Black Inclusion Week
11th to 18th May 2026
Speaker line up for Black Inclusion Week 2026
Meet the inspiring speakers who will take to the stage during Black Inclusion Week 2026. Through powerful lived experience, honest reflection and practical insight, they will challenge thinking, share what works and spotlight the actions that drive real change.
This is more than a series of talks—it is a space to learn, connect and move from intent to impact. Whether you are a leader, ally, student or community member, these sessions will leave you informed, motivated and ready to act.
Join us to hear from voices shaping the future, gain tools you can use beyond the week, and be part of a shared purpose that delivers real outcomes.
The conversations will start here—make sure you are in the room.
Aggie Yemurai Mutuma
CEO, Diversity and Inclusion expert, executive coach, speaker
Aggie Yemurai Mutuma
CEO, Diversity and Inclusion expert, executive coach, speaker
Aggie Mutuma is the CEO and lead consulting director of Mahogany Inclusion Partners. She is a passionate, award winning Inclusion and Anti-Racism expert, People Leader and Executive Coach with a track record of supporting organisations as they build cultures where everyone can thrive.
She works with Exco leaders and their teams to deliver DEI and Anti-Racism strategies. Cross industry organisations she has supported include global FTSE100 organisations, consultancy firms, retailers, third sector and public sector organisations.
She is a trusted advisor for the CIPD and an engaging speaker, for many leading organisations, most recently for the CBI, and the CIPD Annual Conference 2020.
Aggie’s experience of HR leadership in large and small organisations, her experience as an executive coach, her expertise in diversity and inclusion and her warm, empathetic and engaging style all combine to make Aggie an excellent speaker and panellist.
Sope Agbelusi
Executive coach, international speaker, and founder of MindsetShift
Sope Agbelusi
Executive coach, international speaker, and founder of MindsetShift
Sope is a renowned executive coach, international speaker, and founder of MindsetShift. His unique ability to shift perspectives and install new mindsets enables his clients to navigate ambiguity and complexity confidently. Sope’s coaching style is collaborative, expansive, and results-oriented, partnering with clients to achieve their goals while challenging them to grow.
He has worked with various clients, including Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies, startups, government agencies, and non-profits such as Google, HSBC, and Philips. As an in-house executive coach at Shopify, the world’s largest e-commerce platform, Sope guides individuals and teams through the fast-paced and ever-changing business environment.
Sope’s leadership development company, MindsetShift, focuses on exploring personal and professional selves, fostering high-performing teams, and creating inclusive and equitable cultures that thrive in uncertainty and change.
With his extensive leadership experience and background in finance, project management, and consultancy, Sope brings a unique perspective to navigating the corporate world. He is committed to supporting his clients’ growth and seeing more Black leaders in senior positions.
Bernadette Thompson OBE
Director of Inclusion at Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Bernadette Thompson OBE
Director of Inclusion at Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Bernadette Thompson OBE, currently the Director of People and Culture at North Middlesex University Hospital Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, boasts a distinguished career spanning Barts Health Trust and several pivotal government departments. As a forward-thinking HR professional, her expertise lies in Diversity, Inclusion, Culture, and Inclusive practices. Demonstrating a remarkable history of utilising leadership skills and business acumen, Bernadette has pioneered innovative strategies, fostering accountability, and engagement in talent pipelines while catalysing cultural transformations. Co-chairing a multi-award-winning cross-Government race network for five years, she holds a pivotal role as an influencer and trusted partner to senior leaders across diverse sectors. Recognized for her impactful work, she secured the Workplace Hero award in the 2020 Investing in Ethnicity Awards and the “We are the City” Rising Star Champion award in 2021. Her exceptional contributions were further acknowledged with an OBE in June 2021 for services to Diversity and Inclusion, and in 2023, she earned a coveted spot on the top 50 Inclusive Companies Diversity Powerlist.
Dr T Ayodele Ajayi
Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr T Ayodele Ajayi
Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr T Ayodele Ajayi is a Consultant Psychiatrist and a Fellow of the UK Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is the Royal College of Psychiatrist’ South East Division Recruitment Lead. He is a public mental health educator and advocate, and regularly features as a mental health columnist and as guest in several media interviews on mental health of people of Black heritage in the UK. He has on multiple occasions being a voice and a champion to the Black Community for the Office of Health Improvements and Disparities’ Every Mind Matters campaign.
Rob Neil OBE
Co-author of ‘The Key to Inclusion’
Rob Neil OBE
Welcome to my professional journey, where a lifelong commitment to fostering diversity, inclusion, and racial equity has been the cornerstone of my career. My career highlights include:
Ministry of Justice (1983 – 2019)
My career as a civil servant spanned over three decades with the Ministry of Justice. During this time, I honed my skills and expertise in various roles, contributing to the administration of justice.
Chair of the Civil Service Race Forum (2016 – 2018)
Elected as the Chair of the Civil Service Race Forum, I passionately led initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion within the civil service.
Trustee with RELATE (2008 – Present)
As an elected Trustee with RELATE, I have been dedicated to supporting relationship well-being and contributing to the organisation’s mission.
Founding Member and Volunteer with Reach Society
I am proud to be a founding member and ongoing volunteer with the Reach Society (@ReachSociety10), actively engaging in initiatives that empower and uplift communities.
OBE Recipient (2018)
Recognised for ‘Services to Race Equality in the Workplace and the Community,’ I was honoured with an OBE in 2018, a testament to my commitment to fostering positive change.
Department for Education (2019 – 2021)
Building on my civil service experience, I continued my journey with the Department for Education, contributing to strategic initiatives in education.
HR Magazine’s ‘Most Influential Thinkers’ (October 2021)
In October 2021, I was included in HR Magazine’s prestigious list of fifty ‘Most Influential Thinkers,’ acknowledging my impact in the field.
Co-author of ‘The Key to Inclusion’ (May 2022)
In May 2022, I co-wrote my first book, ‘The Key to Inclusion,’ published by Kogan Page, aiming to share insights and contribute to the discourse on diversity and inclusion.
D&I Leaders ‘Inspirational Leaders’ List (June 2022)
Recognised internationally, I was honoured to be included in the D&I Leaders’ ‘Inspirational Leaders’ list in June 2022.
Mahari Hay
Highly experienced people focused leader
Mahari Hay
Highly experienced people focused leader
I am an award winning, highly experienced communications, engagement, and people focused leader who actively seeks out and delivers on opportunities to transform traditional ways of working, improve colleague and leadership engagement as well as excellent creative strategy development and execution. My purpose is to make a difference to the lives of others, so I will always encourage others to adopt a growth and inclusive mindset, explore opportunities not barriers and use my extensive knowledge and network to guide them to achieving and delivering great results. I have over 19 years’ experience working in the highly complex and dynamic Financial Services Sector. My exceptional ability to understand the ‘colleague sentiment’ is what I pride myself on, as I have built a great reputation of being able to develop and ‘tell the right story’ that not only educates but can also motivate and inspire at all levels of an organisation.
Nadine Dyer
Nadine Dyer
Nadine is a Senior Manager at Deloitte and leads inclusion in the Financial Advisory business, and recently led the Black Experience across the UK firm. She is the former Chair of the award-winning Multicultural Network at the firm and sits on the Ethnicity Council as an advisor.
Nadine is an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion and champions the voice and experience of under-represented groups. She is dedicated to not only bringing to light the importance of DEI, but takes a proactive stance, working with business lines, central functions, and external organisations to improve experiences and drive positive and impactful change.
Nadine has been listed as one of ten Future Leaders as part of the Ethnicity Awards’ Top 100+ List 2020 for her efforts. She was also listed in the EMpower Ethnic Minority Role Model Future Leader list in 2018 and 2020 and was recently recognised and won the category for professional services at the 2023 Baton Awards.
She has been pivotal in driving the conversations on race across the firm; educating allies and contributing to the evolving positive cultural change.
Passionate about helping young people achieve their full potential Nadine is also a Trustee at Reedham’s Children’s Trust
Asmara Kazmi
Asmara Kazmi
With Asmara’s decade of experience streamlining organisations across industries, she helps businesses keen to ready themselves for their next level. Her 60-day 3D sprint diagnoses inefficiencies, delivers an actionable operational risk map and ROI report, and gives you three fast wins. If there’s a fit, she can then explore the possibility of bringing her on as your fractional COO.
Fun fact about Asmara: She does a new thing every day, having done so for the past nearly four years. She’s dubbed this habit THE GERONIMO PROTOCOL™ and speaks about it in her book and through keynotes on adaptive intelligence, creating change catalysts, and cultivating mental health.
Ben Motley
Ben Motley
Benjamin Motley is the founder of the award-winning Three Trees Center for Change, where he has spent over 20 years working with individuals involved in domestic and sexual violence, and sociopathy. Through this work, Ben became deeply attuned to the harmful patterns of control and disconnection—and noticed these same dynamics often show up in workplace culture. This realization inspired him to shift his focus to working with organizations, where he now helps leaders drive personal growth, foster intersectional insight, and create transformative workplace cultures.
Ben also co-hosts the Ben and Jamesa Podcast, where he and Jamesa challenge oppressive thinking patterns behind leadership decisions and explore what it means to lead with courage, insight, and humanity.
Ben experiences much meaning in life through spending time with his wife and kids and wandering around the El Camino trail.
Richard Etienne
Richard Etienne
Former official videographer to British Prime Minister Theresa May, Richard holds senior communications positions within the private and third sectors and has aided the online promotion of global brands in academia, art, and politics for over 18 years. Currently Director of Internal Communications at Elsevier, a medical data and technology company, Richard is also a Masterclass tutor with The Guardian News and Media and is also the founder of The Introvert Space and Black Introvert Week UK.
Katrina Young
Katrina Young
Katrina Young is a human-focused trailblazing Futurist, CTO, and Strategic Business Consultant who has been named among the Top 40 Digital UK Women to Watch (2020) and recognised as a Digital Innovator (2021), Black Tech Innovator nomination 23, Featured in global platforms such as Forbes, The Times, Psychologies Magazine, and BBC News, Katrina’s expertise lies in Ethical Human Focused Inclusive AI adoption, digital transformation, and sustainable business strategies.
With over 26 years of experience, she has become a trusted advisor to enterprises, SMEs, startups, and global organisations. Her proven methodologies help businesses harness the power of technology, turning innovation into impact and ideas into scalable, profitable solutions.
Sally Spicer
Sally Spicer
Sally Spicer is the Co-Founder of Talent Included and a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in recruitment. With over 20 years of experience in the recruitment industry, she began her career supporting finance and accountancy executives through their career transitions within global organisations. It was during this time that she recognised the challenges in presenting representative and balanced shortlists and saw the need for more inclusive hiring practices.
Sally’s dedication to driving change led her to take on the role of Global Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at an international recruitment firm. There, she successfully developed and implemented EDI and ESG strategies, embedding them across the organisation to drive greater inclusivity and impact.
Sally is also a qualified CMI Level 6 Professional in Management and Leadership Practice, specialising in Leading Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. Motivated by a desire to make lasting, positive change in the recruitment landscape, she co-founded Talent Included to help businesses build representative and inclusive teams that reflect the world we live in. Through her work, Sally is committed to creating opportunities and shaping a more equitable future for all.
Justin Placide
Justin Placide
Justin is the Head of Net Zero Governance and Fiscal Events Team from The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. He’s responsibilities cover strategic governance, fiscal events, briefing, ministerial engagement, business and corporate planning.
He leads his team on delivering the benefits outlined in the Net Zero Strategy and Powering Up Britain developing and co-ordinating ambitious new action across Government to deliver on HMG’s net zero target and on interim Carbon Budgets.
He is also a BEIS School Outreach Programme trainer, encouraging students from a diverse range of backgrounds to consider a career in the Civil Service.
He also Co-Chairs two Networks and is a school governor for two schools.
- The Civil Service Race Forum (CSRF), a collaborative group of ethnic minority Networks across the Civil Service, including Non-departmental Public Bodies, Agencies and Arms-Lengths Bodies, working to advance diversity, inclusion and equality.
- The Faith and Minority Ethnic (FAME) Network, represents staff from different ethnic backgrounds and faiths. An inclusive network, welcoming individuals who do not identify themselves as being from an ethnic background or religious group.
- Oliver Thomas Nursery School – Safeguarding lead and member of the finance committee.
- St Michael’s Catholic Primary School – Vice-Chair and deputy finance lead.
Chris Lawrence
Regional Lead for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Deutsche Bank
Chris Lawrence
Regional Lead for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Deutsche Bank
Chris has a degree in Accountancy & Finance and over 12+ years’ experience in Global Markets Operations wherein he was formerly the European Lead for Sales Support & Operations Client Relationship Management. Chris has extensive product knowledge covering Emerging Markets, Rates, Credit and Fixed Income and has a proven track record of adding value to the Client experience.
Chris has a passion for people development and inclusion wherein he is a founding member of the Black Leadership Forum and has been instrumental in helping to drive DE&I initiatives within the region. As of Jan 2023 Chris moved internally into HR and is now the Regional Lead for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for UK, Ireland and EMEA (excluding Germany).
Dr Jo Flack
Dr Jo Flack
I am a community-rooted clinical psychologist and the founder of Doing Better Therapy, a space grounded in collective care, justice, and liberation. My practice centres people, not pathologies—especially those who’ve been pushed to the margins by systems that fail to see their full humanity.
With over 25 years of experience in London—one of the most culturally vibrant yet systemically inequitable cities—I’ve walked alongside families, young people, and survivors navigating complex trauma, displacement, and institutional harm. My work spans across inpatient and outpatient settings, including NHS, Children’s Services, CAMHS, and specialist services for care-experienced, asylum-seeking, and refugee communities—many of whom are still actively resisting erasure and exclusion.
My approach isn’t about fitting people into clinical boxes. I draw from systemic, trauma-informed, and decolonial frameworks that honour context—social, political, familial, and ancestral. I recognize that healing doesn’t happen in isolation; it happens in relationship. And any model that ignores racism, migration, poverty, or colonization is incomplete.
As a white practitioner, I hold responsibility for dismantling power imbalances in the therapy room and in the field more broadly. This includes challenging the dominance of Eurocentric models, and making space for diverse ways of knowing, being, parenting, and healing—many of which are already thriving in the communities I serve.
Healing work should always be accountable to those most impacted. That’s the heart of what Doing Better means.
Professor Patrick Vernon OBE
Professor Patrick Vernon OBE
Patrick is a senior leader in the voluntary and public sector responsible for developing and managing health and social care services, mental health, public health, cultural heritage, regeneration and employment projects. Patrick has effectively developed his leadership abilities as a skilled communicator, facilitator and negotiator; often working in politically sensitive environments. He has established strong credibility with a range of stakeholders including civil servants, Ministers, MPs, councillors, senior managers in health, housing, local authorities, voluntary sector and service user/patient groups.
Since 2010 Patrick has been leading the campaign for Windrush Day. In 2018 he kick-started the campaign for an amnesty for the Windrush Generation as part of the Windrush Scandal, which led to a government U-turn in immigration policy and the resignation of Amber Rudd as Home Secretary. Patrick was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his work in tackling health inequalities for ethnic minority communities in Britain. In 2018 Patrick was awarded an honorary PhD by Wolverhampton University for his work on migration history and equalities.
Patrick is a Patron of ACCI, a long established black mental health charity in Wolverhampton and Patron of Santé, a social enterprise in Camden which supports and befriends refugees and asylum seekers across London. Patrick is Vice Chair of the Bernie Grant Trust and a board member of 38 Degrees.
Rebekah Hayward
Rebekah Hayward
Rebekah is a seasoned Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) consultant and founder of The Inclusion Edit, a consultancy providing training, CPD, and resources to organisations and schools worldwide. Since April 2023, she has also been working with IELA (The Inclusion, Equity, Leadership Association).
Rebekah holds a Master’s in Education: International Development and Social Justice and a CMI Level 7 Qualification in Strategic Approaches to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and has extensive experience in EdTech, leading EDI initiatives and shaping business strategy, as well as with the Institute for Equity at University Centre, where she worked on EDI projects and developed impactful resources.
As a qualified Primary School Teacher, and someone who has worked in education for over 12 years, she has also served as an EDI lead in schools, creating inclusive curriculum content, developing policy, and driving meaningful, lasting change. Her work blends practical expertise with strategic insight to support organisations in building truly inclusive cultures.
Natalie Rose
Natalie Rose
With over 28 years in corporate insolvency, Natalie brings deep, hands-on experience to her role as Director in the Restructuring and Insolvency department at Menzies LLP. She specialises in leading complex insolvency appointments, bringing strategic oversight while remaining closely involved in the practical management and delivery of each case. This allows her to support distressed businesses with clarity and empathy, ensuring that every stage of the process is handled with professionalism, commercial insight, and a focus on achieving the best possible outcome for stakeholders.
Natalie’s focus is on delivering practical results for clients, creditors, and stakeholders, especially in cases where the path forward is unclear or time critical.
Mr MoneyJar (Rotimi)
Mr MoneyJar (Rotimi)
Rotimi Merriman-Johnson – known professionally as ‘Mr MoneyJar’ – is a qualified financial advisor, award-winning content creator and founder of Mr MoneyJar Limited, a UK-based financial education company. He offers accessible, practical financial education, through digital content, events and one-to-one coaching.
Mr MoneyJar covers topics such as personal finance, investing, getting on the property ladder and regularly comments on financial and political news events. He has been featured on the BBC, The Financial Times, ITV News and Sky News.
Mr MoneyJar hosts a weekly podcast, The Mr MoneyJar Show, featuring weekly money conversations with financial experts.
He is an ambassador at National Numeracy, a UK charity that promotes the importance of numeracy and number confidence for UK adults and children. He is also the Financial and Digital Inclusion Ambassador for Big Issue Group, the UK’s number one street paper and social enterprise.
Kerry Griffith
Kerry Griffith
Kerry is a strategic and award-winning global inclusion leader with a background that combines deep expertise in risk & financial governance and extensive experience navigating complex, global organisations.
Kerry brings a systems-thinking lens to the work of inclusion, treating it as a business imperative that spans everything from leadership behaviours to operational design. His genuine leadership style and practical approach fosters trust across all organisational levels, and he is known for delivering results while effectively engaging stakeholders throughout the process.
Kerry believes in creating sustainable change which only happens when it is co-created, not imposed. His ability to create alignment with stakeholders is central to how he converts data informed cultural insight into measurable, enterprise-wide transformation.
Denise Myers
Denise Myers
Denise Myers is a trusted specialist Recruiter with over 20 years experience and who has worked in many sectors such as Professional Services, Engineering, Business Support, Education and HR. Her extensive experience has enabled her to recruit across a number of sectors delivering recruitment solutions up to senior management level.
EVENFIELDS – focusing on Diversity and Inclusion in the recruitment process, offering choice and opportunities for all candidates and solutions to organisations who are looking for talent pipelines with a difference.
MURRAY MYERS – focuses on the Engineering and Commercial sectors, specialising in the recruitment of experienced hires for businesses across the Black Country and wider West Midlands – to aid organisations with identifying talent for the future.
Cherron Inko-Tariah MBE
Cherron Inko-Tariah MBE
Cherron is the author of The Incredible Power of Staff Networks and founded The Power of Staff Networks consultancy where she provides a wide range of services. Cherron also founded the National Day for Staff Networks which takes place every May – the first of its kind celebrating the added value of networks. Additional roles include being a NED at Homerton Healthcare, and the Editor-in-Chief at BHMUK magazine.
Calbert & Isabella
Calbert & Isabella
As a Jamaican, Calbert’s thirst for knowledge of his ancestral roots combined with a desire to excavate and educate on positive stories about Black people’s contributions and achievements, past and present, has led him to create an impressive repository of information from well-respected historians and credible sources.
He DJs on Imperial Voice Radio, broadcast out of Fairfield House, the former home of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.‘DJ Obediah’s Roots & Culture Show’ is one of the station’s most popular, proudly playing reggae and music of Black origin and teaching Black history to a global audience.
As an East African Indian with roots in Uganda and Zambia, Isabella was always curious to learn of how her people came to be there. This led her on an extensive and on-going learning journey covering the rise and fall of empires, colonialism and the resulting movement of global majority people around the world.
Isabella rose to be Vice President of Education & Social Impact, and the most senior person of colour, in a global FTSE 100 business where she also founded and Chaired the EmbRace network for 5 years. She has spoken at events around the world on social justice. Isabella is now CEO of The IM-Pact Kinship, a consultancy specialising in social impact, anti-racism, youth engagement and ethical leadership.
Calbert & Isabella share a deep passion for reading, researching and teaching hidden histories, particularly to young people. They have been together for 24 years and have 3 children. As a family, they have travelled extensively and always seek out the history wherever they go.
Bridget Tatham
Bridget Tatham
Bridget Tatham specialise in handling EL/PL claims across the public and commercial sectors, acting for a number of Local Authorities and self insured companies, where reputation is as important as the total cost of the claim. She experience is in complex disease claims, and claims of high value. I devised the well received Claims Clubs. She lead the Birmingham personal injury practice, which handles, motor, EL/PL and coverage issues. Insurers and policyholders have a common interest in ensuring that insured risks are minimised as far as possible, and that when claims do arise they are dealt with proactively and cost effectively to achieve a commercial solution. Our insurance hub has been developed to provide up to date resources for insurance and claims professionals.