Speakers

Dr Bob Athwal is an award-winning industry leader with deep expertise in social mobility, culture, and graduate employability. He holds a degree in Mathematical Modelling, an Executive MBA, and a PhD focused on Social Mobility and the Graduate Labour Market.
Bob began his career as a Students’ Union President before moving into senior roles across Tesco,

Mark Baker has decades of experience connecting business communities to accelerate change.

Mark founded Sircula Ltd to enable B2B communities to connect, learn and grow. In June 2018 Mark launched d&i Leaders to bring together global diversity, inclusion and HR related professionals. Since then, Mark and the team have established an annual programme of strategic in-person and online summits and conferences,

Rukasana Bhaijee is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leader with over 15 years of experience spanning Media, Technology, Professional Services, and Higher Education. As the Global Head of DEI at the Financial Times, Rukasana spearheads the evolution of the organisation’s DEI strategy, partnering with leaders to turn ambitions into actions.

Sarah joined Munich Re in June 2023 to lead the global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy for the Group. Sarah is a seasoned HR leader with 20 years experience in the financial services industry, the last 15 of which has been leading DEI teams globally. Prior to joining Munich Re Sarah led global DEI team at Northern Trust,

Tiernan is an equality campaigner and strategy adviser. Until recently he was the Global Director of Inclusion at Clifford Chance for 7 years. Tiernan was Director of the Equality Campaign, the successful Australian marriage equality campaign and Political Director of Yes Equality, the successful Irish campaign for marriage equality – the first two countries to enact marriage equality by public vote.

Sarah is a recognized and highly experienced global HR professional with a particularly deep-rooted specialism in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) acquired over 25 years. She has advised Boards, both UK and Global, within the professional services industry and in the private, public and third sectors. Based in the UK, she has had responsibilities spanning the EMEA region and globally.

Shani is a global authority in inclusion and accessibility, shaping the future of brands, media, and customer experiences with real, measurable impact.

Recognised as the UK’s most influential disabled person and a BBC 100 Women Laureate, trusted by over 350 businesses and brands to seamlessly integrate accessibility into their strategies. Her expertise has driven groundbreaking initiatives.

Cathy joined Everway in 2022 as the company’s first Chief People Officer, bringing over 25 years of HR experience. Inspired by Everway’s strong purpose and values, Cathy is focused on creating a best-in-class global employee experience where everyone feels supported to reach their potential. Her vision is to build an inclusive, high-performing culture that celebrates diversity and fosters a strong sense of community.

Sarah Fennell is a DEI leader with over 11 years of award-winning experience. She is currently focused on making global people practices at Standard Chartered more equitable, building squads and programs to create change and leverage the firm’s unique diversity. Previously she has held roles including Head of EMEA DEI at Macquarie and Moody’s, Head of Industry Impact for Level 20 and D&I at HSBC.

Mali is a multi-award-winning digital leader in banking. He was recognised in the King’s New Year’s Honours list of 2023 where he received a MBE for his contribution to banking and technology. He currently is the Group Head of Digital Experience and Accessibility for HSBC overseeing HSBC’s digital eco system for all customers and staff across the world.

Jemma Garner is Head of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) at Zalando. Guiding the team responsible for the D&I strategy, she is driving the company towards becoming a European leader in equity and inclusion.

With a strong background in buying, sourcing and brand strategy, Jemma combines her industry expertise with a passion for fostering an inclusive workplace and driving meaningful business impact.

Adam (He/Him) is a pioneering advocate in the field of disability inclusion. With a wealth of experience and expertise in disability inclusion consultancy and training, Adam is highly regarded on both national and international stages. His dedication to this field was notably recognised in 2023 when he was listed on The Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100.

Pauline is a HR professional with an extensive background in retail and FMCG, spending earlier career years at Sainsbury’s and Carlsberg before going on to HR business partner various functions of Unilever on a UK, Regional and Global level.

Pauline developed a democratised people agenda during a period of seven years as head of HR for the UK at Arla,

Funda is the Global Leader of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Wellbeing at NielsenIQ (NIQ). She leads the company’s global DEI and wellbeing strategy, shaping inclusive cultures while creating impact that scales across more than 90 countries. Her work spans inclusive leadership, equitable people processes, global wellbeing, employee engagement, and corporate citizenship—including NIQ’s renewed global volunteering platform,

Wil Lewis leads Experian’s inclusion, belonging, and talent acquisition strategy by driving innovation in product development, facilitating key partnerships, and building on the company’s culture of belonging to attract top talent that represents the communities in which Experian operates worldwide.

Prior to joining Experian, Wil was a Diversity & Inclusion Executive at Bank of America.

Marcella Martinetti is Global Culture & Engagement Director at Alstom, a multinational leader in sustainable mobility operating in 63 countries with over 80,000 employees. Alstom designs and builds trains, metro, develops advanced signalling and digital mobility systems, and delivers rail infrastructure and maintenance solutions worldwide.

In her corporate role, Marcella leads Diversity, Equity &

Cassi is the Vice President of People Growth & Belonging at the Wikimedia Foundation. From his base in Amsterdam, he serves as an internal advisor and subject matter expert, leading the teams that support the Foundation-wide learning and development agenda, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across its many Wiki projects—most notably Wikipedia,

Did Somebody Say… Just Eat! Behind this tagline lies a global brand powered by people. But what does inclusion and diversity have to do with that? And how can belonging drive culture and performance? Zakaria Milad leads Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging at Just Eat Takeaway.com, embedding ID&B into the company’s strategy and linking it to business goals.

Birgit Neu is an independent Senior DEI Advisor focussing on the crossroads of DEI, AI and the future of work. She supports organisations including multinational corporates, think tanks, fintechs, and UK sports with strategy design and implementation, change management, research and communications practices. Previously Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at HSBC, Birgit has had a broad career spanning multiple sectors including digital,

As Vice President, International Opportunity & Inclusion and EMEA Total Rewards, Rachna has responsibility for O&I strategy and implementation across all international markets. Previous to her international responsibilities, Rachna has led O&I for Disney EMEA since 2017, leading on strategy, across the region and ensuring that O&I is embedded throughout the whole business to create an all-inclusive workplace.

Nadya is the Founding Partner of Utopia, an award-winning, insight-led culture change business dedicated to maximising human potential through evidence-based strategies. Partnering with global leaders – including Arup, Brambles, Google, Heineken, and P&G – Utopia delivers data-driven programmes that fundamentally transform leadership and team performance.

Combining professional rigour with philanthropic passion, Nadya serves as a Trustee for Sacrewell Farm,

Meg is a passionate disability and neuro-inclusion advocate with lived experience as a disabled and neurodivergent woman. She has designed and delivered comprehensive inclusion training programmes and large-scale consultancy projects nationally and internationally, including work for TfL, the United Nations, NHS, Heathrow, Dyson, Tesco, and Amazon. She has also provided expert disability editorial on accessibility and inclusion standard developments across various sectors.

Formally co-founder of Vercida Consulting, Dan is now Managing Director of FAIRER Consulting. Dan is widely regarded as a global expert on workplace diversity, equity and inclusive leadership having worked extensively on bias mitigation and inclusive leadership across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America. After completing his master’s degree in social critical theory,

Heidi joined ABB in 2001 and has held various leadership roles on local, regional, and global level. Currently Heidi is Group Head of Diversity & Inclusion. She has been fronting the company’s ambitious Diversity & Inclusion efforts the past years and launched the Diversity and Inclusion strategy 2030 with the aim to ensure inclusion of all and equality across all dimensions.

Melisande is the Global Head of Inclusion at Sanofi, where she leads the company’s global strategy to embed inclusion and access across its people, products, and processes.

A proven executive with cross-industry experience spanning the private, public, and social sectors, Melisande has worked across the Americas, EMEA, Asia, and Africa. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of Global Inclusion &

Sandra is an advocate for diversity, inclusion, and belonging, known for her commitment to driving positive change for both employees and customers. Serving until January 2026 as the Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Director for Merlin Entertainments, Sandra boasts a wealth of experience in crafting and executing comprehensive diversity and inclusion strategies. With a profound belief that diverse perspectives are the bedrock of innovation and growth,

Trisch L. Smith is a diversity and inclusion champion, communications strategist, and veteran public relations leader with decades of experience advising global brands on stakeholder engagement, reputation management, and strategic positioning.

During her tenure with Edelman, Trisch has led communications and stakeholder outreach initiatives for numerous Fortune 500 companies, including Starbucks, Unilever, HP,

Lauren is an entrepreneurial Social Responsibility, Equity Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) and Wellbeing leader, founder, board member, and charity trustee with experience in complex, multinational environments across six continents in Consumer, Manufacturing, Technology, Travel and Financial Services. She is one of the youngest women to join the executive leadership team of a FTSE 250 company.

Charlotte Sweeney OBE has specialised in leadership, cultural transformation and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) for over 25 years. Inspired by her global corporate career in the Financial Services sector, she launched Charlotte Sweeney Associates in 2012.

As a Chartered Management Consultant, she thrives on empowering business leaders and organisations to create inclusive workplaces.

Pascale is Regional Culture & Inclusion Strategy Leader Europe at GE Vernova, she has 30 years of experience in Innovation, Strategy, Inclusion and Coaching.

Prior to this role she was the Global Diversity Equity and Inclusion Head at HEINEKEN, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia I&D Heads.
During this time, Pascale trained 4,500 managers on Inclusive Leadership,

Dr. Cornell Verdeja-Woodson is an organizational change leader and mindset coach for high-performing professionals who are ready to get aligned to their life’s purpose, achieve their goals, and make meaningful change. For more than a decade, he’s helped organizations, leaders and teams grow in complex, high-stakes environments. Dr. Cornell has led organizational change and talent development work across companies like Pixar,

Georgina is the Global Inclusion & Impact Director at IHG Hotels & Resorts, leading the company’s global strategy on inclusion. With over a decade of experience across hospitality, finance, and professional services, Georgina has held multiple Inclusion and talent roles at LSEG, EY, and HSBC. At IHG, she has led transformative initiatives across inclusive leadership,

Johanna Westhauser is a culture and inclusion leader with extensive experience advancing organisational wellbeing, inclusion, and employee engagement through measurable, business-aligned outcomes. She currently leads a global team driving inclusion learning at Amazon. Her background includes HR consulting at Willis Towers Watson, diversity research and advocacy with Business in the Community, strategic diversity leadership across EMEA at Morgan Stanley,

Fadzi Whande is a Global Diversity and Inclusion Strategist, Behavioral Scientist, and Executive Leadership Coach who serves as Chief of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Section at UNHCR. She brings over two decades of experience leading DEI transformation and advising senior leaders in complex multinational organisations.

Drawing on her expertise in behavioral science and organisational change,

Nadia is a coach for executives and teams across Takeda helping them to intentionally activate DE&I to build high performing teams, increase innovation and successfully tackle business challenges.

Nadia has cross-industry and geographical experience leading DE&I, Employee Experience and Wellbeing in global multinational companies. She has also held roles in Academia and in International Finance at the IMF.