Marking the release of Kyndryl’s first Reconciliation Action Plan on 26 August, 2022.
Kyndryl is one of the world’s largest startups – launching in September 2021 with 90,000 people worldwide. One of the first actions Kyndryl took as a new company was to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Wurundjeri Land on which their Sydney Australia Head Office sits.
In Kyndryl’s first month of independence they launched the Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group, responsible for building a practical roadmap that builds on our long-standing respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and peoples and highlights specific actions that they will take to make reconciliation a reality.
GPJ was tasked with creating an experiential journey that extended across a campaign of touchpoints, using creative storytelling to draw emotion across the experience, and ensuring the Kyndryl brand values specific to diversity and inclusion were brought to the fore.
The experiences were designed to inform and engage Kyndryl employees on the topic of reconciliation, creating a personal connection with each employee, to play their role in the action plan going forward. These included:
Ride on Country
A 44 km Ride On Country for employees, customers and partners across lands that are home to three Clans — from the Opera House, across the Harbour Bridge and down to Botany Bay. Riders visited key locations of significance including Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, Barangaroo and La Perouse.
Walk on Country
Aunty Margaret Campbell hosted Kyndryl employees, customers and partners for a Walk on Country through key locations in The Rocks, explaining the cultural significance of the history of the land – its waterways, foreshores, trees, plants and soil.
Ceremony
A Reconciliation ceremony was held in a traditional yarning circle at the Kyndryl Sydney office. Guests shared food courtesy of Kallico Catering, serving a fusion of contemporary Australian cuisine with indigenous bush tucker. The ceremony concluded with an inspiring discussion between Kyndryl and First Nations changemakers, including Gadigal Elder Uncle Allen Madden, IndigiGrow founder Peter Cooley and Paralympic gold medallist Amanda Reid OAM.
The overwhelmingly positive turnout was a clear indication of the support that the broader Kyndryl community holds for reconciliation action and the move towards an increasingly diverse and inclusive workplace.