Because Pronouns Can Save Lives

This insightful conversation was with Nate Shalev, an expert in workplace inclusivity based in the USA. Nate talked me through how we can make others feel safe by learning to use more inclusive language.

Assistive Tech: Essential For Some, Useful For All

In this conversation, I spoke with Rich Purcell, who is a medical doctor and the founder of the assistive technology Caption.Ed, a company which keeps the user’s voice at the heart of their innovation.

Hiring for Diversity: From Intent to Impact

In this conversation, I spoke with Arthur Woods, an author and co-founder of the company Mathison which is on a mission to build organisations that are representative of the communities they employ and serve.

Bespoke Hotels: Design Values Delivering Accessibility

In this conversation, I talked with Robin Shephard, President of Bespoke Hotels. Robin came in to tell me about why the company is pioneering an approach to accessible design-led spaces showcased in properties like the Brooklyn Hotel in Manchester.

Growing the Inclusion Pie

My guest Jody Day is the British founder of Gateway Women, a global friendship support and advocacy network for childless women with a social reach of about 2 million people. Jody came in to talk to me about the implications of diversity and inclusion in the workplace for non-parents.

Challenging the Talent Management Process in the NHS

Nazir Makda works as a Diversity and Inclusion Lead in the NHS. He came in to talk to me about the incredible results he has had in shifting the equality dial throughout the organisation by taking a systemic approach.

Intentional Inclusive Leadership

Fiona Daniel is a diversity and inclusion consultant and an experienced HR professional with a range of experience in blue-chip financial services companies. Fiona came in to talk to me about her take on inclusive leadership as both an opportunity for developing everyone in the workforce and for self-improvement too.

The Importance of the M Word

After her own bad experience with the menopause, Katie Taylor founded The Latte Lounge to support other women. Katie came in to talk to me about the importance of the topic. With an estimated 1 in 6 women in the workforce now aged 50 and over and 1 in 5 leaving employment because of menopause symptoms it’s critical that HR and diversity and inclusion practitioners are aware of the challenges women face.

D&I Learning the Language of Business

In this conversation, I spoke to Aggie Mutuma about the importance of HR practitioners being fully conversant in the language of their business. Aggie gained her senior HR experience in a range of businesses that are household names. She is also an executive coach and the founder of Mahogany Inclusion Partners.

Invest to Get the Best from Disabled Employees

Helen Cooke is the founder and chief executive of MyPlus. Helen joined me for this brilliant conversation about her company which specialises in employment and disability. I met Helen years ago while working at the BBC whilst running the BBC’s disabled staff forum, BBC Ability. I was interested in the employment of disabled people within the corporation and reached out to Helen for some support and advice.

Cyber intelligence consultancy tackling inequalities

In this conversation, I spoke with Emily Taylor, CEO of Oxford Information Labs, known as Oxil. The company is a cyber intelligence consultancy working at the intersection of different disciplines. It is also notable for its own culture of inclusion and a female CEO.

Technology Transforming the Recruitment Funnel

Helen McGuire, founder and CEO of Diversely, came in to talk to me about how their product uses technology to help organisations bake in diversity from the very top of the recruitment funnel.

Making a Dent in Inequalities

Alfred Nelson is the Integration Co-ordinator and chair of the Embrace network at the Growth Company. I was excited when I came across Alfred’s work and the Growth Company because it is very much in alignment with the approach that I take to diversity and inclusion in the book that I wrote, Inclusive Growth.

Achieving Diversity and Inclusion Goals with Disability Connect

Steven Jones set up Disability Connect which runs a reverse mentoring programme with disabled people that helps organisations achieve their diversity and inclusion goals. In this conversation, we talk about Steven’s reasons for setting up Disability Connect and the range of benefits employees bring back to their organisations from getting involved as a mentee on the programme.

Shining a light on Women in eSports

Meg Sunshine is an university student and eSport pro gamer who has set up a Women in eSports Network. Through this network and her Diversity and Inclusion Officer role, Meg hopes to help change the toxic culture in this space as well as provide positive role models for upcoming girls and women who want to get into eSports.

The Impact of Diversity and Inclusion in Supply Chains

In this conversation, I spoke to Mayank Shah of MSDUK. The company supports ethnically diverse business owners to create amazing impacts in their communities through diversifying supply chains.

The GC Index: an Organisational Game Changer

In this conversation Dr John Mervyn-Smith talked me through The GC Index which is the world’s first Organimetric connecting people and business with data that organisations have never had before.

Brave Conversations Opening the Door to the Unsaid

Helen Farmer is a diversity and inclusion and social mobility consultant, activist and speaker. In this episode of the Inclusive Growth show, Helen and I talked about the need to be brave and have frank conversations when it comes to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

A is for Acceptance

In this conversation, I spoke with gender identity speaker, consultant and specialist Cynthia Fortlage. We spoke about her lived experience, how it brought her to this work and she shared her insights and unique method, not only of seeing the world, but making it a more inclusive space for all marginalised groups of people.

Leading with Pride – the Gay Leadership Dude

Dr Steven Yacovelli is the author of Pride Leadership: Strategies for the LGBTQ+ Leader to be the King or Queen of Their Jungle. Our conversation covered his take on diversity and inclusion and we took a close look at the six key areas he covers about leadership in his book.

Brilliant Reasons to Employ Disabled People

Jane Hatton is an author who runs Evenbreak which is a jobs site, career service and consultancy for disabled people and employers. I talk to her about why and how to recruit disabled people and we take a deep dive into her latest book covering four key areas that employers really should be thinking about to get more disabled talents into their organisation.

Breaking the Silence on Domestic Abuse

In this eye-opening interview, I spoke to Josh Munro, COO of Break the Silence UK about different types of domestic abuse. Josh shone a light on the groups of people who are equally affected by this but sometimes overlooked by services. We discussed how organisations can support employees to safely access support and other useful signposts to resources.

Trigger warning: this article contains references to domestic abuse and descriptions of emotional and psychological abuse.

From Onboarding to Belonging

In this episode of the Inclusive Growth Show I talk to Chris Jones from Enboarder. Chris explains how the Enboarder digital platform creates a great onboarding experience and is crucial to creating that sense of belonging on an employee journey.

Creating Wiggle Room for Inclusion

William Wildridge runs a tech start-up that has developed an innovative digital product called WiggleDesk. The product has harnessed user-led design to help organisations manage hybrid working in a more inclusive way.

Tackling Imposter Syndrome Through Diversity and Inclusion

In this episode of Inclusive Growth I spoke to Lea Sellers and Ros Adler the co-founders of Confidence People and experts on impostor syndrome, which affects a lot of people.

Targeting Diversity

Leana Coopoosamy-Pearson is a diversity and inclusion practitioner at the global law firm Clifford Chance. In this conversation we discussed how the firm uses data to set specific but nuanced targets and how they never rest on their laurels when the goal is reached.

Bringing Good Vibes in D&I

This conversation features Bernadette Smith, who is an author, keynote speaker and D&I advisor to top companies. She also finds time to send out the 5 Things newsletter every Saturday morning, which is packed with good news diversity, equity and inclusion stories to inspire organisations and individuals.

Groupthink and Silver Bullet

Robert Hopkin is a former management consultant who has spent a lot of time in meetings over the years. Through his experience he realised that many meetings aren’t inclusive or effective. With his co-founders he has set up Axis, a digital platform to help people run meetings that make the most of diversity and let everyone have a voice.

Everyday Actions to Become Better Ally at Work

In this interview I spoke to Karen author, speaker and leadership coach about her book “Better Allies” and everyday actions people can take in the workplace towards being a better ally.

Musicians on an Inclusive Mission

In this interview I speak to the founders of Digit Music and creators of Control One, a device that removes the restrictions to music creation for disabled artists.

Changing Cultures to Create Inclusion

Emma Codd, the Global Inclusion Leader at Deloitte, talked to me about inclusion, changing organisational culture through everyday behaviours and the importance of leaders being accountable for change.

Inclusive Growth: No-one is Left Behind

Kamran Mallick is the chief executive of Disability Rights UK. In this conversation we discuss inclusion in the context of the workplace and the pandemic and the importance of keeping intersectionality in mind for any diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Getting Data Savvy about Diversity

Nicola Paul is a diversity and inclusion practitioner and founder of Good Work Life. In this interview we talked about good governance, looking at the same data through a different lens and personal actions around inclusion that everyone can commit to.

Inclusive Travel by Design

Josh Wintersgill is an entrepreneur whose love of travel led to him developing a product to make other disabled travellers' lives easier which also won him the Stelios Award for Disabled Entrepreneurs. I chatted to him about his career so far and future plans.

The Inclusion Initiative: Evidencing the Bottom Line

Freddie Herbert talked to me about The Inclusion Initiative. The team is based at the London School of Economics and is working to create a valid evidence base for inclusive companies and the impact of that on the balance sheet.

How to Serve Humanity with Business

Iyas AlQasem set up Beyond the Quarter to help business grow in line with their purpose and values. In this interview he eloquently explains the approach and how it links with diversity and inclusion. Learn more about Iyas work and contact him at https://beyondthequarter.com/

Creating Psychologically Safe Workplaces

Rikia Birindelli-Fayne is a Director at Catalyst, a global non-profit that works with leading organisations to build workplaces that work for women. Rikia has particular expertise in creating psychological safety which was the focus of our conversation.

Harnessing the Power of Inclusive Language

Jenifer Clausell-Tormos is on a mission to close the gender and diversity gap at speed. Her company Develop Diverse is achieving staggering results with its technology that leverages language to increase the diversity of the talent pipeline and more besides.

The Inclusive Entrepreneur

In this interview I learned how my friend Srin Madipalli keeps inclusion at the heart of everything he has done in his diverse career. It’s a fascinating journey that’s taken him from genetics to law to coder to Airbnb in San Francisco and now back to the UK.

Content Builds Community with d&i Leaders

Mark Baker, Founder of d&i Leaders, has created a purpose-led organisation dedicated to providing high-quality content, training and events which helps D&I professionals deliver positive change within their organisations.

Women Transforming Tech

Toby speaks with Anna Brailsford, CEO of Code First Girls, an organisation dedicated to transforming tech. Code First Girls provide the skills, space and inspiration for women to become developers and future leaders in the tech industry.

Rip it Up and Start Again

Toby talks to Darren Burns, the National Recruitment Ambassador at the Timpson Foundation. He finds out why the Timpson Group is at the forefront of ex-offender employment and why other employers might want to rip up their HR policies and do the same.

Inclusion for Customer Experience

Christine Hemphill talked to me about her consultancy Open Inclusion and the tools and impact of their work with clients to create better, more inclusive products and services for every customer.

Diversity in the DNA

In this Inclusive Growth conversation I caught up with Nick Davis, the Director of Engagement and Inclusion at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Nick shared both his experiences of embedding diversity in the organisation’s DNA and the impact of racial discrimination in his life.

Inclusion in the Boardroom

This conversation is with Dr Alice Maynard, an expert on inclusion and diversity in senior leaders and within non-exec directorships on a range of boards.

Shaping Cultures with Diversity and Inclusion

In this episode I had a great catch up with the business psychologist Dr Sylvana Storey Eisenecker who talks about the importance of leadership, and diversity and inclusion for successful organisational culture change.

Diversity and Inclusion – Not Just The Right Thing To Do

I talk to Mark Dearlove, chairperson of Spinal Muscular Atrophy UK, who has experience of the benefits of diversity and inclusion in both the not-for-profit and the banking and finance sector.

Tomorrow’s Best Work Today

For this conversation the author of ‘The Human Workplace’ Andy Swann came and talked about the link between diversity and inclusion and enabling people to do good work in the workplace.

Freshest Thinking for Diversity and Inclusion

In this episode I talk to Mitzi Wyman about using the Thinking Environment to transform the quality of people’s listening and capture their freshest thinking by adopting its inclusive tools and techniques.

Taking a Team Approach to Diversity

In this interview I spoke to the Paralympian, Andy Barrow, about the importance of teamwork, feedback and training when growing an inclusive business culture.

Diversity at the Heart of the Innovation Engine

Riccardo Weber talks to me about the Three Ts and how his company True Innovation keeps diversity and inclusion at the heart of all successful innovation.

Learning the Language of Diversity

In this episode I talk to Joanne Lockwood about speaking the language of diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Design for Life

In this interview with Mei-Yee Oram I find out why designing with the whole community in mind not only makes more inclusive spaces but also saves money and improves wellbeing.

To learn more about the work that Mei’s team does on inclusive design, visit their team page on https://www.arup.com/expertise/services/buildings/accessible-environments where their contact details are listed.

Equipped for Inclusion

In this interview discover why staff satisfaction isn’t rocket science and how Michael Vela’s company Aequip can help companies to listen inclusively and improve their workforce experience.

The Digital Accessibility Journey: From Good to Great

Best practice in global digital accessibility has now been brought together in one International Standard. Learn how an organisation can use this learning to get better at digital accessibility, wherever they are starting from.

Designing for Diversity

Find out how David O’Coimín has used inclusive design principles to give every office worker who needs some quiet time a nook to call their own.

Speaking Truth to Power in the Music Industry

In this podcast interview I talk to Ammo Talwar MBE about his diverse career building bridges between local communities and the music industry as well as his role as chair of the UK Diversity Task Force.

Facing Up to the Issue of Race in the Workplace

Dr. Jonathan Ashong-Lamptey reflects on his workplace diversity and inclusion doctoral research and the importance of understanding a range of privileges to create a true meritocracy.

Working on Trust

Find out why Ursula Tavender from Taking Care of Business believes offering flexible working in every job role is the primary mechanism for building an inclusive workforce.

Shining a ‘Purple’ Light

In this conversation, I talk with Kate Nash about PurpleSpace and her illuminating book "Secrets & Big News" which enables people to bring their authentic selves to the workplace.

Nurturing High-Performing and Inclusive Teams

Colin Campbell-Austin tells us about nurturing high-performing and inclusive teams in his British Airways Talent Garden

Employee Experience = Employer of Choice

Employee experience is critical to building inclusive growth within an organisation. In this interview Miles Skelton of MVMNT shares how it's done.

Doubling Down on Diversity and Inclusion

In this episode I talk to Stephen Frost, CEO, author and lecturer about the possibilities that doubling down on diversity and inclusion create for business.

Tuning in to Microaggressions

Microaggressions might appear to be an individual problem, but over time they can affect the health, wellbeing and productivity of the whole workforce. In this interview Rosie Turner tells me how InChorus can provide data to target emerging issues.

Belonging – Stronger Together

I interview Isabel Collins who is a specialist in culture and belonging. In it she speaks eloquently about developing organisational belonging and her strong belief that we always achieve more together.

The Pulling Power of the Purple Pound

In this interview the founders of a new influencer marketing agency Purple Goat talk about the power of the disabled community’s purple pound and how brands are missing a trick when it comes to advertising.

The Power of Belonging

It might feel counterintuitive, but for some organisations, diversity and inclusion and a sense of belonging is even more important during the challenges of working through a global pandemic. To find out more, I spoke with Sally Bucknell, the Director of Diversity and Inclusiveness for EY in the UK.

Articulating the Vision for Diversity and Inclusion

To help future-proof business by creating a diverse workplace, I had a great conversation with Loraine Martins Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Network Rail. Having spent the last twenty years understanding how we implement diversity and inclusion throughout organisations, Loraine is one of the top D&I practitioners in the country.

Inclusive Procurement at HS2

Find out how HS2 is embedding equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the organisation to deliver its vision. Inclusive systems and processes are integral to becoming both the ‘backbone’ of the railway network and a catalyst for growth across Britain.

Diversity and Inclusion As the Golden Thread

Discover how, even in an era-defining crisis, diversity and inclusion is the golden thread that can support business to survive and regrow successfully on the other side. I interview Peter Cheese. He is the Chief Executive of the CIPD, which is the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and the CIPD is the professional body for HR, and people development. I was keen to find out what progress he feels diversity and inclusion has made.

More than Meets the Eye

In this interview, I speak to Boris, Chief Scientific Officer for Cognisess. Boris explains how its predictive people analytics platform works for organisations looking to build all kinds of diversity. Find out more about this powerful yet fun to use tool and how it delves beyond the superficial to harness workforce potential.

Designing for Diversity

In this interview Ben Brown, Head of Engineering for Europe from Intuit QuickBooks talked to me about how the company uses inclusive design to improve the customer experience and diversity of colleague experience. He also explains how the whole thing started at a kitchen table.

Agile Thinking

Andrew Jones talks to me about Agility in Mind, the company he founded ten years ago to help companies apply the Agile manifesto principles. Andrew discusses how Agile principles benefit organisations, by bringing people and their diverse perspectives together to work on shared goals.

Beyond the Rainbow

Jennifer Pyne talks to me about her research-based tips for companies keen to grow their diversity and inclusion brand activities and communications the right way. Find out how to avoid making common mistakes with visual content like not plastering those well-meant rainbows and hands everywhere.