture.

 

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Social justice, accessibility, inclusion, and equity are all things I am passionate about both inside and outside of work, so I feel very lucky to have a job that focuses on these issues. ‘D&I’ is an ever-evolving field and I love that I am always listening to and learning from different lived experiences.

I also really enjoy how collaborative my role is and that I get to work with some brilliant colleagues across the organisation. I am still quite new to the role, having joined in March this year, and am learning so much about the incredibly broad and impactful work that Energy Saving Trust does to address the climate emergency. It’s great to work in such a mission-led organisation with passionate, knowledgeable and supportive colleagues.

 

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

The most reassuring work-related advice I have been given is that everyone, even those in incredibly senior positions, are making some of it up as they go along. I find it helpful to remember that no one knows all the answers all of the time, and that’s ok.

 

Do you have a fond memory from your time at Wellington or a particular teacher that really stood out?

Mr Morris and Dr Mrs Seldon were both amazing teachers. Dr Seldon was so thoughtful, introducing me to some beautiful words and the queerness of poetry. Mr Morris was a really fun but also kind and supportive teacher. I learnt a lot from him and feel he helped me to be more confident using my voice and taking up space.