Tamara Box: “We have to break those assumptions and norms”

Tamara Box is managing partner of Europe and the Middle East at global law firm Reed Smith. She is also a founding member of the steering group for the 30% Club, which aims to improve diversity in UK boardrooms. Born and raised in Texas, Tamara was always encouraged to see education as a privilege. In a quest to learn alongside people from different backgrounds, she left Texas to study at the London School of Economics. Believing the idea of a meritocracy is a myth, she charts much of her success to lucky opportunities and a willingness to say yes. In this episode, Tamara explains why leadership requires diversity, and how her firm benefits from actively seeking people from different backgrounds, with different perspectives - “to have the best talent on a global basis, it needs to be diverse”. She also talks about how her clients are becoming increasingly interested in the firm’s diversity policies, which in part led the organisation to launch its racial equity action plan. Tamara explores the positive step forward the recent Black Lives Matter protests have had on our willingness to have open and frank discussions about diversity, and explains her aspiration for all young people - that every child is offered a glimpse into the “art of the possible”.

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap.