I am a Partner in the Employment team at Lewis Silkin, which is ranked Band 1 by all of the major legal directories.  I provide practical and strategic advice to employers on UK and global employment law issues, with particular expertise in managing multi-jurisdictional transformation and restructuring projects and complex litigation.  My clients range from start-ups to global fintechs, advertising and marketing businesses to global manufacturers.  As a result, my ‘day to day’ is incredibly varied and no two days are the same!

Tim Sharp is the Trades Union Congress’s Senior Employment Rights Officer. He leads the TUC’s activity on employment rights policy and legislation having previously overseen its pensions work. Tim is a trustee of the Good Business Foundation, which accredits businesses that meet minimum standards in areas such as pay and working hours. He is also a member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s professional standards committee. Before joining the TUC in 2014, Tim was the London-based City Editor for Scotland’s Herald newspaper.

Sarah Woolley is the General Secretary of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, which represents workers throughout the food industry and allied trades. She became a member of the union when she started work as a weekend assistant at Bakers Oven, which later became Greggs and though not initially active within the union, she became a shop steward shortly after Greggs took over and became more active not only in the BFAWU but the wider union movement.

She was elected as a full time office in 2016, sitting on the unions national executive as the Women’s representative before that and was elected as the first Female General Secretary the union has at the end of 2019 and took up the role in 2020.

As Chief People Officer, Christina, oversees both the People and Governance functions for the Catch22 group. Christina will play a leading role in supporting delivery of the business plan through the Catch22 People strategy, as well as fostering a culture of robust governance through the effective management of organisational compliance and mitigating risks.

Christina has over 10 years’ experience working in a variety of sectors delivering HR expertise. She joined Catch22 in September 2015. Prior to joining Catch22, Christina worked in the higher education and professional services sectors, operating as a strategic business partner, providing commercial HR advice to senior leadership teams.

Chris Russell is a Senior Policy Manager at the Federation of Small Businesses, where he leads their policy work related to employment and the labour market. While at FSB, he has also written research reports on innovation, Artificial Intelligence as well as education and skills. Prior to FSB, Chris worked in policy roles at different trade bodies and before that at a public affairs agency.

Monica Stancu leads the Diversity and Inclusion work at Lloyd’s, the world’s biggest insurance and reassurance marketplace. Previously, she has worked in diversity and inclusion at the Royal Academy of Engineering, Sodexo and F. Hoffman La Roche.

Monica has also worked in international affairs and human rights at the European Medicines Agency (EU agency) and the United Nations. She is the author of the book “Building Diversity and Inclusion: From Commitment to Action.”

She holds an MA in Women’s History from Sarah Lawrence College, USA and a D&I certificate from Cornel University, and was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality at Columbia University in the City of New York.

Monica has been selected as a Global Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment by UN Women, has won a WeAreTheCity 2020 Rising Stars award and has been listed as a 2023 and 2022 D&I Inspirational leader by D&I Leaders. She is a One Young World Ambassador and a mentor at Migrant Leaders.

Unite National Women’s Officer – I have worked for Unite the Union for 20 years, experienced in organising and negotiating for our members across many different sectors. I now focus on the issues that face our women workers and develop collective policies for our reps to take into their workplace. Promoting equality, diversity and an environment free from discrimination and harassment are industrial issues for our union.

Sandra works together with business leaders and government policy makers to influence action on race in the UK.

Prior to working at Business in the Community Sandra worked for DWP and the Cabinet Office. Between 2012 – 2016, Sandra chaired the DWP Ethnic Minority Employment Stakeholder Group, advising the Government on employment barriers facing individuals from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

In 2012 Sandra was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List for Services to Black and Minority Ethnic People.  Sandra sat on the Royal Society Diversity Committee from 2018 – 2024. In 2019 Sandra was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list for Services to Equality and Diversity. In 2020, Sandra published the Race at Work Black Voices and the Race at Work Charter survey report of employers.

More than 24,000 responses to the Race at Work 2015, 2018 and 2021 surveys provided the evidence to establish the Race at Work Charter in 2018 with 85 employers which now has seven commitments and more than 1000 employer signatories. In 2023, Sandra was awarded a Fellowship of the Chartered Association of Business Schools. In March 2024 the report published in collaboration with Professors from Queen Mary University, University of York and University of Dundee was the Voices from the Race at Work Surveys a thematic review of more than 42,000 employee voices at work captured as part of the Race at Work series.

The most recent report published in October 2024 focusses on Diverse and Inclusive Supply Chain Insights to support business growth and bring economic gains to ethnically diverse business founders and the UK economy.

Sandra is huge advocate of the value of mentorship, sponsorship and allyship.

Simon Ursell is co-founder and chair of B Corp four-day week environmental consultancy Tyler Grange, and board advisor for several businesses, including a number of other four-day week organisations.

He’s a mental health advocate with a particular passion for workplace wellbeing and employee performance.

Simon co-founded and led Tyler Grange for 14 years, during which time the company grew from start-up to market leader, employing over 100 people in seven offices across the UK.

With a 25-year career in leadership of environmental companies, Simon’s qualities and experience have seen him appointed as board advisor for several SMEs, and his portfolio is growing.

Working closely with founders and leaders, Simon focuses on scaling up and providing the support to develop teams, grow confidence and to make a positive impact.

Simon believes that change – taking risks and disrupting the norm – is always a good thing. He believes in business that creates positive outcomes for the environment, society and the people that work for them.

Tyler Grange is a member of the Better Business Network and supports the Better Business Act – both of which promote a cleaner, greener, fairer future for all. It has seven UK offices located in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Exeter, Cardiff and Cirencester, in the Cotswolds and is recognised as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024. It is also SME Employer of the Year at the InsideOut Awards 2024, which recognise and celebrate excellence in promoting mental health, wellness, and overall well-being.

For further information visit https://simonursell.com