Dr Harveen Chugh | Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship | Warwick Business School
Harveen is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs through teaching and practice.
She is Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Warwick Business School and Course Director for the Distance Learning MBA London programme. She co-leads two of the largest modules at Warwick Business School, which are Entrepreneurial Mindset (taught to 705 undergraduate students) and Business in Practice (taught to 680 postgraduate students). She is also a Mentor on the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Leaders in Innovation Fellows programme.
She founded and managed VIS-3, which provided entrepreneurship programme design and coaching services to universities. She worked on the UK government's graduate entrepreneurs programme with PA Consulting Group, where she managed a portfolio of 25 startups to raise £4.97mn in equity investment.
Harveen has previously held academic roles at Imperial College Business School, Royal Holloway University of London and LSE. She gained her PhD in Entrepreneurship from Imperial College London, holds an MSc in Bioinformatics from Birkbeck College London and BSc in Biology with Business Studies from Queen Mary, University of London.
Amber L'Oste-Brown | Executive Assistant | IFS UK LTD
Amber is a senior Executive Assistant with over twelve years' experience supporting Senior Executives at C-Suite, Director and Group Chairman level across the Charity, Corporate and Private sectors.
Amber currently works as an Executive Assistant providing a high level of support to the Chief Commercial Officer and the General Manager for Enterprise Asset Management at IFS UK Ltd. Previously, Amber worked as an Executive Assistant at Rentokil Initial (FTSE 50 company) supporting multiple Senior Executives including the Chief Marketing, Innovation & Strategy Officer (who was awarded the Marketing Week's Top 100 Marketers in the UK 2021 & 2022) and completed a nine-month secondment as a Project Manager.
Prior to that, Amber was a Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive of WWF-UK, the global conservation charity and a Personal Assistant to the Group Chairman of The Trevellyan Group (HNWI).
Amber has a degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice from the University of Portsmouth, is a Fellow of the Executive & Personal Assistants Association (EPAA) and a Member of the Strategic PA Network. Amber also owns a small bespoke floristry & home decor online business, loves to travel and is a keen amateur photographer.
Caroline Rees Williams | Operations Manager and Exec Assistant | The Valesco Group
Ms Rees Williams is currently Operations Manager and Executive Assistant to the CEO at The Valesco Group, responsible for operations and infrastructure.
Prior to joining Valesco, she worked at an award-winning international hospitality company within the Executive Team, where she managed the global headquarters across operations, finance and HR. Prior to this, she worked for a boutique executive search company, where she project-managed senior searches within the private equity and venture capital industries. Ms. Rees Williams holds a BSc. (Hons) Economics from the University of Birmingham.
Jackie Weldon | Executive Support Assistant | PwC
I’ve been in the EA/PA profession for most of my career, starting as a clerical assistant for a global communications company in the customer services department and eventually moving on to become a PA supporting the senior leadership team.
As part of my personal development, I took on the additional role of leading a programme where I was responsible for guiding new recruits through their development journey and allowed me to develop my own authentic leadership style.
I joined PwC in 2019 as a virtual assistant, quickly building strong relationships with peers and colleagues who now trust me for advice and guidance about the role. I work off site providing proactive support to Partners and Directors, with responsibility for managing my own workload, acting with autonomy, and using my initiative to provide an enhanced experience internally and for clients.
I’ve continued to build my understanding of the business and culture of the company whilst learning new ways of working. I get involved in projects where I can leverage my strengths and learn new skills.
In 2020 I led a team of fellow PAs to design and deliver a virtual digital summit, creating an environment and space where my team were empowered to be creative and curious, expanding their knowledge and stretching themselves further than they believed possible to achieve incredible results.
I ensured my team understood what was expected of them and that they were fully engaged in delivering the best possible outcomes.
Stephanie Brooks | Studio Manager | Igloo Regeneration Limited
Starting as an Office Manager at jmarchitects in 2015, I quickly grew the role given to me and assisted my two Directors in the growth of the practice, focussing on creating an office culture in which everyone felt connected and felt as though they had a voice and a part in helping the drive of the company.
I left in 2020, due to the impacts of pandemic, as part of the senior management team (still acting as PA to 2 x Directors) and national bid co-ordinator. Shortly after I started a similar role at Bowker Sadler Architects, acting as PA to 3 x Directors and "Practice Manager". The role allowed for me to create connectivity amongst the team in a period where many were suffering from isolation caused by the lockdown. I implemented regular 1-2-1 meetings with each team members, to allow for an insight into their workload, work stresses and general mental health. This allowed for all team members to feel as though there was an impartial (non-project related) person to offload to as required, and meant that their wellbeing was treated as priority. I also took ownership of the practice's Social Value outputs, acting as a mentor to NEET adults and as a volunteer with a local charity. I was the driving force behind the practice becoming market leaders in Sustainability. I recently moved to Igloo Regeneration Ltd after learning that they are leaders in both SV and sustainability, in order to further achievements I've made.
Ebanie Xavier-Cope | Year 5 Teacher, Music Lead and EDI Lead | New Horizons Children's Academy
I have been teaching for a number of years, starting my career as a secondary music teacher.
I did that for five years before deciding to become a primary school teacher. I am now in my seventh year as a primary teacher and I am now in the place where I really enjoy my career. It has been a process and there have been many ups and downs along the way. I am also a school governor for my local secondary school as I believe that it is important to give back and to be a positive role model to the next generation.
I am first generation British and have also been taught about the importance of a good ethic so I work hard - I am the first in my immediate family to be awarded a Masters. I come from a loving Caribbean family who still enjoy spending time together. Family is so important to me because no matter what, they'll always be there.
Sianne Ramlal-Tapper | Diversity, Inclusion, Culture & Engagement Specialist | MUFG
I am a DEI and Culture professional with over 5 years of experience and dedicated to creating diverse and inclusive workplaces.
In my current role as a DEI, Culture and Engagement Specialist at MUFG, I advocate for the 'Listen Up, Speak Up' culture principle and lead various projects such as focus group programmes and the launch of quarterly pulse checks to improve the employee experience, provide employee voice across all levels and help drive change. I am passionate about building a workplace culture where everyone feels a true sense of belonging where they can thrive. I am responsible for managing employee engagement, increasing DEI data capture, policy reviews, and other related projects.
Before joining MUFG, I have reviewed recruitment processes and hiring manager training and implemented DEI strategies. I worked as a D&I professional at Financial Times where I led initiatives like creating global D&I training for all employees, D&I learning resources, a talent programme for employees from underrepresented backgrounds and managed the employee networks. I also co-chaired the British Diversity Award nominated FT Embrace employee network, leading inclusion for all races and cultures. The network was shortlisted among over 28,000 submissions for the 2023 awards.
Siqi Chong | Finance Control and Oversight Associate | Nomura
Siqi is a Chartered Accountant and is currently working as a Finance Control and Oversight Associate at Nomura, where she drives through process and control environment improvements and challenges risk and control governance via designing and implementing assurance frameworks within the regulatory reporting space.
She holds a Bachelors in Laws degree from London School of Economics and joined Nomura after qualifying as an Assurance Senior within the Banking and Capital Markets division. She currently leads the Regulatory Reporting Quality Assurance Reviews where she and her team identify risks, control deficiencies, or process gaps within periodic reviews, where thematic findings are presented to senior management to deliver improvements and efficiencies across the functions.
Outside of her day job, Siqi is the Bi Inclusion Lead and Interbank Representative for the Nomura Pride Network and was previously the UK&I Bi Inclusion Lead for EY as well, and works to ensure bi+ individuals are represented in workplaces, collaborating both with other organisations and charities to advance bi+ inclusion where she was highly commended for the Queer Graduate of the Year award in 2021 for her efforts. She is passionate about helping everyone feel like they belong in the workplace and actively campaigns for women's empowerment and LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
Anjali Chorlton | Graduate Technology Analyst | Barclays
Anjali is a Graduate Technology Analyst in the Chief Technology Office at Barclays, working in the Architecture, Practices and Governance team.
Anjali holds a passion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and supporting women in the technology space. Her aim is to stay true to her purpose whilst striving to create a diverse and inclusive workforce. Prior to her time at Barclays, Anjali started her career in retail, moving to Banking in 2019. Anjali worked within Personal Banking, playing an integral role in guiding, and supporting branch customers to help them achieve their financial goals, proactively finding ways to enhance the customer banking experience. Whilst supporting frontline customers, Anjali attended university, securing a First-Class Honours degree in BSc Accountancy. Following this, Anjali went on to serve as a Premier Banking Manager, building and maintaining relationships with a high net worth portfolio of customers, whilst maintaining a visible positive presence in the wider business.
Anjali has created a new initiative to engage Early Careers colleagues through monthly sessions, whilst also assuming a position within employee workstreams that aim to celebrate culture. Through her Early Career, Anjali positively impacts people day on day and has been part of several projects and initiatives such as Early Careers Engagement events, speaking at panel events, mentoring activity and volunteering.
Anjali sits on the UK Leadership team for the Multicultural & Faith Employee Resource Group at Barclays, supporting a key relaunch in 2023. As part of this, Anjali has arranged a global panel event for colleagues to diver deeper into culture and how this has impacted personal and professional journeys.
Grace Benham | Chair, "Channel" employee representation group | Royal National Lifeboat Institution
From my first experiences of joining the workforce as the only female working in a butcher shop at age 14, I quickly realised the importance of a culture of diversity, inclusivity, friendliness and support; values I have always held through my career.
As I continued my education, becoming the first graduate in my family, I grew my passion for leadership and engagement. I joined the graduate scheme with Marks & Spencer and at the age of 25 I was appointed Store Manager with the responsibility of a £10M sales business. Focusing on diversity and inclusivity, I mentored aspiring managers, creating the opportunities needed for others to thrive regardless of age, gender and ethnicity.
I then decided to follow my passion for helping others and joined the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), eventually joining the Engineering directorate. As a non-engineer, I quickly saw an opportunity to develop the people engagement, wellbeing and STEM strategies, while working my way through CIPD qualifications to help broaden my thinking. I co-founded the Bournemouth Council Manufacturing STEM Steering Group, currently lead our award-winning Women in Engineering events, and drive our STEM agenda nationally.
At the age of 33, I am now the Chair of the employee network. I support and lead diversity in all areas of the business, focusing on wellbeing, engagement, case work, employee rights. I continue to live by my values of equity for all by supporting the Race, Young Professionals, LGBT and Disability networks, while co-founding the RNLI Women’s Network.