Aisha Shaibu-Lenoir is a social entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ activist, recognised as one of the “Top 100 LGBTQ+ Trailblazers.” She is the founder of Moonlight Experiences, an award-winning company celebrating queer travel and culture, and the Director of The Common Press, a queer intersectional bookshop in East London. For over a decade, Aisha has been instrumental in creating diverse campaigns, DEI workshops, and festivals, collaborating with brands, institutions, and communities—all designed with an intersectional framework. Her activism also extends to her roles as Head of Community Engagement for UK Black Pride and Trustee for GiveOut.

Layla McCay is Director of Policy at the NHS Confederation, Executive Lead of the UK’s Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network, and author of this year’s landmark book Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling: How LGBTQ+ people can thrive and succeed at work (Bloomsbury). Layla has worked all over the world, from the World Health Organisation to the World Bank, has held several academic roles, and has been recognized on the Outstanding 100 LGBTQ+ Executives Role Model List as a global role model driving LGBTQ+ inclusion in business. She features regularly in the media, from the Financial Times to BBC Question Time.

Katrina is a Professor in the School of Management, Swansea University where she is Director of the Centre of People and Organisations. Having originally graduated in Geography from St Catherine’s, Oxford, Katrina pursued a career as a management consultant with Accenture for ten years before returning to academia. She held previous roles at LSE, Birkbeck and the Open University before joining Swansea University in January 2017.  Katrina’s research interests include identity (in a variety of employment & volunteering contexts) and diversity (focusing on age, genders and sexualities).  She is co-founder (with Dr Helen C Williams) of the Breaking Binaries Research programme, which includes research funded by ISBE and the CIPD investigating the experience of gender minority entrepreneurs and LGBTQIA+ employees experiences of disclosure at work.

Dr Helen Williams, PhD, CPsychol, AFBPsS, MCIPD

Helen is an academic with expertise in inclusion at work and is based at Swansea University’s School of Management. She co-founded a cutting-edge research programme – Breaking Binaries – to examine marginalised identities at work. Helen is passionate about building a high-quality evidence-base to help build more equitable organisations. She applies her research to provide support and guidance to senior leaders and executives. Prior to becoming an academic, as an organisational psychologist, Helen worked with a range of sectors, advising on workplace inclusion, performance, and high-potential leadership selection.

Jay Stewart co-founded Gendered Intelligence (GI) in 2008, a registered charity dedicated to expanding understandings of gender and improving the lives of trans people. GI offers vital frontline services, including youth work and adult wellbeing programs, and conducts over 300 workplace training sessions annually on trans awareness and inclusion. To date, these initiatives have reached more than 54,000 professionals across various industries.

Dr. Stewart has provided training and consultancy on workplace inclusion for numerous organisations, with a particular focus on the education, arts, and healthcare sectors.

He earned his doctorate from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2013. In recognition of his significant contributions to the trans community, he was awarded an MBE in the 2014 New Year’s Honours List.

Tate Smith is an award-winning activist and speaker, passionate about trans rights, social mobility, gender equality, and rethinking masculinities. Named one of Attitude Magazine’s 10 LGBTQ+ Trailblazers and one of the 50 Champions of Inclusion on the 2023 Diversity Power List, Tate is also a LinkedIn Top Voice, recognised as a prominent and influential figure in both the trans+ community and the business world.

In 2023, he founded Tate Smith Consulting to help businesses develop inclusive policies, working with clients such as Barclays, McCann, JP Morgan and the Science Museum. Known for his engaging ‘Fireside Chats’, Tate speaks candidly about his experiences as a “working-class Essex boy who just so happens to be trans,” while also raising awareness of key topics like toxic masculinity, male privilege, men’s mental health and menopause.

With a strong intersectional approach, Tate shares his insights with warmth and directness across his social platforms, inspiring business leaders and his generation to become advocates and implement change within their communities.

Dr Kamilla Kamaruddin is a dedicated healthcare professional serving as a GP in London and Clinical Lead at the East of England Gender Service, Cambridge. With a passion for addressing health inequalities and promoting inclusive healthcare practices, Dr Kamaruddin has established herself as an important figure in both general practice and transgender healthcare advocacy. She has written various articles advocating equity health care and improving health care for  marginalised communities  which was published in mainstream and medical journals.

Jenny Wilkinson (she/her) has worked in a number of roles, countries and offices over her 30-year career at KPMG. She is passionate about inclusion, diversity and equity, and supporting people from under-represented groups to fulfil their ambitions. Over recent years she has committed to becoming more active in her allyship. For the last 18 months, she has taken on the role of Trans and Gender Diverse Ally Lead in KPMG’s LGBT+ network, Breathe, with a goal of increasing understanding of the issues and challenges faced by transgender and gender non-conforming colleagues. She has developed and delivered learning sessions on allyship and trans-inclusive feminism.

Ethan Salathiel is KPMG’s Breathe (LGBTQ+) employee network ‘Trans & Gender Diversity’ lead. Ethan works in Financial Services consulting on Fraud & Financial Crime day to day having joined the firm two years ago from the British Business Bank where he led the Fraud and Financial Crime team. He is open about his journey to becoming Ethan which began 12 years ago whilst working at HSBC in a global leadership role. At HSBC, he was the first transman to come out and helped develop the Trans Policy as a result. He was also a member of HSBC’s Pride (LGBTQ+) committee, playing an active role in supporting colleagues in the workplace. He is married and a proud father of two children aged seven and four.

Dionne is an experienced DEI professional with over 10 years of expertise in DEI and Human Resources. Her focus is on fostering equity in the workplace, ensuring fair outcomes, and creating opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds. Dionne excels at building inclusive environments where everyone feels a sense of belonging and can contribute meaningfully.

In previous roles, Dionne has developed and led initiatives aligned with strategic goals, collaborating closely with employee resource groups to drive inclusion. She enjoys travelling and dog walks and volunteers annually at UK Black Pride events, reflecting her dedication to social justice and community support.

Aisha Shaibu-Lenoir is a social entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ activist, recognised as one of the “Top 100 LGBTQ+ Trailblazers.” She is the founder of Moonlight Experiences, an award-winning company celebrating queer travel and culture, and the Director of The Common Press, a queer intersectional bookshop in East London. For over a decade, Aisha has been instrumental in creating diverse campaigns, DEI workshops, and festivals, collaborating with brands, institutions, and communities—all designed with an intersectional framework. Her activism also extends to her roles as Head of Community Engagement for UK Black Pride and Trustee for GiveOut.