"Everyone has their own journey"
Pavlos Papaefstathiou discusses the importance of LGBTQ+ role models and why BCG sponsors LBS’s EUROUT conference
Every year, London Business School hosts EUROUT – Europe’s leading LGBTQ+ conference for graduates, MBAs, PhDs and alumni from top business schools. The brainchild of the school’s Out in Business Club, it has just celebrated its 10th year. A sleekly run operation, it brings together over 500 delegates from 20 schools and 50 companies. It has come a long way from its inception, when 50 people gathered in a lecture theatre in an old part of the campus, yet it holds true to its original aim: to inspire diversity and inclusion in the professional world and beyond.
For Pavlos Papaefstathiou, the event is unmissable – personally and professionally. A partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which has been sponsoring EUROUT since the start, Pavlos recalls the first time he attended, in 2014: “It felt cool, personal and fun. I heard so many positive messages there, such as how important it was to take risks to be yourself at an organisation and why diverse companies are better companies because they reflect society. I was amazed by the speakers’ strength, resilience and perseverance. And touched by the deeply personal stories and struggles I heard, particularly Lord Browne’s.” John Browne, Lord Browne of Madingley, made headlines in 2007 when he resigned as CEO of British oil giant BP after being outed by a tabloid newspaper. “He had been closeted all his life,” says Pavlos, “but being forced to come out, then writing about his experience, made him more of an advocate.”
For Pavlos, seeing LGBTQ+ role models out at work meant a lot, particularly in the context of growing up in Greece. “It was difficult,” he reflects. “I didn’t see any people who were out in business in Greece. I think subconsciously that’s partly why I left. I didn’t come out until later in life, in my mid-to late-20s. It was a journey. Everyone has their own journey and they take their own time.”
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“We want to make sure everyone has the support and resources they need to come out”
Passionate about equality
Pavlos came to England in 2002 to study electrical engineering and computer science at Imperial College London. Today at BCG, he helps banks around the world with their digital agenda. He also heads the Pride@BCG network for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America.
“At BCG we want to make sure everyone has the support and resources they need to come out, or join the Pride@BCG network as a confidential member. Things have obviously changed, but many young professionals and students still struggle to come out. Having more visible role models and strong allyship is paramount for them.”
Pavlos believes BGC’s corporate sponsorship of EUROUT will have a positive impact in three areas. “The first is to get connected to LGBTQ+ talent. BCG is in the people business and a lot of LBS alumni work here, so having connections to prospective candidates is important to us. “The second is to amplify the reach of EUROUT – to ensure its presence is felt across Europe, not just London and the UK. The speakers are very diverse, from business and the charity sector, and it’s fantastic to be able to amplify this. “And we want EUROUT to be successful and we think we can add value by having our own LGBTQ+ speakers there. They come from all walks of life, not just partners or senior managing directors.” Another BCG objective is to give students the opportunity to attend, wherever they’re from, so “cheap tickets for students are very important”.
Global challenges
“The world is a complex place,” Pavlos says. “There are regions where being LGBTQ+ is not very easy, like the Middle East or parts of Africa. Even in Europe, from our Out@Work barometer research, the first year is particularly important in making sure talent feels included in the workplace. Seventy percent of LGBTQ+ respondents said they came out either during the hiring process or within the first 12 months of starting their job. Just 10% came out after the first year and the remaining 20% stayed closeted.
It took me a while to come out in the workplace, even when I was out to friends and family. Top-down leadership, commitment and active allyship are essential in tackling these issues, he argues. “It shouldn’t just be up to the LGBTQ+ community to advocate for inclusion. It should be office leadership, CEOs and the top table.”
Working with nonprofits
At BCG he partners with nonprofits to provide relevant research. One collaboration, with the Open for Business coalition, asks: what are companies in the emerging markets doing with regard to diversity and inclusion? “It’s interesting to see what’s happening in India and Africa,” he says. “And whether there’s a link to performance. The study shows there is not a detriment to performance if you have LGBTQ+-inclusive policies. In fact, there are benefits around talent and the supply chain. It puts an economic spin and a business case on inclusion in parts of the world where being LGBTQ+ is not easy.”
BCG also works with the charity GiveOut, which featured at last year’s EUROUT and fundraises for global human rights. “Very little international aid goes to LGBTQ+ causes,” Pavlos says. “We did a publication called Pride with Purpose with GiveOut, Goldman Sachs and Latham & Watkins. It talks about how companies can support global human rights causes. I hope some of the work we’ve done has contributed to change perspectives, attitudes and policies.”
Pavlos says LBS has been a great partner in pushing the diversity, equity and inclusion agenda, and that its students are “super-resourceful”. “It’s fantastic that the Out in Business club has existed for over 20 years,” he says. “They’ve been driving the EUROUT conference and LBS is supportive by giving the space, time and resources to students to make it a reality.”
Photography and storytelling
Pavlos’s role at BCG is full-on. When asked what he loves about it, he says it’s the variety, the intellectual stimulation and working with smart, like-minded people who are “fun and don’t take themselves too seriously”. It helps that, “BCG is not a very hierarchical place. There is a hierarchy without it being hierarchical.” His hobbies include sport, electronics and gadgets, but he has one overriding passion: photography and visual storytelling. “I think in pictures,” he says. “That’s how my brain works.
There is a power to photography and moving pictures and music. All these things can create an emotional response in my mind. It helps me process the past.” His online portfolio includes photo stories from Greece, London and Cape Town. “I was in Cape Town for a work placement and it happened to be when Nelson Mandela died,” he says. “A phenomenal time in South African history. With photos, it’s always a personal narrative of the past, never just fact.” A recent photo story was set in Mykonos, Greece, “at one of those beaches few people know – hidden down a dirt track at the end of the road. The sun was low down on the horizon, it wasn’t yet dusk, and I took a photo of the sea with the sun coming through the waves. I grew up in Volos, a city by the sea and mountains, so that image has particular significance for me.”
“I really enjoy it because you can connect with LGBTQ+ folk from different industries and some have become friends.”
June marks LGBTQ+ Pride month; Pavlos participates on several levels. “It’s a good opportunity to think about how to contribute towards the LGBTQ+ cause globally,” he says. “Personally, I plan to take part in city festivities linked to the Pride with Purpose campaign and report.” Pride with Purpose, the GiveOut campaign that Pavlos helped launch, champions businesses that mark Pride month by supporting the movement for LGBTQ+ human rights worldwide.
BCG, meanwhile, marks Pride with global activities. Its German office, for example, takes part in the Christopher Street Day parade, where hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets to fight for LGBTQ+ rights. “We’re planning something similar for our London office,” Pavlos says. “We use Pride as an opportunity to engage with the full office and drive allyship. All businesses can take steps to advance inclusion in the workplace, drive allyship and support the global LGBTQ+ human rights cause.”
Pride and parties
There’s also EUROUT 2023 to think about. “I’ve been a member of the advisory board for the past three years,” Pavlos says. “I really enjoy it because you can connect with LGBTQ+ folk from different industries and some have become friends.” This year, as in previous ones, he will attend keynote speeches and actively participate. He is amazed how professional the conference is today compared to its low-key start: “Proper banners, really nice rooms, great setups, logistics and tech support, but it’s still a lot of fun. There are dinners and entertainment – comedians and drag queens.
Each year we host drinks at our offices and it’s an opportunity to make connections. I have great memories of hosting a dinner and of late night afterparties in Soho across the years. “But ultimately,” he says, “I feel a sense of pride that, year on year, we’ve been able to support it, make it flourish and help make it a huge event in Europe.”
