Morgana Aiyer | Accenture
I started my career in sales, but my true calling came when I was seconded to cover maternity in HR role for a colleague.
My future roles from that point were in HR, Talent Succession Planning to Recruitment and over the last 3 years focused on Inclusion and Diversity.
In 2017 I started a role as UKI Inclusion and Diversity Lead which focused on the attraction and hiring diverse where I was able to combine my passion for Inclusion and working with people. My interest in diversity grew and this encouraged me to take the opportunity to co-lead Accenture’s LGBT+ Ally network in 2018 and to move from my role as UK and Ireland Inclusion and Diversity Recruitment and Candidate Engagement Lead to Field HR Team Lead in late 2018.
In my spare time, I have volunteered at a local Arts Centre hosting class for young people providing a safe environment to talk about any concerns. I also have presented and gave career advice at Mums Network events and Graduate Recruitment insight days the importance of an Inclusive Culture and Environment.
Edleen John | KPMG
Edleen is currently in the People function at KPMG and is responsible for co-leading KPMG's Inclusion, Diversity and Social Equality Team.
She is incredibly passionate about diversity and has spent a lot of her personal and professional life focusing on driving gender equality and equality more broadly across society. She is focused on ensuring that gender diversity and equal access to opportunities is a top-priority in the recruitment, retention and progression of women. Edleen's passion is not just restricted to the corporate environment and she believes that she has a key role and responsibility to inspire future generations of young women. To that end, she spends significant time engaging with and mentoring students and young people from all backgrounds and focuses on sharing her experiences, providing academic support and encouraging them to strive to be their best.
In the world of work, Edleen's career has enabled her to work with and support students, experienced professionals and employees to drive gender equality as a business critical agenda. Key initiatives she has driven include delivering organisations' Return To Work Programmes making sure that mothers returning from a career break have an entry-route back into the world of work, designing career development programmes for women at specific career stages, and engaging with men and women through Employee Networking Groups. Edleen vocally advocates for empowering women to drive and shape their own careers in a way that suits them, and that enables them to balance their work and personal lives for the maximum benefit of their wellbeing. She believes that progressive organisations also strive to support this through action and not just lip-service.
Recognising that organisations benefit from diversity only when people can be themselves and are engaged in their roles, she is avid about focusing on creating a culture of inclusion. She believes that individuals can only thrive in an environment where they are valued, respected and listened to and can just be themselves. She firmly believes that diversity isn't just about those from underrepresented groups and is passionate about driving meritocracy. Edleen believes that it's vital for organisations to recognise intersectionality and advocates that creating a world with equality for all means engaging with everyone to achieve success.
Edleen has worked across a number of organisations and has done a variety of roles across the HR and client-facing spectrum. Due to her expertise and experience, she has also shared her learnings, insights and experiences with corporate clients, government agencies, third-party suppliers and the wider business community to help others with the implementation of their Inclusion, Diversity and Social Equality policies, processes and practices across all diversity focus areas. To further the diversity cause across society, Edleen firmly believes in collaboration, sharing best-practice and working with others to drive large-scale change.
Edleen aims to inspire, educate, challenge and influence others and regularly shares her insights via multiple platforms, including at schools, universities, industry and company conferences, diversity focused conferences and female-focused campaigns such as the IAmVisible.
As a British-born Sierra Leonean, she attended local non-selective Comprehensive Schools, before completing her MA (Cantab) in Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge and subsequently her MSc in Organisational Psychiatry and Psychology at King’s College London. She is a GBR member of the British Psychological Society and was recently awarded a Chartered Fellowship (CIPD). In terms of career achievements, Edleen is the youngest person to be promoted to her current level within KPMG Business Services and is the youngest member of the People Leadership Team. In her previous role at Morgan Stanley, she was also the youngest person in EMEA to ever be promoted to Vice President within HR.
Before her career in HR, Edleen started her career as an Investment Banker at Lehman Brothers International.
Caroline Thraves | The University of Wales Trinity Saint David
I joined the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in 2009 and have successfully led several schools since joining the university and have a proven track record of turning underperforming areas into successful areas.
I am currently Head of the School of Fine and Media Arts at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David with management responsibilities for the departments of Fine Art, Photography, Film, Music and Performing Arts. Prior to this I spent 16 years working in Further Education. Before beginning a career in education I studied fashion and worked in the clothing industry as a pattern cutter. My first job in education was on the bottom of the ladder so to speak as a technician and I worked my way up into teaching roles, head of department and head of curriculum after which point I joined the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. I have studied a lot whilst working full time as I strongly believe in the power of education to empower and develop potential. It was not easy to find the time to study whilst working but I knew this along with my determination would pay off. I achieved a PGCE, BA Education MA Education and MSC Management. My personal beliefs in the value of education for transformation have not only enabled my professional development but this has also been fundamental to my approach to leadership.
Sadly, I am the only female manager within Swansea College of Art, UWTSD so I recognise the challenges that women face in the workplace, particularly within academia where gender pay gaps are evident. I am a busy working mother to a 4 year old daughter and so I have a personal understanding of the challenges that working mothers face attempting to balance work and life commitments. I believe in the importance of flexible working to enable women to be able to manage the roles of mother and manager. I try to be a visible working mother and manager for other women to recognise that it is achievable to be both manager and mother and that women do not have to adhere to gender specific norms and behaviours in order to achieve success professionally. I suffered from post natal depression when I had my daughter and I rushed back to work when she was 4 months old to try a present this image of being on top of everything. I didn’t share this with my male colleagues who I knew would have no understanding of what I was going through. It took me a long time to realise that it was not a sign of weakness and it didn’t make me bad at my job, it was just all part of the human condition that we live through. I wasn’t weak, I know that now that I am strong enough to recognise this. This led me alongside a few other colleagues to set up the UWTSD Women’s Network. The Network was established in 2018 to support female staff across UWTSD in both professional and academic posts. The network provides a support mechanism for females within the institution. The network currently has approx. 80 members across four campuses. I volunteer my time to the network because I feel so passionately about it. I manage the communications, emails, newsletters, set up events, speakers, coffee mornings and mentor and support other female members of staff.
Aimee Atkinson | UWE Bristol
I’m a Faculty and Service Liaison Manager within the Student Journey Programme, based at UWE Bristol.
The Student Journey Programme is a series of projects that seek to transform the way UWE works, and enhance the student journey. Having worked at UWE Bristol since 2016, I am really excited about the scope of the programme, and the potential for wide scale improvements that these projects offer.
Before this I worked in, and managed both prison and public libraries. I also worked as a Library Development Officer, where I was responsible for managing ten branches, and facilitating their transition to volunteer run community hubs. I think what links my work in libraries to my current role is people, and the fact I like to talk, be that training a group of volunteers, or presenting project plans to stakeholders. I thrive on the excitement that comes from change projects.
In addition to my day job I have a number of other roles, I am one of the Coordinators of UWE Bristol's Women's Forum, a staff network. As a direct result of my work we have become a donation point for the Red Box Project, which sees the sanitary products donated by our staff given back to schools in the local community.
I mentor a number of colleagues; I enjoy mentoring others and seeing them develop and their confidence grow.
I’m part of the City Girl Network, which is a social network for young women living in cities. I write monthly articles for the City Girl Magazine.
I’m also the Board of Trustees for Jacari, a charity that works with universities to pair university students with students from local schools who speak English as an additional language. They work together to improve students English speaking abilities, which in turn boosts their overall academic potential.
I continue my passion for promoting reading and literature by acting as a voluntary judge for BBC Radio 2's 500 words competition on an annual basis.
Joanna Donegan-Edwards | Dartford Science and Technology College
I have been a teacher for 15 years and have held a variety of roles working my way up from being a science teacher to a middle leader but one of the common themes in my entire teaching career has been my work in the area of STEM and promoting females into this area (especially Physics).
I remember being told at Secondary School that ‘Physics was not for girls’ and so I set out to prove that teacher wrong! In my quest, I have worked for WISE and the IOP on their gender balance programmes, researching how we can improve uptake of female students in this area and I regularly attend WES events, celebrating women in engineering. My local school is an all girls’ school and so I am able to share my passion with the students and aim for them to aspire to be the next generation of engineers. I am the first teacher to attend UCL’s MSc in Engineering and Education course and hope this will enable me to bridge the gap between schools and universities and positively encourage females to take up engineering at a higher level.
Kerry Pace | Diverse Learners Ltd
I was a young carer who dropped out of my A-levels twice and as a result had to leave home aged 18.
I signed up to be a Community Service Volunteer as the voluntary role came with accommodation (that meant I wouldn't be homeless) as well as offering me the opportunity to work who had people who had disabilities - the area I knew I wanted to make my career. During my time as a CSV being a full-time carer, to support a disabled student attend Leeds university, I explored courses to become a sign language interpreter but most required qualifications or lots of money. After a lot of perseverance, I found an in-house course at Wolverhampton University to become a Communication Support Worker for Deaf People (CSW) as it required very few qualifications and had no course fees. I went to another new city and used housing benefit to gain accommodation and started the course. I met my husband on the course and after qualifying we both worked as CSW's in mainstream schools and 6th form colleges whilst studying with the Open University (OU) to gain a degree. After sitting my final OU exam, whilst 8 months pregnant and being violently ill, I applied for a temporary post at a local university as a Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) tutor supporting students who had dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD as well as other disabilities.
Within weeks the post was made permanent but also found out I had dyspraxia, Sensory Processing Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder. I had also fallen into a research group due to my curiosity and asking questions regarding the equity of support for all students on all courses as I wanted to increase access to specialist support for students like nurses, social workers, teachers and physiotherapists. During 2007 -2012 I participated in 4 research projects linked to dyslexia, nursing education, use of mobile devices in healthcare settings and use of Skype to enhance access to support for students on health and social care placements / courses. The final project using Skype to increase access to specialist support for students was not adopted by the university, so I decided to leave and found my company Diverse Learners. The hospital my husband worked at as a nurse had just closed and he was without a job but we both believed in the model of support so strongly that we went for it. It was the best thing that could have happened and I have grown in confidence, harnessed my passion and enthusiasm to provide other services too: inclusion training with a specialism for healthcare settings, supporting other parents whose children have dyslexia or dyspraxia, supporting other small business owners who also have a disability, job coaching via Access to Work.
I vlog with my daughter on YouTube - Dyspraxia Tips for Adults and set up Diverse Nurses a lived experience project celebrating the positive attributes of trainee and qualified nurses who have a dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD. I blog and write articles about dyslexia, dyspraxia, inclusion, nursing, use of technology in education and healthcare settings. Diverse Learners opened in 2012 and was unique as we are open from 9am-10pm, 7 days a week, all year around and use Skype to deliver tutorials, training, speaking events and more. This model of support was based on the findings of the research project but experienced a lot of negativity from my peers, sector and other professionals regarding the use of Skype to deliver tutorials. However, in 2018 I was given an award from my professional body recognising me as an exceptional practitioner breaking down barriers through innovative and accessible practice and campaigning for disabled students in higher education. I am proud of my part in bringing about awareness and change and that many of the Diverse Learners team have a disability.
April-Louise Pennant | University of Birmingham
April-Louise is a firm believer in the importance of “lifting as you climb” and she has consistently demonstrated this with her active and passionate participation in leading, organising and supporting a range of events and activities aimed at empowering and inspiring others, alongside developing her academic career.
Driven by her desire for social justice, especially within the education system, she has personally used education as a tool for herself to open her own mind to the possibilities of change, to build effective relationships with a diverse range of people at all levels, and to utilise every opportunity to develop herself both professionally and personally.
After 20+ years in the education system (from primary school until PhD level) she truly has faith in the transformative power of education and hopes that everyone will have the chance to be able to enjoy and thrive within the education system. This has translated into her own research and extra-curricular activities, where she contributes to enriching the educational experiences and journeys of others; working tirelessly to create inclusive, diverse and supportive environments for all.
After gaining First class honours at the end of her undergraduate studies at the University of Kent, April-Louise was awarded the prestigious Economic and Social Research Council Studentship to complete both her Masters and PhD studies at the University of Birmingham. She is currently in the final year of her PhD where she explores the ways in which 25 recent Black British female graduates have navigated, strategised and engaged with/in the English education system, identifying the barriers which may have hindered their progress and recommending ways to counter these. Alongside this, she is alsothe Westmere Scholar for the College of Social Sciences at her University where she organises PhD researcher development and community building activities and events.
Sheree Atcheson | Deloitte
Listed as one of the UK's Top Most Influential Women in Tech & an international multi-award winner for her services to Diversity & Inclusion in the Tech industry, Sheree (@nirushika) is the U.K. Technology Respect & Inclusion Manager, Deloitte; Founder, I Am Lanka; Board-Appointed Global Ambassador, Women Who Code; Contributor, Forbes.
Sheree is a global tech outreach leader and as a paassionate advocate for gaining/retaining women in the tech industry, she launched & led the award-winning U.K. expansion of Women Who Code (womenwhocode.com), since 2013.
Women Who Code is the world’s largest global non-profit dedicated to helping women excel in tech careers. Sheree & her work have been featured in many publications, such as HuffPost, Marie Claire, Wired, ComputerWeekly, The Guardian, Sunday Telegraph, Newsletter & many more.
As a subject matter expert, she also delivers trainings/workshops on : allyship, privilege awareness, unconscious bias, understanding the business of diversity and inclusion, personal branding, empowering yourself to empower others.
The aim of her career is ensuring people are aware of the fantastic opportunities the tech industry has to offer & make certain that people (regardless of gender, race, social stature) are able to benefit from these & reach their full career potential.
Sharniya Ferdinand | NatWest
Sharniya has progressed quickly through NatWest during the past 7 years – growing a reputation as the face of the bank in communities across London.
With experience spanning personal, business and commercial banking this has involved her supporting businesses to grow, scale and create personal wealth. A key part of Sharniya’s success has been to host expert educational business events that encouraged customers to network and exceed their business expectations. These free to attend events quickly became famous both internally and externally to NatWest with significant media coverage.
An additional key part of the work Sharniya led during this time was to support female business owners. In 2017 Sharniya was recognised with the RBS Women’s Opal award for her contribution to Women in Business.
Following the success of her previous role Sharniya was promoted to Business Inclusion Programme Coordinator, a role that is unique to Sharniya. This position involves managing a customer led strategic programme of inclusion activities across the bank and for commercial clients.
As an individual, Sharniya is passionate about diversity and inclusion and empowering those who are underrepresented in their industries and communities. Sharniya is an Inclusion Champion and supports NatWest’s aspiration to be a truly inclusive place to work.
Sharniya has a drive for personal improvement and knowledge which has seen her achieve a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and a Masters in Events and Exhibitions Management. In her spare time, Sharniya writes an online blog - sharing her personal experiences in life - whilst being an avid traveller.
Elizabeth Seward | Airbus
Elizabeth Seward has over 15 years of experience in the space industry and is a Senior Strategist for the Space Systems division of Airbus Defence and Space, responsible for the UK strategy across all areas of satellite manufacturing.
Previous roles include leading the Earth Observation, Navigation and Science marketing team, thermal engineering and mission systems engineering in the future programmes team, where she worked on projects such as the first study for the ExoMars rover and a mission to return a sample from an asteroid.
Elizabeth is on the executive board of Women in Aerospace Europe (WIA-E) and the chair of the WIA-E UK local group, which she helped to set-up in 2016. She is also active in the International Astronautical Federation, sitting on the Entrepreneurship and Investment committee, the Honours and Awards committee, the GEOSS committee and is a previous vice chair and continuing committee member of the Workforce Development and Young Professionals Committee.
As a STEM outreach ambassador, Elizabeth has presented to groups and schools, and has made appearances as a space expert in various media.
Elizabeth has an MPhys degree in Physics with Space Science & Technology from the University of Leicester.