We talk to Reena Dayal, Acting Chair for IoD Central London.
How did you first get involved with the IoD?
I joined IoD Advance membership 3-4 years ago to fulfil a need I felt as I was at start up stage of my leadership coaching business - to be part of a business community. A lot of us feel that need when we transition from Corporate life, as I had, and are used to being part of teams and a global network. The blend of tradition, professional set up and friendly vibes I got in my first few visits as a guest had me intrigued and then I thought - what a gorgeous Pall Mall building this is. I was sold.
What is your vision for IoD CLB?
IoD CLB is supported by strong IoD leaders at national and regional level. Working with them and our members, my vision is to uphold the principles of IoD on strong governance, being an active voice for the London business community and offering valuable professional support and networking opportunities to members and non-members, within this metropolitan city that I love and the wider global community.
What advice would you give your former self?
Be more patient. Consciously live your values in every aspect of life and work. Continue to speak your mind. Stay on track - your vision is good.
What would you write in a letter to yourself for the future?
Glad you stayed on track and let wisdom guide you. You exist because you believed in yourself and collaborated with others. And, thank you for thinking big and always challenged the status quo.
What is the single thing you have found most useful in your business life?
The ability to collaborate with others. You learn more, you progress more, you think differently, you grow more and of course, together you win more!
Who is your hero / mentor?
My parents, my grandparents and my older brother are my heroes. My line managers have been my mentors. Currently my clients are my mentors - they teach me and inspire me into being more skilled as a leadership coach and trainer. And, yes I have a coach myself - not just one. A couple within IoD as well.
Why should anyone join the IoD?
If you want to be part of a membership community that is backed by a historic institution which stands for strong governance, professional development and being an active voice for the UK business community then the choice is clear - you should be part of IoD. This is an amazing network to build connections and friendships that would last a lifetime. The best part being no matter which branch you join you have access to all IoD events and networks. That being said, I encourage you to consider joining IoD Central London!
Why did you join the CLB Committee?
Two reasons really. The first being, one of my aspirations of becoming an entrepreneur was the personal need I had to do at least 25% of my time doing pro-bono work giving back to communities I operate in. The first few years of becoming an entrepreneur I mentored women in Africa through The Aspire foundation and Cherie Blair foundation for Women. At the time I joined IoD as a member I was thinking of a new pro-bono role and approached by two committee members who explained that IoD was going through transformation and were looking for diverse talent to support this agenda. Transformation has been my forte in my erstwhile life as HR Director across sectors and diversity is in my blood. I attended a couple of meetings and immediately felt it was a good time to be part of the IoD and support its evolution as pro-bono Committee member. This was around 2018.
Who is IoD Central London?
The IoD is a membership organisation that has a very strong presence in UK and also present another countries. In the UK there are difference regions, one of the largest being London. Within this region we have two branches which allow members to engage effectively - IoD City and IoD Central London. Central London in currently the latest branch in the IoD with over 4000 members - one that I see growing at an accelerated pace in the next year as we fine tune the member value proposition.
Within the Central London branch we work actively on themes that are led by Committee members who are chairs to these ‘special interest groups’ I encourage you to review them and join them irrespective if you are a member or non member. Members obviously enjoy certain benefits and can be part of the pro-bono leadership teams however non members can equally be part of the community and engage in events and discussions and make new connections.
Our Special interests groups (SIGs) are:
- Young Directors Forum (YDF)
- Tourism and Hospitality
- ERP/Digital
- International Trade
- Education
Is there a Central London Committee? How does it operate?
Yes, there is a Committee made up of IoD members and IoD staff. IoD members contribute their time and efforts pro-bono. The committee is led by a Chair and supported by a Vice chair. In addition its members have a specific role to play as well as contribute to the overall IoD Central London strategy and agenda.
We are are membership voice in and out of the IoD national team and members. It helps that we are all first and foremost IoD members.
We meet once a month on a set agenda which includes branch matters such as membership stats, budgets, social media, marketing & PR, new initiatives such as IoD’s new webinar channel and SIG progress/ events and updates.
If you would like to connect with the IoD Central London Committee then please
contact us here