THE PAST 12 MONTHS HAVE BEEN CONSUMED  by the crisis of COVID-19. We have had so much to worry about, whether it’s bigger issues like the health and safety of our loved ones, job security, childcare, and online learning, or smaller ones like making sure to have a mask or hand sanitizer with us whenever we leave home.

While physical separation has affected us negatively in many ways, we have also come together in terms of pursuing social justice and activism, and in using our voices to stand up for what we care about. Many have coined 2020 the year of social justice movements—2021 will be about maintaining this momentum.

Annual events like World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development and International Women’s Day highlight awareness of how important diversity and inclusion are, but it’s the day-to-day work, and decisions we make, that will have a lasting impact. Ultimately, we all know that we can do better.

As Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc. and Google, aptly has said, “A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.”

In this issue of The Analyst, we explore diversity and inclusion through an examination of unconscious bias in recruitment, the tangible financial returns of diversity and inclusion, and the stigma associated with mental health issues. Our charterholder profile features the career of Voyt Krzychylkiewicz, CFA, as he shares his passion for promoting age diversity in boardrooms. 

We also investigate the impact COVID-19 has had on a disproportionate number of women, causing what’s been coined as a “she-cession” or “pink-collar recession.”

This past year, many of our caregiving networks have been cut off or altered, and frontline workers have become an increasingly important part of our lives. Rossa O’Reilly’s timely review of David Goodhart’s book Head, Hand, Heart explores the acknowledgement of work completed using our hands and our hearts, and future compensation prospects for these groupings of vocations.

While delving deeper into issues of diversity and inclusion, we can learn from each other to lead with our hearts and our heads, both personally and professionally.