EUROUT 2025: Redefining The Room To Make Business More Inclusive

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, EUROUT returned to London Business School (LBS) in November to connect, educate, and inspire the next generation of LGBTQ+ business leaders. Organised entirely by the school’s Out in Business student club, this annual conference welcomed more than 500 attendees across three days. In a year marked by setbacks for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), EUROUT issued an urgent call to action under the theme ‘Redefine the Room’. It featured the latest LGBTQ+ thought leadership to address the changing landscape and discuss ways to build an inclusive future.

The conference brought together LGBTQ+ working professionals and graduate business students from over 15 top business schools around the world, including Columbia Business School, Berkeley Haas, and INSEAD. Through insightful panels, exclusive networking events, and skill-building workshops, the attendees had the opportunity to come together and learn how to create a more inclusive business culture for all.

HIGHLIGHT 1: THE BIG DEI REDESIGN

This year’s EUROUT panel on “The Big DEI Redesign” confronted a rapidly-changing landscape. Geopolitical turbulence, economic uncertainty, AI disruption, and a shifting labour market have pushed many organisations to reassess their diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments. Since 2023, thousands of DEI roles have been cut in the US alone, and many global companies have quietly reduced visibility, folded DEI responsibilities into general HR, or moved activities into ‘hiding’.

Against this backdrop, EUROUT welcomed Birgit Neu (Nexus), Neil Griffiths (Global DEI Director, Kearney), Ashley Dartnell (Trustee for Open for Business), and LBS Professor Aneeta Rattan to discuss what the changes signal.

The panelists agreed on one core message: DEI must be integrated into the fundamentals of how organisations operate, instead of being treated as a standalone initiative that can be dialed up or down periodically. The challenge now, Neil Griffiths said, is to continue our work with less risk exposure and fewer performative gestures. “We have to move away from fun, flags and food,” he said, and focus instead on how inclusion drives strategy execution and business purpose.

In a thought-provoking Q&A session, the panel dismantled the defensive posture often taken by diversity advocates. When asked how the benefits of DEI should be quantified to senior executives, Professor Aneeta Rattan challenged the premise entirely. “We have to address this imbalance of power,” Rattan noted. She argued that in response to the question “what is the business case for diversity?”, leaders should ask: “What is the business case for the status quo?”.

Rattan emphasised that we know homogenous groups think less critically and make more mistakes. The burden of proof should therefore fall on explaining why a non-diverse team is considered optimal. Ashley Dartnell supported this by citing BCG research indicating that inclusive environments result in happier employees who are more innovative and less likely to leave. The panel’s overarching message was not one of retreat but redesign. DEI is entering a new era, where superficial activity fades but the essential work becomes more deeply tied to organisational excellence. The opportunity, they argued, is enormous. The decisions made now will shape not only corporate cultures, but also the power dynamics embedded in the technologies and workplaces of the future.

HIGHLIGHT 2: TACKLING THE MANOSPHERE

Another standout EUROUT session explored one of the most urgent cultural challenges facing young people today: an increasingly deregulated social media landscape which is leading to the rise of the “Manosphere”. Moderated by writer and broadcaster Natasha Devon, the panel brought together actress and YouTuber Abigail Thorn, commentator Lewis Oakley, Ditch the Label CEO Dominic Arnall, and founder Fabian Fuchs to dissect how online radicalisation is reshaping masculinity and the LGBTQ+ community.

The panel began by unpacking what the “manosphere” actually is. Lewis Oakley cautioned that the term is often used too broadly, painting all online male communities with the same brush. He highlighted that straight men, too, have paid a cost for homophobia, yet public discussions rarely address the emotional isolation or friendship deficits many men face – both straight and queer. As he noted, with gay identity facing renewed stigma in some spaces, it is even more important to understand why some young men are turning to harmful influencers. While the topic was heavy, the discussion moved beyond criticism toward compassionate engagement.

Across the panel, there was strong agreement that social media algorithms are a powerful accelerant. Fuchs explained how young men seeking harmless relationship advice can, within a few clicks, be served far more extreme content that becomes steadily normalised. He drew attention to how public figures who demean women are increasingly tolerated in public life, contributing to a broader cultural permissiveness around misogyny.

The panel pushed for concrete actions to recognise and push back against these structural forces. Dominic Arnall, CEO of Ditch the Label, emphasised the need for clear language, urging attendees to explicitly label behaviours as “racist” or “misogynistic” rather than softening the blow, which only cedes ground to hate. Furthermore, the solution isn’t just online regulation; it requires offline parenting and education to prepare children for the content they will inevitably encounter. Thorn emphasised building material power by supporting LGBTQ+ friendly companies and creators. And Oakley and Devon both underscored the need for parents and schools to prepare young people for the online worlds they will inevitably encounter.

Despite the daunting theme, the panel delivered a message rooted in both realism and hope. Understanding why young men are drawn into the manosphere, challenging harmful narratives with compassion, and creating healthier models of masculinity are the groundwork for a more inclusive digital future.

MORE THAN JUST A CONFERENCE: REFLECTIONS FROM RAY (LBS MBA 2027)

Beyond the main stage, what makes EUROUT unforgettable is the way the conference creates moments of genuine connection. On the first evening, BCG hosted an opening reception for EUROUT attendees as well as LGBTQ+ LBS alumni to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the conference. I arrived expecting the usual networking small talk, but instead found myself in a circle of people from five different countries comparing our coming-out stories, our dream careers, and what had drawn each of us to EUROUT. One attendee from South America told me they had never been in a professional space where they could speak openly about being LGBTQ+. We exchanged details and have stayed in touch since; last week they emailed to say they had just secured an interview at one of the firms they met at the conference. That single conversation made the scale of EUROUT feel personal: this is a place where people discover both opportunities and each other.

That sense of community crescendoed at the EUROUT Ball, a riot of music, performances, and joy. On the dance floor, the boundaries between students, recruiters, and speakers dissolved. In that moment, everyone was simply part of the same community. Several of us ended the night huddled around a table trading advice on navigating early-career decisions as LGBTQ+ professionals. Those conversations have continued long after the music stopped, turning into coffee chats, LinkedIn messages, and professional connections.

The Careers Fair offered a similar spirit of openness but in a more focused setting. Rather than racing through booths, I spent real time at just two or three partner tables, speaking with recruiters from BCG, Deliveroo, and KKR about how their teams support LGBTQ+ staff. These slower and deeper exchanges yielded far more for me than at other careers fairs where I couldn’t speak so openly. One recruiter followed up the next day with an offer to connect me with an alum in my target industry, a conversation that has since shaped how I am thinking about my post-MBA plans.

The conference also features an inclusive Careers Fair, allowing students to explore the corporate world and network with recruiters from partners that truly care about hiring an inclusive workforce. Examples from this year’s fair included BCG, Deliveroo, KKR, Lloyds, and McKinsey, among others.

EUROUT 2025 also sought to break down barriers by founding the Peter Johnson Access Fund, a new initiative to provide financial aid to students to help them attend the conference. The fund is named after a former LBS staff member and trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community at LBS for many years. In partnership with Salesforce, EUROUT 2025 has been able to partially reimburse £2.5k to LGBTQ+ students travelling to EUROUT from all over the world to support their ability to attend and benefit from the full conference.

In a challenging moment for DEI, EUROUT stands out as a forum for optimism. It encourages attendees to think differently and positively about the future of DEI in an increasingly complex world. The real power of EUROUT is to connect, educate, and inspire the next generation of LGBTQ+ business leaders, and to show them that they are not doing this work alone. For many who attend, that realisation is the beginning of everything.

For additional photos from the event, go to the next page.

Author Bios:

Max is a second year MBA student at London Business School, an LBS scholar and ROMBA Fellow. He is excited to serve as President of the Out in Business Club for 2025-6. Previously, Max worked in healthcare consulting in London, working for corporate and investor clients across the health services, social care, veterinary and pharma industries. Additionally, Max was a Director of National Student Pride, the UK’s largest LGBTQ+ student event, and was selected among the 101 most influential LGBTQ+ people in the UK in 2023 by Attitude Magazine.

 

Raymond Yao is an MBA candidate at London Business School with a background in brand marketing within the retail and luxury goods sector. Passionate about DEI, he also volunteered at Pride in London, a non-profit that organises the annual London Pride parade and other initiatives supporting the LGBTQ+ communities. He also serves as the Marketing SVP for EUROUT.

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