Jaycee Fox-Breeze | Scheme Underwriting Manager | Aviva
I have over 20 years' experience working in Group Protection, having joined Aviva when I was 20 years old. I am incredibly proud of the progress I have made during this time; gaining underwriting authority limits, working with large clients and growing our business, and progressing through my career to become a leader. Despite leaving school at 16 with good qualifications, I was unable to go to College or University. Aviva has allowed me to thrive and not having any further education has not held me back. I currently lead a team of 11 underwriters and pride myself on being an approachable and empathetic leader. I balance my day job by being an active member of Aviva's DEI initiatives; from organising events, interviewing colleagues for articles and even filming videos, this has allowed me to use my creative ADHD brain whilst making a real difference to our culture. I am also proud to have mentored both junior and senior colleagues. I see my biggest achievement as helping my team to realise their potential as they progress through their own career journeys - it really is the icing on the cake for me!
Holly Sitch | Management Liability Team and Placement Leader | Marsh
Holly is the Management Liability Team and Placement Leader for regional business at Marsh, with over 10 years experience in broking. She actively leads initiatives aimed at building technical skills and knowledge; promoting growth; and enhancing colleague collaboration. With a background in mentoring and promoting early careers; developing colleagues is something Holly is extremely passionate about. Holly is committed to building an inclusive environment that prioritises allyship. As a working mum of 2 young children; 'supporting working parents' and raising awareness of the challenges of this has become a key focus of hers in recent years.
Sanjana Sharma | People and Culture Business Partner | Pure Data Centres
I am a law graduate who has completed her LLB and LLM degree.
I thought I would become a solicitor one day but at that time I didn't know that I'm a true 'peoples person'. I enjoyed learning the law but needed a career where I was working and collaborating with other people so I took the turning into Human Resources.
I started my career as a HR Officer and in a few years built my career to a true HR Business Partner for a globally recognised Data Centre company names Pure Data Centres.
I a true HR generalist but my passion is Employee Relations (ER) as dealing with ER matters ensures two days are never the same. I meet people from all types of backgrounds, races, religions every day and although I support them on a daily basis, I myself earn something new every single day!
Victoria Howard | Senior Social Mobility Inclusion Manager | Browne Jacobson
As Browne Jacobson’s Social Mobility lead, Victoria supports social mobility within the firm and beyond. Her work includes outreach, recruitment, training, inclusion and advocacy. A professional communications and social mobility expert, Victoria’s career has focused on improving workplace experiences for people from under-represented backgrounds.
Victoria’s experience spans the legal sector and academic research with real-world impact. Victoria qualified as a solicitor in 2008 and worked in large international firms before making the move into teaching law and gaining a PhD in Sociolinguistics. She has spent the last eight years supporting diverse organisations across the public and private sectors to build fairer, more productive and happier workplaces. She is passionate about good communication that makes everyone feel valued and included.
Victoria is a regular public speaker at industry, academic, outreach and student events. A recent career highlight has been giving oral evidence on social mobility to the Women and Equalities Committee in the House of Commons. Victoria has recently led the firm's brand new mentoring programme for care leavers and co-created ground-breaking accent and socioeconomic background bias training, with University of Nottingham. Her work aims to raise awareness of the impact of "class" bias on entry to, and progression within, workplaces.
Victoria is a mentor supporting people into fulfilling careers and volunteers in grassroots cricket.
Elena Koycheva | Sustainable Investing Specialist | Northern Trust Asset Management
Elena Koycheva, CFA, CAIA, CIPM is a Sustainable Investment Specialist at Northern Trust Asset Management. Prior to joining NTAM Elena worked at RBC BlueBay Asset Management as Head of ESG Client Experience where she focused on effectively articulating the firm’s responsible investment proposition with investors. Elena has previously held roles at Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Candriam Investors Group. Elena’s academic qualifications include a Summa Cum Laude Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a Concentration in Finance and Master’s degrees in Portfolio Management, Corporate Finance and Banking, Finance and Risk Management. Elena is a CFA charterholder, a CAIA charterholder, a CIPM designation holder and has obtained the IMC qualification, the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing, the Certificate in Climate and Investing and the Certificate in Impact Investing. Elena’s contribution to the investment management industry has been recognised as the winner of the “Unsung Hero” category in the Women in Investment Awards 2023, winner of the “Diversity and Inclusion Leader of the Year” Award 2020 by Funds Europe; she has also been featured in the HERoes Future Leaders lists. Elena is a member of the Board of CFA UK and leads its Sustainability Committee. She chairs the CAIA London chapter and is a member of the 100 Women in Finance MidCareer Committee and co-chairs the ESG Peer Advisory Group. Elena is also an Ambassador to the Diversity Project.
Danielle Adams | Head of Recruitment | Get Further
With over 15 years’ experience in recruitment, employability and talent development, I have built a career focused on connecting people with opportunities and delivering impact through high-volume recruitment and inclusive hiring practices. I am currently Head of Recruitment at Get Further, where I lead the national recruitment strategy and team responsible for attracting GCSE resit tutors across the UK. I oversee the full recruitment pipeline, ensuring we appoint high-quality tutors who support students to achieve essential English and maths qualifications and unlock future education and employment opportunities.
Prior to this, I spent almost a decade at Teach First, the UK’s largest teacher training provider. Progressing from Application Management Officer to Experience Hires Recruitment Manager, I led a team delivering a national recruitment strategy for experienced professionals entering teaching. I managed end-to-end candidate journeys and annual targets of over 700 trainees, operating in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
My work spans recruitment strategy, CRM analytics through Salesforce, team development and designing systems that improve performance and candidate experience.
Earlier in my career, I worked in recruitment and employability roles with organisations including EOS and Intraining, supporting long-term unemployed individuals into work. These experiences ignited my passion for tackling disadvantage and expanding access to opportunity.
Cherie Stephenson | DEI and employee engagement manager | Browne Jacobson LLP
I am a passionate person with over 20 years experience within the HR profession.
A culmination of experiences has led me to focusing my experiences within the field of DEI and employee engagement where my drive is to make positive change where I work and for anyone to feel like they can be the person they wish to be whilst working with us.
I am a mother of two young children and come from a family grafters so through my core being I feel what it is like to work hard and provide for those I love the most.
Emma Cahill | Head of Early Careers EMEA | Macquarie
Emma Cahill is Head of Early Careers EMEA, responsible for shaping and delivering graduate, internship and early‑talent programmes across the region and within Commodities and Global Markets on a global scale. Working at the intersection of business strategy, people and engagement, Emma partners closely with senior stakeholders to build sustainable, high‑quality talent pipelines that meet evolving business needs.
Known for her pragmatic and people‑centred leadership style, Emma has a strong track record of translating complex workforce requirements into inclusive, commercially effective programmes. She leads with credibility and empathy, influencing without formal authority and creating environments where early‑career talent can thrive.
Emma is passionate about widening access to opportunity and supporting emerging talent to build confidence, capability and long‑term careers. She is recognised for championing meaningful engagement, driving continuous improvement, and acting as a trusted advisor to both the business and her team. With a clear focus on impact, inclusion and future leadership, Emma is committed to shaping the next generation of talent across EMEA.
Ianna Alberto | Specialised Foundation Doctor | St. George's, University of London
Ianna is a Specialised Foundation Doctor in London, currently completing clinical rotations with a research block in Paediatrics. Holding a BSc in Clinical Bioscience and an MBBS, she combines academic excellence with purposeful leadership.
In her final year of medical school, she was awarded a Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA) Scholarship in recognition of her leadership potential. Through this programme, she founded “Bridging the Gap”, a student-led teaching initiative supporting the transition from pre-clinical study to clinical practice, equipping students with practical skills and confidence for their first placements.
A strong advocate for widening participation, Ianna has presented nationally on near-peer teaching and equitable access to medicine as Research Lead of her university’s Medical Education Society. As President of the Teddy Bear Hospital Society, she introduced its first special educational needs (SEN) school visit and trained volunteers to deliver inclusive sessions, later contributing to national rollout of similar initiatives.
She went on to co-found the first Pan-London universities paediatrics conference and lead the National Paediatric Fundraising Society, mobilising student engagement across the UK.
Ianna is building a career defined not only by clinical progression, but by her commitment to empowering others and shaping a more inclusive future for healthcare.
Lois Owumi | Project Officer | Dementias Platform UK
Lois Owumi is a Project Officer at Dementias Platform UK, working across nationally significant programmes, where she leads complex, multi-stakeholder health data initiatives that accelerate research to support people affected by neurodegenerative conditions.
With a degree in accounting, Lois began her career in finance before pivoting into project management. She holds a master’s degree in business analytics and brings over 7 years of experience across sectors. She has overseen multi-million-pound programmes, strengthened cross-sector collaboration and introduced structured reporting and governance processes that enhance transparency, accountability and impact.
As a hearing impaired professional, Lois brings lived experience of accessibility & inclusion into her work. She is intentional about ensuring inclusion is not an afterthought but embedded across board.
Beyond her role in the public sector, Lois is the Founder of EPI-Tech, an education & career development platform that supports aspiring professionals to transition into tech careers. She also volunteers within the SEND sector and supports community initiatives through Black Mental Health Support, championing opportunity for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds.
A finalist at the Black Tech Achievement Awards and a member of the Future Generations Leadership Academy (Wales), Lois is recognised as a Black woman in a non-coding tech role, that champions visibility and equitable access to opportunities