Martin King is the founder and director of Pride Pledge.
Martin King is the founder and director of Pride Pledge – and possibly the most energetic person we’ve interviewed. He’s spent 20+ years in HR and DEI, including as HR Director at Coca-Cola, and built Pride Pledge into one of Aotearoa, New Zealand’s most respected rainbow workplace programmes. He’s adopted, queer, a parent, and someone who has never once taken the easy path.
💡 Build the plane while you’re flying it: The biggest killer of diversity and inclusion in most organisations? Waiting until the strategy is perfect. Measure your pay gap even if it scares you. Start a conversation about neurodiversity. Add a pronoun to your email. You don’t need a full plan – just a starting point. Good is good enough!
💡 Stop, check, reframe: We’ve all been raised with assumptions – everyone’s straight, everyone drinks, everyone wants to watch sport on a weekend. These aren’t just habits; they’re invisible walls. Marty’s challenge: before asking a question, be ready for a surprising answer.
💡 Vulnerability isn’t soft – it’s the job: When Marty became a parent and came back to work, his team told him he’d become a better manager. His skills hadn’t changed, he just let people see more of him – and that’s what made all the difference. If you model openness and vulnerability, other people feel safer sharing more of themselves.
Expert interview: Inclusive leadership
Expert interview: Everyday allyship
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