Speakers

Before moving to the UK from India in 2000, Mayank ran a successful business for 16 years, procuring steel and hardware for some of the largest OEMs and infrastructure projects in India. Mayank has an MBA from Leeds University and has conducted his doctoral research on supplier diversity; based on his vast business experience and passion for advocating for diverse and inclusive supply chains, Mayank founded MSDUK in 2006 and has now become a globally recognised supplier diversity advocacy network that is making a positive difference and promoting inclusive economic growth. After 18yrs at the helm of MSDUK, Mayank stepped down as its CEO in March 2024 to focus on setting up the European Supplier Diversity Programme (ESDP) as its founder and CEO and has also co-founded the global think tank on supplier diversity, Global Supplier Diversity Alliance (GSDA).

Rachele, who is a 'Top LinkedIn Voice' and has recently been nominated 'One of the 6 Most Influential Women in the New Work of Work', is a towering figure in the realm of multigenerational workforce dynamics.  With over two decades of expertise, Rachele has become synonymous with pioneering strategies and insights that promote harmonious and productive intergenerational collaboration.

Chanell is a Responsible AI Manager at Digital Catapult. Prior to this, she led the Community Safety Team at Depop which worked on child online safety, extremism and preparations for online safety regulations, and managed high-risk crisis responses and prevention efforts at Meta. Before joining the tech industry, Chanell worked with the UK Government on consumer protection policy; with the UN on peacekeeping, human rights and governance; and with the EU on environment policy. She is a Visiting Policy Fellow at the University of Oxford Internet Institute, a member of the OpenUK AI Advisory Board, and a member of the British Standards Institute national committee on AI standards.

As Global Director – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) at CBRE, Chris Williams oversees the company’s DE&I efforts across its Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) Business. Until most recently (August 2022), he also had the pleasure of being the Co-Chair of the Race, Ethnicity & Cultural Heritage (REACH) Network and the Chair of the Christian Group (part of the Faith Network). As a Black British employee (with Caribbean parents), he is very passionate about creating environments where people can thrive by strengthening an inclusive culture, increasing workforce diversity, and spending with diverse suppliers.

Joelle Taylor is the author of 4 collections of poetry. Her most recent collection, C+NTO & Othered Poems, won the 2021 T.S Eliot Prize and the 2022 Polari Book Prize for LGBT authors.

Throughout Jon’s career in EdTech, he has developed an expertise in social mobility by bridging the gap between education and business. In his current role as Scholarships Lead at Blackbullion, Jon supports large businesses like Nationwide and Amazon, and smaller organisations such as STACK Infrastructure and Maven Securities, with the development of their social mobility strategies. While at Blackbullion, Jon launched the UK’s first-ever National Scholarships Week, where hundreds of thousands of pounds were released through new scholarships for underrepresented talent. Before joining the EdTech sector, Jon was a management consultant for strategic HR at Mercer.

Nina is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience within people experience, from everything from recruitment, learning & development through to leadership & culture. In 2014 she joined Accenture, here her focus shifted towards culture, change management, diversity and inclusion, and social impact, where she worked with global leaders, public sector organisations, and NGOs, driving people transformation. Her time included a secondment to the Social Mobility Commission where she was responsible for driving engagement with businesses, supporting them to become more socio-economical diverse. She subsequently co-led the development and delivery of Accenture’s social mobility strategy which resulted in the organisation’s social mobility foundation index position going from 34 to 5 in 4 years. She also was responsible for the development of key responsible business assets to support supply chain diversity, human rights, and net zero impact; these are now being used around the globe.

Asif Sadiq has been credited with impactful global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion activities and programs across organisations, that have created a strong sense of belonging for all and resulted in truly diverse workplaces. He has been key in building synergies between internal and external D&I efforts within organisations, ensuring diversity and inclusion are embedded in all elements of a business, resulting in innovative, creative, and inclusive products and services.

Anthropologist, researcher, author & keynote speaker Noémie Hermeking is an experienced intercultural trainer, consultant, inclusion and diversity officer who enables people to unlock their full potential to work within our multicultural world. Hermeking holds a PhD. in socio-cultural anthropology from Indiana University, USA & a master’s degree in socio-cultural anthropology from l´Ecole des hautes études en Sciences Sociales (School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences), Paris.

Danny is an actor, coach, and speaker. In 2008, his mother was involved in a near-fatal car accident and was then diagnosed with a long-term mental health condition. His passion for helping others flowed through the years that followed, in which Danny starred in Eastenders and Citizen Khan. But success was followed by difficult events, leading to Danny enduring his own struggles. Danny has a MSc in Applied Positive Psychology, is an executive coach, and a MHFA England plenary speaker.

María del Mar Galcerán Gadea is a Spanish politician who has been a member of the Corts Valencianes, the legislature of the Valencian Community, since 14 September 2023. A member of the People's Party (PP), Galcerán is the first Spanish regional legislator with Down syndrome.

Akin founded AKD Solutions in 2008 because he is hugely enthusiastic about empowering people to connect to their “best me”; hence, the organisation’s mantra is “Stimulating Brilliance”.

Miikka Huhta has a master's degree in economics and started out in HR with SEB and Canon. In 2016, he moved over to consulting to help different organisations with their talent challenges. His consulting journey started at Universum, a leading company in employer branding. For the last six years, he's been part of Miltton, the largest communications agency in Finland.

Zoiey is a trailblazing inclusion activist who has made significant contributions to the world of sports. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, she has worked her way up from being an athlete to becoming a highly respected inclusion consultant. Zoiey's expertise is sought after by global brands and professional sports organisations; her guidance has helped many develop strategies to become more inclusive and diverse.

As Group Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Ori leads Aviva’s inclusion strategy across core markets: UK, Ireland and Canada. She is a dynamic leader and strategist with a track record in delivering high-impact inclusion interventions for private and public sector organisations. She has a particular interest in applying a behavioural science approach to DEI, adopting data-driven, evidence-based methods to create a culture of collaboration and engagement. Prior to joining Aviva Ori worked in the DEI consulting space, working with clients across financial services, tech and legal sectors. Previously, she was Managing Director of INvolve, a consultancy and global network driving diversity and inclusion in business.

Dr Ashraf Gamal El Din is the Chief Executive Officer of Hawkamah, the Institute for Corporate Governance, at Dubai International Finance Centre. He is a Fellow and Certified Governance Expert from the Chartered Governance Institute, UK (ICSA). He was a jury member of the Arabia CSR Award. Prior to joining Hawkamah, Dr. Ashraf was the Executive Chairman of Egypt Post. Before that, he was the Deputy Executive Director of the Egyptian Banking Institute, the training arm of the Central Bank of Egypt. He was also the founder and Project Manager of the Egyptian Corporate Responsibility Centre, working on promoting the concepts and application of SR in Egypt. Furthermore, he was the Executive Director of the Egyptian Institute of Directors (EloD), the Institute of Corporate Governance in Egypt and the Arab Region.

Toni Kent is a professional speaker, compere and writer who uses her experience of going ‘from council estate, via corporate, to comedy’ as a means to educate and entertain audiences with honest, humorous insights into social mobility, life as a working parent and corporate culture.

Julie Thomas is currently the Director of Inclusion, Diversity & Equity at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), responsible for leading the strategic direction and enterprise-wide integration of the inclusion and diversity agenda across 29 countries. Julie is an inclusion and wellbeing specialist with 10 years’ experience across a number of geographies. Prior to that, she worked for 15 years in marketing and communications for companies including Zurich Insurance, Cable & Wireless and University College London. When not working, Julie enjoys spending time with her family, her three cats and running.

Kim Sabate, who goes by she/her pronouns, is a proud transgender woman from the Philippines. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She is an Associate Member of The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development after completing the Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management.

Chris started his career in Investment Banking and Strategy Consulting, where projects regularly demanded working weekends, 12+ hour days and the odd 36-hour shift.Since founding Innerfit, Chris has led executive-level coaching programmes, facilitated team and leadership away days across Europe, and delivered a mix of keynote talks for organisations and audiences of all shapes and sizes.

Jo is a certified sound practitioner based in Northampton. Since qualifying, she has been holding sound space weekly at various studios in and around Northamptonshire and also at retreats around the country.

Peter Alleyne is currently the Director of Equity, Inclusion and Involvement at Rethink Mental Illness and a Trustee with the Centre for Mental Health. Peter is an award-winning EDI and anti-discrimination senior leader with significant experience gained from leading high-profile assignments at the Home Office and the Met Police. Prior to joining Rethink Mental Illness, Peter supported Wendy Williams CBE on her Windrush Lessons Learned Review - Progress Update Report as part of her investigation on the Windrush Scandal, where he led on the assessment of the Windrush Compensation Scheme and the Windrush Scheme.

Rachel is a multi-award-winning organisational culture specialist with over twenty years experience in senior roles, culminating in her winning the 2023 DE&I Influencer and her company AECOM winning the Inclusive Culture award at the ENEI Awards 2023

Sanchia is a multi-award-winning and distinguished global Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) practitioner, public speaker, and community change-maker with a reputation for driving systematic and sustainable change towards fostering inclusive environments. She has worked across the public sector over the last 15 years to help move organisations towards being truly being inclusive, valuing their staff and creating a culture where staff feel supported, appreciated, and respected.

Georgina is an award-winning DE&I leader with over 7 years of experience spanning various industries, including finance/banking, consultancy, community, and hospitality.

Francisco Gallego (he/him) is on a mission to cultivate an inclusive and vibrant culture, empower underrepresented communities and elevate the employee experience as Global Inclusion and Diversity Manager at Expedia Group. He holds a Master of Social Science in Practical Philosophy and has been spearheading DEIB endeavours since he joined the company in 2018. Prior to Expedia Group, he held international roles, working for Volvo during a round-the-world sailing competition and representing Spain at the National Tourism Board in New York.

Mandeep is an accomplished equity, diversity and inclusion change agent with nearly 25 years of experience across the public and third sectors. Her work has received national attention and awards and in 2023, she was nominated as an inspirational D&I leader by 331 international diversity and inclusion professionals. Core to her practice is her belief in the importance of centring lived experience and undertaking the work within a social justice model to improve trust, EDI outcomes and EDI leadership.

Lucile is a forward-thinking and award-winning Diversity & Inclusion leader, Keynote Speaker and Leadership Coach, with over a decade of experience leading diversity and inclusion in male-dominated industries. Since 2021, she’s also been a guest Lecturer in International Business Ethics at the Institut Francais de la Mode in Paris, France. With a French and North African background, and the first person in her family to attend university. A change-maker, Lucile’s passion lies in creating safe and inclusive spaces for impactful conversations to explore the complexities of intersectional identities, the psychology of inclusion and behaviours that promote authenticity and belonging. She is committed to guiding her clients on a transformative journey towards realising their full potential.

Simba Rwambiwa is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Palmlove Care Services, boasting over a decade of experience in the Health and Social Care industry. His journey commenced as a compassionate caregiver and steadily ascended through the ranks, exemplifying his dedication and commitment to the field.

Lucy has worked in Inclusion and Diversity for the last 10 years. Prior to joining SHL, she led the Inclusion agenda for the Commercial Banking division of Lloyds Banking Group. She is passionate about making a difference for colleagues and the benefits that a truly inclusive organisation can bring. Outside of work, Lucy is supporting her local parish council to design accessible and inclusive play areas, based on her experience with her son Vincenzo, who is disabled. Lucy is also mum to Connie and the chairwoman of her local netball team.

Misha Amber Bryan, known by her stage name Misha B, is a British-born singer, songwriter and abstract artist from Manchester. She rose to notability as a finalist on the eighth series of X Factor 2011 where she was positioned in fourth place. Ms B went on to sign with Relentless Records, with whom she released three singles. She soon saw chart success with her second single 'Do You Think of Me' debuting at number 9 on the official UK music charts.

Ritika was born and brought up in India. She went on to achieve an MBA in the UK and broke all barriers as an immigrant to Canada and the UK. Ritika has over 30 years of experience working at Board level across 3 continents, with senior stakeholders - within the public and private sector.

Alex Manners is 27, an Autism and Neurodiversity speaker, Asperger's champion, presenter and author. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s at the age of 10 and looks upon it as something positive and that he feels lucky to have been able to manage over the past 27 years.

Alex has talked about his Asperger's many times on radio and television, published a book called “That’s Not Right! My Life Living with Asperger’s” and featured on series 10 & 11 of "The Undateables" on Channel 4. For two years, he presented his very own children’s radio show and filmed all the home matches for his local football club, Solihull Moors, for BT Sport. His love of football has led Alex to start his own “Autism & Football” campaign to enhance the experience of Autistic people at football matches.

Sam is a Senior Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lead at Lloyds Banking Group, the first FTSE company to establish gender and ethnicity goals to improve the representation of women, Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic colleagues in senior positions, also the first UK Bank committed to double colleagues with disabilities in senior roles by 2025, to reflect the society we serve.

Priyaneet is a strong leader in Diversity and Inclusion. She works as the Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager at Haleon. In her role, she influences and delivers the DEI strategy for over 25,000 employees at Haleon so that everyone can bring their authentic selves to work. She is a role model who advocates for, and influences change for those with differences so their voices are heard. She has demonstrated this through several initiatives both within the workplace and externally.

Hayley Bennett is a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant, researcher and campaigner working across business and football to create more inclusive and equitable communities and organisations. She runs Nutmegs, a football community for women and non-binary people of colour and has been named one of the most influential Black people in football.

She now runs her own consultancy, working to support clients across business and sport through DEI strategy development, training facilitation, programme development and creative consultancy. She is well recognised as a leader in her field and has been featured in The Times, The Telegraph, Metro.co.uk and The Washington Post.

Alan is an accomplished leader in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion, with over 15 years of experience in the industry. Alan has led diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in several sectors, including professional services, financial services, defence and aerospace engineering and within government.

Steve has led the Age Diversity Forum for the last seven years, developing and designing awareness, support and services to showcase the values of age diversity in the workplace.

Claire Thomas is the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Hitachi Vantara, responsible for developing and implementing a strategy for diversity, equity and inclusion through programs that reflect the various backgrounds, passions and interests of the company’s current and future workforce.

Iffy is Head of EDI; Professional Pathways at The Premier League, having been appointed in April 2021. Amongst his duties, he’s Chair of the PL’s Black Participants Advisory Group (BPAG) and leads the PL’s No Room For Racism action plan and the flagship Player to Executive Pathways Scheme (PEPS).

Chika leads the diversity, equity, and inclusion practice at Essenta; an international talent advisory firm headquartered in London.

Mark Esho graduated from De Montfort University in 1994 after obtaining an MBA in Business Administration. Though a Masters degree is a notable achievement for most people, for Mark this marked the culmination of years of hard work battling against the many obstacles that got in his way.

When Mark was five years old, he went from a happy, carefree child to becoming paralysed overnight. He had contracted the poliovirus, which by that point should have been eradicated from the UK. He was initially given a 10% chance of survival but not only did he survive - he thrived.

Debbie is a successful senior professional operating in the professional services sector.  Since 2016, she has been working with FTSE100 clients, Top 100 Law Firms, and one of the Big Four as Client Relationship Director & Non Executive Director at Obelisk Legal  Support Solutions. During her tenure, she has been a key driving force behind the successful running and operations of the business; in particular, the client and sales function, with critical input into long-term strategic development and goals.

Annika Allen is the Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) for global production powerhouse All3Media. There she is responsible for delivering the group’s DE&I strategy, working with its 40+ production companies, human resources and talent teams and contributes to sector-wide DE&I work. Annika began her career in television and journalism and has a wide range of factual and entertainment credits, following stints at Cactus TV, TalkbackThames, Maverick and RDF Television and has a long and rich career championing the voices yet to be heard and the storied yet to be told.

Geraldine MacTavish studied Sport science in TUI Dublin and has spent many of her years in the sporting fields of outdoor education, sport science performance, youth development and cultural planning.

Sarah is a totally blind trans woman who blends her rich personal and professional experience of navigating the intersecting worlds of disability and LGBT+ equality with honesty and humour. She is the founding co-director of Simply Equality Ltd, a social enterprise that seeks to break down barriers for disabled and LGBT+ people.

Kiza Ishemo is a sociology and law graduate as well as an accomplished DEI practitioner and thought leader, specialising in delivering cultural transformation programmes in organisations and building strong foundations to fortify inclusion and enhance colleague experience. Her experience spans both the public and private sectors, giving her exposure to the diverse challenges that organisations face in creating an inclusive culture. She employs an authentic and organic, people-centred approach to her work. Her passion is driven by lived experience and a commitment to be a change-maker in society.

Lotte is Laughter Yoga Master Trainer with over 20 years’ experience in the UK and she is Laughter Ambassador. She has trained more than 1,700 laughter professionals in the UK and has been leading corporate workshops for thousands of people.

Christina Murdock has been a Diversity, Inclusion, and Wellbeing coach, consultant, and trainer for the past seven years for individuals and organisations across the UK, Europe, and the US. With extensive experience leading sessions on equity, belonging, and inclusive leadership with managers and senior leaders in top global organisations, she strategically tackles complex culture challenges in an accessible and human-centred approach.

Henrique Zanin, MSc, MBA, is a people & culture leader, lawyer, and researcher with a background in social inclusion, human rights, and labour law. He’s currently a Global DEI Manager with eBay and a Lecturer in the HSM University post-graduate program in DEI. His work also encompasses successful DEI cases as a former Head of Culture & Inclusion for Europe and Asia at Wayfair, NGOs as the African Diversity and Inclusion Center, and public agencies as the Brazilian Bar Association Diversity Committee. He holds an MBA focused on strategic people management, an MSc in human rights, cum laude, a degree in labour and employment law and an LLB, summa cum laude, and is an alumnus of Graduate Study Programme of the United Nations Office in Geneva. Zanin's work is published on multiple journals and proceedings across the globe.

Chris co-founded YogaTherapies in 2014 with his wife and partner Deborah. Since they have remained dedicated to fostering safe and inspirational spaces for the practices of Yoga and meditation, alongside supporting individuals to deepen their personal and professional practice through trainings, retreats and the Yoga x Life Studios. At the core of their offering is the belief that the practices of Yoga and Meditation are most transformative when they are woven into the fabric of everyday life.

Sybil is the Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), where she is responsible for the development and delivery of the RICS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy for roughly 700 employees and more than 135,000 surveying professionals globally. RICS aims to be an accountable and influential leader, regulator and employer that understands and adapts to global cultures and the wealth of experience that diversity brings whilst ensuring that RICS employees, members and firms value and embrace a culture of respect and belonging.

Jess Joy and Charlotte Mia went from being best friends at university, to navigating neurodivergent realisations together – and eventually creating a

community of over 100k people and publishing their first book ‘How Not to Fit In’ with Harper Collins. Their work has been featured in The Times, The Guardian and more.

Jess Joy and Charlotte Mia went from being best friends at university to navigating neurodivergent realisations together – and eventually creating a

community of over 100k people and publishing their first book ‘How Not to Fit In’ with Harper Collins.

Known as 'Mr Find Your Calm', Michael Adu from the London Stress Centre helps the Millennial & Gen Z workforce to manage stress, increase resilience and adopt more productive thinking habits.

Kat François is a Performance and Movement based Artist, Writer and Educator, Writing and Performance Coach.

Meet Lisa Mead, the visionary Artistic Director/CEO of Apples and Snakes since 2016.  With nearly 30 years in the Arts Sector, Lisa is a creative producer extraordinaire, renowned for projects like School of Dark (Charlie Dark), The Rememberers (Kenny Baraka), and COAT (Yomi Sode). Her commitment extends beyond the stage, championing diversity and inclusion, particularly in tackling Anti-Black Discrimination and promoting Disability Access.

Professor Anne-Marie Kilday, is Vice Chancellor and Professor of Criminal History at the University of Northampton and joined the University on 1 August 2022. She writes and researches various aspects of criminal history, particularly focusing on violent behaviour and gendered criminality.

Amerah Saleh, Spoken Word Poet, Artist, Activist, Facilitator, Producer, Host, Community Engager

Amerah is a spoken word artist championing the Birmingham Poetry scene, Amerah’s writing and performance has been stunning audiences for quite some time. An artist who mixes passion with fiery intelligence and an uncanny insight into what it is to be human. She works in theatre, performance and poetry aiming to find new ways to engage communities and share secrets from within her own community. Poetry has taken her around the world sharing stories with people and also gathering them for her own suitcase when she needs them.

William Thompson is an actor, comedian and writer from Belfast, Northern Ireland.  He has sold out shows across the UK and Ireland and has appeared on BBC One, BBC Three, and Channel  4. A finalist in the prestigious 2021 New Comedy Awards, William was one of the six remaining participants out of over a thousand who entered the competition.