Samet Akti was born and raised in Berlin, in a muslim family originally from Turkey. As a DEI practitioner and strategist speaker, they are working with companies to help them understand their diversity and inclusion challenges and gain unique insights for solutions. Samet currently works specifically for a company in the fashion and tech industry where they are the Principal for D&I strategy. They’re also a big Beyoncé fan.
Samet brings a calmly colorful combination of deep expertise in DEI work, in wellbeing as a DEI practitioner, in communications and public speaking, in intersectionality and an overarching vision on the components of DEI that create real structural change. They balance seriousness and humor, passion and candor, to navigate the complexities of DEI in corporate settings.
As we dive straight into identity and intersectionality, Samet shares that they identify as very queer and very nonbinary. We ask them about pronouns and learn that they use all pronouns (so for this text we chose they/them pronouns to honor the nonbinary side of their identity) but ask us all to avoid referencing to them as a man, because they don't identify that way.
“The question sometimes can even be a bit of a microaggression when the first thing people ask is, ‘So what are your pronouns?’ Because what they're really asking is, are you trans, or what is your gender identity?” - Samet Akti
Rather than plastering their pronouns out there, Samet would rather have people ask about specific situations so that they can share more context.
Samet is grateful to have grown up in a family that values education. Their mother used to be adamant telling them that knowledge is power, it opens you doors. They’re grateful for the privilege that this created in their life. ‘My mom, my parents and my whole family made sure that whenever I needed to study, I had the room, the chance and the time to actually focus on my studies. I was very supported, and I think that got me to where I am today, to a big degree.’
When we ask what Samet’s DEI specialty is, they love getting asked that question because they sometimes feel like DEI professionals are supposed to do it all. Their own focus area is the concept and idea of structural discrimination, the way it plays out and structures our society, culture, social norms, institutions, governments, but also our individual actions. They've also focused a lot on sexual orientation and transgender identity, race and ethnicity as they live at that very intersection themselves.
Samet explains that structural discrimination is made up of three components: the cultural, the individual, and the institutional component. They noticed that, especially in companies, DEI efforts focus only on the individual component of ‘What can we do? How can we become better allies?’ In reality, this is only a third of the equation.
What matters to Samet is to have a balanced approach across the three components rather than overemphasize the individual component. Organizations can do so much more to mitigate discrimination, through the cultural lens, but also through reviewing the way they generate profit. As an example, we talk about how after Rihanna launched her 40 shades of foundation, every brand after that, if their shade range wasn't inclusive, customers would hold them accountable. This shows the appetite that customers have for inclusion.
Samet’s communications degree helped them deliver content to an audience in a well-structured and clear way. At their skill level, and from a love of performing, they make space to bring in a dose of humor as well.
“Whenever I do presentations about structural discrimination, for example, I always find an opportunity to make people laugh. This is something that I find a lot of joy in because we're dealing with a very emotional and heavy topic, and being able to laugh about the work that we do and what frustrates us about the work can be very, very relieving” - Samet Akti
Samet’s DEI career started in the grassroots work of employee resource groups. They were an active member in a queer ERG. In an ideal world, they acknowledge, you're being recognized for your efforts by your manager and your peers. However, while it may feel good, these efforts don't have a massive impact on the company as a whole.
It’s a matter of how you’re being set up for success. They noticed the difference when they transitioned to a fulltime DEI role that was connected to the right people who have the right information and positions to help advance the DEI agenda.
“My biggest surprise, once I had those [internal connections to senior management], was how much of a difference it makes to be connected to the right people and to have allies in the right roles in the company.” - Samet Akti
When you’re doing a lot of work that ends up falling into a black hole, when no one really cares and you're doing this on your own, that can be very frustrating. In the DEI world, this can happen if someone is investing energy and work into a project that they don't have the mandate for from the top management. It is Samet’s conscious choice to not go out of their way to convince people to do something when they don't yet realize the demand for it, because sooner or later they will.
“With this job, a lot of things can be said that you can assume are a personal attack. What do you do to not take things personal?” - Vivian Acquah
Interestingly, Samet says, they just don't take it personally. They couldn't really explain why. Thinking it through they realise that one one hand, they cannot afford to take this personally. The work that we do serves a community, oftentimes a community we ourselves belong to, and we have to have resilience.
What is more, especially in a corporate setting, nothing is personal. This is just what Samet sees as the reality of business: to be successful in a corporate setting, it's important to not identify with the work that you’re doing. Even though there is a high chance that we enter this field because of our passion for the topic, that very situation is often the reason why DEI practitioners run the risk of burning out or stepping out.
“I realized I will not sacrifice my mental well-being for a company which has as its main goal to generate profit. So at the end of the day, it's a job.” - Samet Akti
Samet recommends every DEI practitioner out there, when you see a job ad, to consider it very thoroughly, and ask the right questions about realistic expectations and conditions.
"What I'm hearing is, you're becoming someone who is more attached to living according to your values and being present in the moment." - Marjolijn Vlug
What Samet personally does to manage their mental health is exercise every single day, as a natural antidepressant and a way to regain perspective, alongside prescribed medical treatment. ‘Whenever I have this build up frustration or because I'm just literally sitting all day in my chair, I need to get up. I need to move, even when I just want to sit on the couch and eat snacks. I always go because there has never been a situation where I went to the gym and said afterwards, oh, I shouldn't have gone. It has never happened in the last 10 years.’
“Find ways to release the tension and set yourself up for success by filling your own cup instead of waiting till you are depleted.” - Vivian Acquah
Samet is trying to be the best version of themselves in every sense, in interpersonal relationships and also the relationship with themselves. There is a powerful phrase that has become their motto: Change systems, not people. The individual component will actually almost resolve itself once the system and the policies and processes are set up in an inclusive way.
About Samet Akti
Samet Akti is a strategy consultant for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and speaker, enabling companies to achieve their DEI goals, guiding them on their journey towards creating equitable spaces for underrepresented groups. Samet is a LinkedIn Top Voice "Next Generation" and has worked with a range of organizations such as Google, Coca-Cola, IBM and Accenture. Samet has Turkish roots, was born in Berlin, and identifies as non-binary.
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Connect with Samet
Recommended resources & references in this episode
Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer
Beyoncé - Bigger
Beyoncé -Renaissance
Finding Balance in Advocacy: Samet Akti’s Insights in DEI