How Identity Has Influenced A GridStor Director Of Development Career
Matthew, a Director of Development, acknowledges that his identity as a straight white male has conferred significant, likely unrecognized advantages in navigating a career where many colleagues share similar backgrounds; the individual hopes to leverage this awareness to promote a more equitable industry, believing that "diverse organizations do better," benefiting both society and business success.
Executive/Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion, Clean Energy Industry, Workplace Equity, Privilege and Bias
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Matthew Gilliland
Director of Development
GridStor
UC Santa Barbara
UCLA Anderson MBA
Environmental & Related Sciences
Energy & Utilities
Operations and Project Management
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. He acknowledges the advantages he's had in his career due to his identity as a straight white male, recognizing that his background has made his career path easier compared to others.
2. He expresses a lack of full awareness of the extent of his privileges but is committed to understanding and addressing the lack of diversity in the clean energy industry.
3. He emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion not only for ethical reasons but also for improved business performance, advocating for a more equitable industry that promotes individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Transcript
As someone who identified as a straight white male, how has that impacted how you navigated your career?
It took me a while to realize how my background has benefited my career and made things easier for me than for others. I probably still don't fully appreciate the benefits and privileges that have come with being a white man entering business and this industry.
I look around and see that a lot of people in our industry look like me. This is a sign that my background, what I look like, my upbringing, and the institutional and generational privileges that came with them have helped my career.
I'm hoping we can shine a light on this and do more to break down these historical benefits. The goal is to make the industry more equitable and lift up people who are Black, Brown, women, and from all sorts of backgrounds.
There's really not enough diversity in the power business and the clean energy industry. This isn't just something we should strive for; data and studies show that diverse organizations do better. Diversity of perspective and backgrounds leads to better decision-making.
So, it's important not just for us as humans, but also for building good businesses that can achieve big things. It's impacted my career in good ways, and hopefully, I can learn from this and help improve things for the future.