The Meetings Industry Association (mia) has appointed VisitBritain and VisitEngland’s Debra Lang to its voluntary Board of Directors to lead on its diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
Lang, who is the Director of HR & Professional Services of the national tourism agency, will be using her extensive experience to develop a strategy and best practice framework for the business meetings and events sector to ensure it is recognised as being fair, impartial, and without biases.
Prior to her current role at VisitBritain/VisitEngland, Lang worked for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) where she held several HR roles including Director of People and Workplace, Director of HR and Organisation Development and HR Director. She has also held positions in other UK government departments including HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions and recently secured a place on the #EX50 list that celebrates HR leaders who excel at employee experience.
Kerrin MacPhie, Chief Executive of the mia, said: “We are delighted that Debra has accepted the non-executive role of Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and alongside her role with VisitBritain and VisitEngland will lead on this crucial area on behalf of the mia. While working at the national tourism agency she has transformed the employee experience, launching a people strategy during lockdown and creating numerous diversity and inclusion networks, which will provide great insight to our work championing best practice in this area.”