If Burberry can go from chav to chic, is there hope for DEI?
When you think of a rebrand, you might picture a shiny new logo, a large-scale marketing campaign, or a bold new name. But real rebranding is as much about perception and positioning as it is about aesthetics.
Take Burberry, for example. Once a symbol of British luxury, the brand had become overexposed, associated with counterfeit markets and “chav” culture. But Burberry didn’t just update its logo—it fundamentally changed how people saw it. The brand stripped back its iconic check print, refocused on craftsmanship, heritage, and innovation, and used audience insight, marketing, and storytelling to reposition itself as a British heritage brand once again.
Now, let’s look at DEI. Despite its importance, DEI as a term has lost some of its impact. Some organizations remain committed but struggle to translate it into meaningful business outcomes. Others have started stepping back, wary of the politicization of the term. One of the biggest challenges DEI faces is that, for many organizations, it still sits on the sidelines of business strategy. It’s something people talk about, but not something that’s deeply embedded in hiring, decision-making, promotions, and business growth.
A perception problem?
I’ve spoken with thousands of leaders and employees, across industries and organizations of all sizes. One thing that sticks with me is how detractors of DEI position their arguments. It always starts with control. They feel it’s something imposed on them—another corporate directive that tells them what to do rather than something they can shape. Then, they talk about overexposure—how everything from day-to-day communications to office lunches and festive holidays seem saturated with DEI terminology, making it feel performative rather than meaningful.
But once they get past that initial frustration, their views shift. They start talking about what DEI should be. They talk about respect—how it’s about treating each other well, valuing differences, and having open conversations without fear of getting it wrong. They talk about growth—how DEI should be something that helps organizations improve, not something that points out where they’ve failed. They talk about how it should be about making businesses stronger and creating workplaces where people do their best work, rather than just ticking boxes.
And this is where the problem with perception really comes in. DEI has come to be seen as an obligation, a set of rules or compliance measures, rather than a tool for progress. Leaders don’t always see it as something that helps them make better decisions, build stronger teams, or drive business performance. Instead, they experience it as something separate from their core role—another responsibility handed down from HR, rather than an approach that should shape the way they lead.
Yet, when you strip away the terminology, the core principles of DEI are not controversial. They’re fundamental to how organizations attract talent, build culture, and stay competitive. The companies making real progress aren’t treating DEI as an initiative. They’re embedding it into the way they work—into hiring, leadership development, and how they define success. They aren’t talking about it as a program or policy; they’re talking about it as a way to future-proof their business.
That’s the rebrand DEI needs. Not necessarily a new acronym or an internal comms campaign, but a shift in how we position it—moving it out of HR and embedding it into business strategy. Because at its core, DEI isn’t about telling people what they can and can’t do. It’s about making organizations stronger, more innovative, and more sustainable. And if that’s not business-critical, what is?
If not DEI, then what?
If DEI no longer feels like the right language, then organizations need to rethink how they position it in a way that works across the business. Some organizations have already started moving away from the term—not because they don’t believe in its importance, but because they want to position it in a way that feels less like a mandate and more like a natural part of how they operate.
One of the most common shifts I’ve seen is toward belonging. Unlike diversity, which often focuses on representation, or equity, and can feel policy-driven, belonging speaks to the employee experience. It’s about ensuring that once people are in an organization, they feel valued, included, and able to contribute fully. This framing moves DEI away from being seen as a compliance function and toward something that directly impacts engagement, retention, and performance.
Other organizations are reframing DEI through inclusive leadership, positioning it as a skillset rather than an initiative. Instead of treating inclusion as a separate training program, they embed it into how leaders are developed, how teams operate, and how decisions are made. This approach moves DEI out of HR and into business strategy—ensuring that inclusion isn’t just about policies but about how businesses run and how people lead.
Some companies have gone even further, removing the terminology altogether and embedding DEI under broader business priorities. They talk about Culture when focusing on employee experience or leadership & growth when linking it to talent development. Some simply call it Smart Business, making inclusion a performance driver rather than an initiative.
The companies making the biggest strides aren’t just changing the language—they’re making inclusion a business discipline rather than a separate function. They’re integrating it into performance expectations, leadership accountability, and how success is measured. They’re moving beyond statements and into actions that make businesses stronger, more innovative, and more sustainable.
That’s what a successful rebrand looks like: not just renaming DEI—but repositioning it as something everyone owns—not because they have to, but because it makes their teams, their decisions, and their business better.
The companies leading the way aren’t treating DEI as an “extra”, they’re treating it as good business strategy. And whether they call it Inclusive Leadership, Workforce Equity, Culture & Belonging, or simply Smart Business, one thing is clear:
If your organization values attracting the best talent, keeping them engaged, and making the smartest decisions for your business—then you’re already in the business of DEI.
You just might not be calling it that anymore.
