Just over a month ago, AMI launched its first Diversity & Inclusion Strategy — the culmination of almost two years spent brainstorming, drafting, discussing, editing, and reviewing our role, responsibility, and ambitions within this vital space.
As a small organisation of fewer than thirty people, D&I has always been on our radar. But in many ways, it properly began with two colleagues with a personal passion for its values, who voluntarily chose to formally champion D&I alongside their roles. They became the ‘go-to’ people for queries, conversations, and challenges — holding much of the responsibility for progressing D&I across the organisation.
Over the past two years, that landscape has transformed. Around 75% of staff now sit on our established D&I Committee. Our Chief Executive actively and enthusiastically participates in D&I conversations and forums. We’ve introduced new events, grants, and opportunities specifically designed to support diversity and inclusion within our community and the wider STEM sector, and we’re exploring further ways to take ownership of our role in this space, such as undertaking D&I-focused accreditation.
”It’s incredibly fulfilling to see that when we say D&I sits at the heart of AMI, it no longer risks just being a tagline — it’s something we can evidence.”
The strategy’s core aims
Now that our strategy is live and visible to all, we’re proud to share the vision we’ve been building behind the scenes. Our commitment is to create a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion, where everyone feels valued, respected, empowered, and able to contribute to our shared mission. This strategy sets out AMI’s direction for the next five years — our roadmap for turning that commitment into action.
Eight overarching Aims form the strategy’s foundation, five Core Pillars provide shape, and individual Team Goals act as the building blocks. Together, they create a home for our D&I ambitions — those already realised and those still to come.
For those who may not be overly familiar with the notion and terminology surrounding the complex and evolving topic of D&I, particularly with acronyms (D&I, EDI, DEI, EDIA…) and interpretations varying across individuals, organisations, sectors, geographies, and beyond, we felt this strategy launch was the right moment to clarify what D&I means to us.
We’ve chosen the term ‘Diversity & Inclusion’ because we believe that true inclusion, considered in its entirety, inherently encompasses equality, equity, and accessibility. In defining these terms, our D&I team intentionally researched and curated definitions that reflect the global nature of our membership.
AMI’s D&I Glossary
This led to the creation of our D&I Glossary — a live document outlining the definitions that underpin our work. It provides clarity for our members about how we understand and use key terminology, particularly where meanings can vary widely. And just as importantly, it aligns our staff around a shared understanding, embedding consistency across all workstreams and grounding D&I in everything we do.
Despite the progress we’ve made, we are fully aware that D&I is not static. It is dynamic, evolving, and, in many ways, infinite. While our team is now in the rhythm of embedding D&I into everyday practice — through bimonthly committee meetings, annual progress reviews against the strategy, ongoing training, and collaboration with other STEM organisations — we know that meaningful inclusion depends on listening and learning.
As a staff team of fewer than thirty, we hope the opportunities and initiatives we’re delivering, and our ideas for the future, do and will have a tangible impact on our membership. But as a community of more than 6000, imagine the difference we could make together through our collective impact.
A call to action
As we move from building internal foundations to amplifying our work more visibly, we invite our members — and anyone interested in AMI and the wider STEM community— to join the conversation. Share your ideas. Tell us what more we can do. Challenge us and keep us accountable. Help us ensure that AMI continues striving for diversity and is united by inclusion. This strategy is a milestone — but it is not the finish line. Together, we can build a community where diversity is celebrated, inclusion is intentional, and everyone has the opportunity to belong and thrive.
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