„The most important thing is not to win, but to take part.“ London 2012’s Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Stephen Frost, drew on his own personal experiences to make the Olympic creed a reality.
The great equalizer – strategic management
Dear Audience, it was Stephen Frost’s first day at Oxford, and he was making polite conversation with another student who had just arrived. The man, who was much taller than Frost, spoke with a southern English accent and a distinctively upper-class drawl. “So where are you from?” he asked. Thinking about his home city in northern England, Frost smiled and replied „York“. Upon hearing this, the other man turned away and strode off to the buffet.
The unknown stranger could never have dreamed that this upstart from northern England would one day be famous. Frost may have seemed like a fish out of water when he arrived in Oxford in 1995, but he went on to spend five years in a job that would see him showered with plaudits and, last year, awarded the coveted title of Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum …
As Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Frost was responsible for ensuring that London 2012 provided entertainment, access, and employment for all– from the transsexual steward to the 99-year-old torchbearer and double leg amputee Oscar Pistorius. These Games, more than any others before, were truly inclusive . “Diversity is a fact of life,” Frost keeps emphasizing. “Inclusion isn’t.” He speaks from experience …
