Legislation such as the Equality Act 2010 has ensured that considerable progress has been made in tackling discrimination in relation to the 8 protected characteristics that are defined in law. UK HEIs are well-versed in monitoring the diversity of their workforce and ensuring that recruitment is compliant with the legislation. However as HEIs become more diverse, we need to ensure that 'cultural differences' and 'misunderstandings', do not become barriers to genuine equality of opportunity for BAME staff. This small-scale research project explores these questions with BAME staff working in higher education in the UK. Implications for leaders and managers and Human Resources professionals are considered. [For the complete Volume 21 proceedings, see ED629259.]