Jibran Ahmed | Capco
I lead the Research and Development and Innovation Labs teams at Capco, which focus on the use of cutting-edge technologies, such as AI and Machine Learning, to solve existing problems within Financial Services and build the future of the banking industry.
I have a passion for modern technologies and a heritage in delivering innovative change for some of the biggest banks in the world, covering Retail, Commercial, Wealth Management and Investment Banks.
I’ve worked in the Financial Services sector since completing my studies in Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London, starting initially as a software developer, before moving on to architecture design and change implementation. Over the last eleven years as a consultant, I’ve focused on pushing the boundaries of Financial Services by making the “art of the possible” a reality for large financial institutions, not only through implementing technology change, but also through pushing for changes in the way organisations work, collaborate and most importantly how they create environments for their people to thrive.
Peter Palmer | S.E.E.D Lancashire
My main background is within management of occupational health and safety for over 30 years. I am a Chartered member of IOSH and a Fellow member of IIRSM.
As a Chartered Health and Safety Practitioner my role can be very challenging and diverse on a day to day basis. Predominantly, I assist clients in ensuring regulatory compliance, whilst mentoring and supporting management teams in system implementation and creating positive culture change. My consultancy services have enabled me to successfully share my many years of industry knowledge, skills and ethos across a wide range of companies in the north west.
I have volunteered with at Breathe Therapies and S.E.E.D Lancashire (Support and Education for Eating Disorders) since 2016 to assist with the implementation of the health and safety management systems. I continue to champion and support the services of S.E.E.D Lancashire and its driven, female weighted leadership team. Since 2020, I have also been a charity Director and Trustee with this much needed organisation.
Gus Macfarlane | Barclays
Gus leads Technology Vendor Transformation, plus responsibility for the Vendor Management Centre of Excellence.
He provides senior day-to-day oversight of Barclays Vendor partnerships with a focus on increasing the commerciality of the relationships, both contractually and financially, maximising the relations with Barclays strategic vendor partners and developing broader relationships and ensure Barclays has smooth and transparent partnerships.
Prior to this, Gus was Chief Operating Officer for Group Technology, Innovation and Applied Research and Design. He was responsible for the coordination of innovation globally across the firm. His role was to define and own the Technology and Innovation Operating Environment, with a focus on maximising commercial and reputational opportunities both internally and externally. He owned the execution of the Innovation Strategy and embedding the position of innovation across Barclays Group.
Gus joined Barclays from Experian where he was Managing Director, Commercial Enablement. Gus has a long track record of managing business solutions and embedding commercial strategy. Prior to Experian, Gus worked globally for Transcom and Sky, and consulted for a variety of large and small organisations. He previously set up a tech startup which delivered risk and continuity based analytics, gaming and solutions. Gus served in the Royal Scots as an infantry Captain, and during his career, he has served 12 years in the reserves. Throughout his career Gus has championed Diversity and Inclusion.
Harrison Burton | PwC
I grew up in a town called Crawley - about half way between London and Brighton - and spent the first 18 years in that area.
At 18, I moved to East London to study mathematics at Queen Mary University which eventually led me to PwC. I joined our Technology Risk team as a fresh faced graduate and have been here ever since; albeit having worked across a couple different lines of service.
Not long after joining the firm, I joined our Gender Balance Network as a newsletter contributor and over the intervening years that role has grown and changed shape; for the last 9 months I've been the national events lead and network co-chair - responsible for planning and executing events for our c. 1000 members (and many more UK based staff).
Outside of work, I like to read when I can and exercise when I have the will power. I am a devoted Chelsea fan and, although I can't wait to be back at Stamford Bridge, watching the games on TV has kept me a little sane in the last year.
Patrick McCrae | Patrick McCrae
Entrepreneur and investor focussing on business models with economic longevity and positive social impact.
Great interest in how businesses can do good, give people purpose and be profitable. CEO and co-founder of ARTIQ, global arts and cultural consultancy.
In the wake of the 2008/09 financial crisis, I established ARTIQ as an ethical business to marry the arts and business worlds. The plan was to open a market where artists could rely on a regular income through paid-for exhibitions. Today, we rent art collections to 100s of corporates, many in London, show businesses how art can provoke conversation and educate, and advise global hospitality brands on how to become next generation galleries and museums. Considering 98% of clients have never rented art before, it is incredible that in the last three years we have paid over £5mn to artists whilst pushing for more inclusion and diversity in the arts sector.
As an LGBTQ+ leader I am committed to building a truly inclusive sector. ARTIQ is equally gender split at Board level, and our commitment to identifying new talent means we have established multiple exhibitions to increase the visibility of international diverse and emerging artists who are under-represented in the art world. Our annual Graduate Art Prize invests in the artists of tomorrow; Queer Frontiers fundraises for local charities. Last year’s support of Renaissance Foundation exemplified how diverse communities can engage and educate one another and how acting collective, drawing on local participation can truly impact change on a grand scale.
Fiona Barrett | Genius Within CIC
Fiona is the Director of Operations at Genius Within CIC with overall responsibility for our Social Justice Projects.
She is responsible for leading, developing and supporting the Senior Leadership Team to drive performance and develop customer relationships. Fiona is an experienced frontline senior manager, specialising in implementation and leading high performing teams in the Employability Sector.
Combining her public sector knowledge, she can bring together an in-depth understanding of employability alongside diversity and inclusion. She recognises the barriers that people with disabilities face, and has a working knowledge of how to support individuals and businesses to overcome them. Fiona has been working in the Social Justice setting since 1999, training to be a Probation Officer and latterly working as a Senior Probation Officer in Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust. She moved to Genius Within in 2015 to take advantage of working in an agile Community Interest Company whose passion is for all people to maximise their potential and work towards their strengths. During her time at Genius Within, Fiona has grown the social justice team four-fold and prides herself on being able to communicate the vision and strategy effectively to build a high performing and well managed front line team.
Bernadette Thompson | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Bernadette is the Deputy Director for Inclusion, Wellbeing and Employee Engagement in the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
She joined the Civil Service in 1998, starting as a Caseworker in the Legal Aid Board, and she has held a range of roles within the Civil Service across many Government departments, including, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Treasury and Cabinet Office.
She is a notable diversity advocate and public speaker, working with leaders across government and the public sector to drive a culture of inclusion and increase the pace on representation of Black and Minority Ethnic employees particularly at more senior grades. In 2019, she won one of the Civil Service Charity's Community awards and in 2020 she won the Workplace Hero category in the Investing in Ethnicity Awards for championing and driving race equality and inclusion across the Civil Service.
For over four years, Bernadette has co-chaired the multi award-winning Race to the Top G6/7 network, a community of interest network group of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) G6/7 employees across all Government departments and agencies. The Network actively supports members by helping to increase preparedness for leadership at the next level, and the overarching intention is to help the Civil Service address BAME underrepresentation in the Senior Civil Service (SCS). She is also a Different Woman Ambassador where she campaigns for a more inclusive gender agenda, amplifying the voices of women of colour.
Bernadette has also been a Community Governor at a local infant school for over 18 years and volunteers at athletics/sports events such as 2012 Olympics, 2017 World Athletics and she is really looking forward to being a part of the 2022 Commonwealth Gamers. Bernadette’s most important job, however, is being a mother to her two children.
Julie Haigh | North Cumbria Integrated Care
With 20 years experience of both the military and engineering it was always my passion to be a midwife.
I retrained in my late 30's and qualified as a Midwife in 2012. 3 years ago I became a Digital Midwife leading on several projects whilst also acting as the elected Chair for the Digital Maternity Group within NHSx along side my daily role. I was the first midwife to become a Fellow with the Faculty of Clinical Informatics in 2020 and am currently a recipient of a scholarship to study for my Masters in Heathcare Analytics and Artificial Intelligence at Sheffield Hallam University.
Rikki Alderman | British Army
As a career soldier within the AGC(SPS), my journey began directly upon leaving school in 2004 at the Army Foundation College Harrogate.
Completing special-to-arm training, my first assignment commenced as a junior administrator with the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. Embracing every opportunity of developing my newly learnt administrative skills, I also deployed with the Battalion to an exercise in Malaysia and on operational engagements to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Following an assignment to Headquarters 16 Air Assault Brigade as the Logistics Movements Clerks and promoted to Corporal, in 2009, I was selected to become a Section Commander with 2nd Army Training Regiment Pirbright. My appointment consisted of training the army’s future soldiers in addition to providing them with pastoral support. In 2011, I was selected as the army’s ambassador for an exchange post in New Zealand on Exercise Long Look, where upon I instructed personnel from the New Zealand Defence Force.
Upon return, my journey took me to the Falkland island whereupon I was employed as the movement Junior Non-Commissioned Officer in a Tri-Service environment within the Falkland Island Support Unit. During this assignment and being recognised for making the most contribution for a junior non-commissioned officer (NCO), I was awarded the prestigious Avery-Wilkes trophy.
Selected for promotion to a Senior NCO in 2012, I was assigned to 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment in the position of their Staff Support Assistant where I became a part of the Commanding Officer's TAC Headquarters and subsequently deployed on exercise and overseas on operations in Afghanistan. Upon return and selected to be the STRAP Focal Point to the Chief of Defence Staff in 2014, my role entailed the dissemination of highly sensitive material for Chief of the Defence Staff, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Secretary of State and all other Defence Ministers.
Promoted further in 2017, I returned to Pirbright as their chief clerk, responsible for administrating in excess of 140 permanent staff members and 1,000 recruits within a busy training establishment. In 2019 I returned to 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian regiment as the Financial Systems Administrator and I have recently promoted to a Warrant Officer 2nd class and look forward to an appointment with the Light Dragoon Guards situated in North Yorkshire.
Maysoon Shafiq | Al Mu'Minun - The Believers
Maysoon Shafiq is the founder and Director of Al Mu’Minun (The Believers) a non-profit organisation dedicated to serving the youth through open spaces of spirituality, dialogue and empowerment.
Maysoon actively works in the community to promote gender parity, inclusivity and diversity through open dialogue in her communication. She holds several events, seminars and conferences for members of the community (Muslims and Non-Muslims) so they may understand fully the religion of Islam and the rights offered to women. She has mentored several women who have all trained to be successful champions in their own right.
Her work has been recognised through several awards; she was awarded the Commendable Award at the British Muslim Awards 2020 under the Leading Lights of the Year category and she received the Diversity Champion of the Year Award 2020 at the Kirklees Inclusion & Diversity Awards 2020.
She has published a book "First Steps in Understanding Islam" and it is available on Amazon to purchase as either an eBook or a paper copy.