Fadi Barakat

"Together with the business community, we can succeed in being inclusive"

- When I give a talk, I try to convey a feeling of what it is like not to be privileged, not being part of the established society. Many people experience sadness and cry because they have not previously understood what it is like to be excluded.

- I didn’t get a job. Despite two master's degrees, one in biomedicine and one in organization and leadership. I even served in the military to seem more Swedish. A recruiter asked me if I would change my name, I asked if he would change his attitude. Until then, I had thought that it was my CV that was wrong, but now I understood how bad it was.

- Today, I work for the City of Malmö with trade and industry development. This fall, we completed a project called Highway to Business. We did it together with Tillväxt Malmö, Almi and Arbetsförmedlingen. It was about recruiting entrepreneurs new to Sweden, who may have run companies in their former home countries and supporting them. Through the project, we created several new companies in Malmö. Some of them are doing really well and have in turn been able to hire people. One notable example is Sushi Daily, which is located inside an ICA Maxi.

- Our view of everything that isn’t like us is skewed. In Sweden, a person who doesn’t speak Swedish can be called weak in language. But that person may know five other languages. That’s many more than most of us can, so who is the one that’s weak in language?

- Even though we think we understand what diversity is, we still don’t have it. Take gender equality, which is a big issue in Sweden. Now, more and more women get top jobs, but most often their names are Kajsa, Anna, Lisa, and Eva. It is a homogeneous crowd. All women must be given the same opportunities, otherwise it’s not equal.

- In a city like Malmö, you’ll never achieve environmental or economic sustainability without also including social sustainability. Jobs are crucial for Sweden's welfare. Without business, we will never succeed with integration, getting a job opens doors in society. We must dare to give people the chance.

- We need many positive forces working for development. It's not just about us being kind to each other, but that everyone actually benefits. Studies show that diversified companies and municipalities are more creative and innovative. So with diversity, we get better companies and a better society.