Penguin Business lands diversity guide for 'straight, white male leaders'

Penguin Business has landed a guide to diversity and inclusion aimed at "straight, white male leaders" by Suki Sandhu and Felicity Hassan.

Martina O’Sullivan, publisher, acquired world rights to How to Get Your Act Together: A Judgement-Free Guide to Diversity and Inclusion for Straight White Men directly from the authors. The book is described as "a short, practical guide to D&I" featuring contributions from leading Fortune 500 leaders including Virgin's Richard Branson, Salesforce's Marc Benioff and Unilever's Alan Jope. It will publish in trade paperback, e-book and audio on 3rd March 2022 with simultaneous publication in the UK and US.

Sandhu is the founder and c.e.o. of Audeliss and INvolve, two globally-recognised consultancy firms that champion diversity and inclusion in business, while Hassan serves as president for Audeliss in the US. Sandhu is also a Stonewall Ambassador, a patron for the  Albert Kennedy Trust and the board director of OutRight Action International in New York,  while Hassan serves on the board of the Women Business Collaborative.

Sandhu said: “Many corporate leaders want to be more inclusive, but there can be a lot of confusing jargon and noise that can be difficult to navigate; our aim with this book is to speak directly to that person, to tell them that there’s no reason to feel judged for their lack of knowledge, nor to be self-conscious or embarrassed for it and to give them practical steps they can take today to make a difference.”

Hassan added: “We know that diversity is the future of business, and there are plenty of upper-level managers who would love to implement more inclusive policies – yet they’re drowning in vocabulary that’s new to them while simultaneously afraid to make a mistake for fear of being cancelled. How To Get Your Act Together is a way for them to have all their questions answered in a handy, practical and ultimately judgement-free guide.”

O’Sullivan commented: “There are lots of books about diversity and inclusion but not one of them speaks directly to time-poor leaders who want to make a difference – this is the book that will help that powerful majority step up and be part of the solution.”