Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Day 2026
Hidden Barriers: Closing the Participation Gap
Who gets heard, who gets opportunities, and who influences decisions?
Many organizations have become increasingly successful at attracting diverse talent. Yet despite strong values, good intentions, and ongoing investments in diversity and inclusion, an important challenge remains:
Not everyone participates equally.
Some employees actively contribute ideas, influence decisions, and access opportunities. Others remain silent, disengage, self-censor, or are unintentionally excluded from important conversations and development opportunities.
The challenge is rarely about talent or ability. More often, it is about hidden barriers embedded within organizational structures, leadership behaviours, workplace norms, and everyday interactions.
As organizations navigate talent shortages, rapid transformation, and growing demands for innovation, participation is becoming a critical business capability. Diversity only creates value when people feel able, and are enabled, to contribute their perspectives, experiences, and ideas.
At DEI Day 2026, we invite HR professionals, leaders, and DEI practitioners to explore the participation gap: the difference between being present in an organization and being able to meaningfully contribute within it.
This day is being co-created
If you have ideas for topics we should explore, questions you believe deserve more attention, or a specific speaker you would love to hear from, we would very much like to hear from you. Please write to cb@noca.dk
More details will follow, for now, save the date and join us in shaping the DEI conversations of tomorrow.
We look forward to continuing the dialogue with you.
Program highlights
It's Not Just a Joke
Most organizations focus on the obvious barriers to inclusion. But what about the ones hidden in everyday conversations, casual comments, and workplace humor?
When Nespresso uncovered a pattern of microaggressions disguised as "just jokes," they chose an unconventional approach. Instead of traditional bias training, they created a live social experiment that left employees questioning not only what they witnessed, but why they stayed silent.
In this session, Simona Liguoro, HR Director for Nespresso Italy, shares the story behind the award-winning initiative and explores what it takes to move from awareness to action when the barriers to inclusion are often hiding in plain sight.
Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Closing the Participation Gap
Many workplace initiatives are built on assumptions about what people need. But what happens when we start by listening instead?
At TV 2, a series of employee-led conversations revealed invisible barriers affecting everything from neurodiversity to everyday collaboration and belonging. The result was a different approach: designing solutions with employees rather than for them.
In this session, Alberte Scharffenberg-Kjær shares how insights from across the organization have shaped new approaches to inclusion, leadership, and employee experience, and why creating better conditions for some often benefits everyone.
Speakers
Simona Liguoro, HR Director, Nespresso Italy
Simona Liguoro is a recognized advocate for inclusive and future-focused organisations. With more than 25 years of international experience spanning business, consulting, and HR leadership, she has led organizational and cultural transformations across complex, multicultural environments. Known for challenging traditional ways of working, Simona has introduced innovative organizational models and gained international attention for her pioneering work on inclusion, bias, and workplace culture. She is passionate about creating organizations where responsibility, equity, and performance go hand in hand
Alberte Scharffenberg-Kjær, Development Partner, TV 2 Denmark
Alberte Scharffenberg-Kjær is working at the intersection of organization, technology, and employee experience. She leads strategic initiatives within diversity, equity, and inclusion, translating employee insights into practical solutions that strengthen both workplace culture and business performance. Known for her evidence-based and human-centred approach, Alberte focuses on creating meaningful change by involving the people most affected by it
