Menopause in the Workplace Conference

Deborah Garlick is the CEO and founder of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, and director of Menopause Friendly Australia. She has overseen the delivery of training to over a thousand organisations across the public and private sector. She was instrumental in establishing Menopause Friendly, for organisations to receive accreditation of their menopause activity from an independent panel of experts. Deborah is a passionate advocate of all things menopause, appearing regularly in the press, on TV and radio.

Vicky is the Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at BAE Systems, Maritime and Land. Vicky has a track record of bringing innovation to design and deliver wide ranging strategic DE&I solutions. Vicky is passionate about inclusion, weaving this into leadership and management practices and changing behaviours to reduce bias and create a sense of belonging. She draws from her own personal challenges and intersectionality to help others break through barriers and maximize their potential. Prior to joining BAE Systems Plc in June 2019, Vicky worked in the UK Civil Service and her career spanned a number of different Government Departments & Agencies. Vicky is very family orientated and in her spare time enjoys gardening.

Hannah Pearsall is the Head Of Wellbeing at Hays. Her career at Hays spans 22 years, where she has held numerous roles, all of which have contributed to her knowledge and expertise in the world of work. Since 2019 Hannah has been supporting employee wellbeing.

Hannah leads a UK&I network of HUMAN champions and chairs a global wellbeing forum both of which form an important part of the evolving wellbeing strategy at Hays. She is passionate about helping organisations recognise the impact that the workplace has on individual, organisational and societal wellbeing. Additionally, Hannah is part of the leadership team at Let’s Improve Workplace Wellbeing and involved in the Government working group No Time To Step Back, set up to recruit, support and retain women in the workplace experiencing menopause.

Hannah has a deep interest and curiosity in workplace wellbeing, which stems from her own lived experience. Hannah is a licensed Mental Health First Aid England Instructor, accredited Wellbeing Coach and is currently studying an MSc. in Workplace Health and Wellbeing.

Joanne is a qualified barrister, accredited mediator and Head of Group Employee Relations for the Bank of Ireland Group since 2019.

Joanne and her employee relations team are responsible for successfully implementing a number of policies in Bank of Ireland to mitigate the number of women exiting the workforce, including, implementing a new policy offering paid leave to women experiencing menopause in 2022. Joanne was a speaker at the National Menopause Summits held in Dublin and Cork last year.

Joanne and her employee relations team were recognised last year by Working Families, the UK’s national charity for working parents and carers, and were awarded Best for Mental Health & Wellbeing Winner for breaking stigmas on mental health and supporting colleagues when they need it most.

Last year, Joanne and her team launched Family Matters, a range of both new and enhanced family friendly policies and supports in Bank of Ireland to create a more supportive and inclusive environment for colleagues at different life stages. This initiative saw the introduction of paid fertility leave, surrogacy leave, early pregnancy loss supports and foster care supports.

In 2019, Joanne co-authored Human Resources and Employment: Policies and Procedures, a HR and employment guide for SMEs.

Lou Furby is the UK D&I Lead for Specsavers and co-founder of the Specsavers MenoTalk menopause colleague network group.

Following Lou’s own experience with menopause in the workplace, MenoTalk was created in 2020 alongside co-chair Caroline Milliken. Lou’s story is also featured in Davina McCall’s book, “Menopausing.”

In 2023, MenoTalk received Menopause in the Workplace accreditation, showcasing their dedication to improving the workplace experience for Specsavers colleagues across retail environments, support office functions, and Manufacturing and Distribution sites both in the UK and globally.

In 2024, Lou was awarded the Caroline Lazarus award for Best Individual Contribution by Henpicked.

MenoTalk’s network membership continues to grow, maintaining its core mission: to foster understanding of menopause at work through open conversations, providing training support to colleagues and managers, and sharing valuable information and resources.

The success of MenoTalk has been highlighted in industry-specific publications and currently, Lou leads all six internal colleague network groups at Specsavers, replicating the success of MenoTalk across the organisation.

Jacqui has worked nationally and regionally within NHS England as a Senior Programme Manager. Alongside this role Jacqui established (and Chaired) the NHSE Menopause Network to champion menopause awareness and support in the workplace. Jacqui has produced the first NHSE Menopause Policy, access by self-referral to Peppy Health Nurse Specialists and reporting of ‘menopause related sickness’ in ESR.

Jacqui has made contributions at a strategic level regarding menopause, including the Health and Social Care Select Committee and the Royal College of Nursing.

Jacqui continues to press for change in both culture and recognition of the impact of menopause and as an Exec Committee member of the Cross Govt Menopause Network Jacqui links with Civil Servants to ensure there is shared learning on this agenda.

Jacqui has recently commenced a new position across the North East North Cumbria (ICB) as the Menopause Lead. The aims of this role are to make an impact on wellbeing, retention and education. Jacqui is keen to engage across the system to ensure that the voices of our population and our staff are embedded into the Women’s Health Strategy and that learning is a feature of our approach.

Employment law is constantly evolving, extremely varied and no two days are ever the same. One day I can be advising an individual client on the terms and effect of a settlement agreement between them and their employer, the next, drafting a defence to an Employment Tribunal Claim for a large international corporation.

I joined Harrison Clark Rickerbys in 2015 and have worked, studied and trained in this dynamic and varied area of law ever since, qualifying as a Solicitor in 2020.

I work mainly for employer clients, in particular, the firm’s largest client, a major international airline, but I also assist local authorities, NHS Trusts, and various SME companies. I also assist individuals looking for advice on problems they are experiencing with their employers, offering advice on their employment rights and outlining the options available to them.

I believe in fairness and equality in the workplace and have a passion for helping people. I am friendly, personable and very practical in my approach and always strive to achieve the best possible outcome for my clients. The challenges my clients face become my challenges and I offer practical advice and emotional support, working hard to come up with effective solutions to the issues they face. I love being part of the wider Employment team as we are all so passionate about what we do.

Reema (she/her), the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) lead, is a queer woman of colour who identifies as omnisexual and demisexual. Reema has a degree and master’s in psychology and further studies in Counselling. She also worked in frontline mental health for eight years and has done equalities-based work for ten years.

Elizabeth is a key player when it comes to grassroots menopause activism and raising awareness. Frustrated by her own lack of knowledge around menopause, she began the Pausitivity #KnowYourMenopause campaign featuring menopause awareness posters. Since it began in July 2019, Pausitivity #KnowYourMenopause has gone global, with posters being displayed from Canada and the US to Africa, India and even that Davina McCall documentary!  A keynote speaker to MPs and peers at the first APPG Menopause at Westminster, Elizabeth has worked closely with politicians across the UK, gained the support of trade unions and healthcare officials and spoken about menopause to everyone from foodbank clients to High Court judges.

Siobhan is the Author of “My Life on Pause”, a personal account of her own journey getting diagnosed with Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) at the age of 31 and facing an Early Menopause. She currently works as Doctor in London and is training to be a plastic surgeon. She is passionate about raising an awareness of Menopause and opening about the devastating effects this can have at any stage in life. She wants to break down the stigma that has surrounded it for many years and empower other women to feel seen and heard. Siobhan co-hosts a podcast “The Premature Menocast” which raises an awareness of POI and tackles some of the more un- talked about issues in women’s health

Mr. Vikram Talaulikar is an associate specialist at the reproductive medicine unit in University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and hon. associate professor at University College London. He graduated in medicine in India in 2003 and completed postgraduate degree in obstetrics and gynaecology in 2007. He was awarded FRCOG in 2022 and completed PhD degree at St. George’s University of London in 2016. He cares for women and couples who have difficulty conceiving, and his clinical interests include reproductive endocrinology, premature ovarian failure, polycystic ovary syndrome, recurrent miscarriage, menopause and male factor subfertility. He is a certified ‘menopause specialist’ by the British Menopause Society. He has published widely in the area of reproductive medicine. His research focuses around events at the embryo-maternal interface in early pregnancy, ovarian response to stimulation in various endocrine conditions and menopause. He is a member of the British Fertility Society, International Menopause Society and European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

Madhu’s transformative journey, triggered by her own menopause experience, highlights the vital role of workplace policies. With a background in HR and a commitment to diversity and inclusion, she empowers organisations through ‘M for Menopause.’ As a British Standards Institution committee member and author-to-be, Madhu shapes workplace standards, emphasising the legal obligations and significance of policies. Her mission is to destigmatise menopause, showcasing why policies are essential and how to effectively communicate and implement them. Madhu’s insights illuminate the profound impact of menopause on the workplace, fostering a culture of understanding and support.

Deborah Garlick is the CEO and founder of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, and director of Menopause Friendly Australia. She has overseen the delivery of training to over a thousand organisations across the public and private sector. She was instrumental in establishing Menopause Friendly, for organisations to receive accreditation of their menopause activity from an independent panel of experts. Deborah is a passionate advocate of all things menopause, appearing regularly in the press, on TV and radio.