Yahoo Finance The OUTstanding Top 100 LGBT+ Future Leaders 2020
The 2020 OUTstanding LGBT+ Role Model Lists, supported by Yahoo Finance, are a powerful reflection of the incredible achievements of LGBT+ people in the business community.
The lists are published annually by diversity and inclusion membership organisation INvolve and showcase 100 LGBT+ executives, 50 LGBT+ future Leaders, 50 ally executives and 30 public sector LGBT+ executives.
All of the future leaders in this list — who, once they identify as LGBT+, can be in any position in a company, can be any nationality, and based in any country — were nominated by peers and colleagues, or put themselves forward.
Nominations were then reviewed by the OUTstanding judging panel, which scored each person on the influence of their role, their impact on staff inside and outside the workplace, and their business achievements.
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1) Leigh F. Capule, Migrations Manager I GSC Philippines, HSBC
Leigh is a pioneer member of the HSBC (HSBA.L) Pride + Ally Network in GSC Philippines. Under Leigh’s leadership a number of significant initiatives and company policy changes were made, including the establishment of both gender neutral and gender preference restrooms, the inclusion of same sex and domestic partners in their insurance coverage and inclusion of treatment of HIV/AIDS in HMO coverage.
Leigh took the lead in the D&I forum held in India in sharing Philippines' Pride best practices and initiatives and established an annual PAN GSC SOGIE Awareness session, which she personally facilitates. In addition, she played a critical role in the establishment of Pride ERGs in GSC India and China.
Leigh is often found as a panelist, facilitator and guest speaker at inter-company and social group engagements, including PFIP Pride Summit, making a huge impact in the Philippines for SOGIE awareness, LGBT+ advocacy and building an inclusive workplace.
2) Méfiré Diallo, Team Leader, American Express
Méfiré is the D&I Lead for Pride UK Sussex Chapter. Often managing panel events, including on Trans Youth, she was voted as a Diversity Champion within American Express (AXP). Méfiré also worked on the UK Black LGBT+ Lives Matter resources list for employees, making a huge impact.
Externally she has taken part of the Pride Inside UK campaign, a campaign to raise awareness of the work of local grassroots LGBT+ charities nationwide.
She has also contributed to an anti-racism/blackness campaign online, called #NoMoreWhiteIgnorance, Méfiré regularly contributes to campaigns, and has shared her experiences in a number of publications including IOM, Diva Magazine and Everyday Pride to help raise awareness as a black, queer woman.
3) Shilpen Patel, Medical Director, Genentech
Shilpen is on the leadership team, as the global champion, of gPRIDE (the LGBT+ Employee Resource Group). He is helping lead efforts to have both sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) captured in clinical trials and to ensure that the voluntary self-identification of SOGI is captured, counted and included in company diversity surveys.
Shilpen also works with gPRIDE and the Chief Diversity Office to ensure engagement throughout the company at the intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender identity, and can often be seen conducting speaking engagements at healthcare events. As a physician, researcher, and teacher with knowledge of the healthcare system, his work is crucial in creating model training, developing white papers, creating diverse frameworks & education programs, all in support of the LGBT+ community.
Shilpen is the immediate past chair of the the LGBTQ Advisory Committee of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the National Action Council at the National LGBT+ Task Force. He currently serves on the board of the Horizons Foundation.
4) Bobbi Pickard, Senior Project Manager, BP
Bobbi is both a member of BP (BP.L) Pride’s Steering Committee and the co-chair of BP Pride’s Trans Group. In these roles, Bobbi has transformed transgender awareness globally within the company. She is the founder of “Trans in the City,” an open corporate collaboration of over 250 major organisations to further transgender awareness across the world.
Extremely active in the trans awareness space Bobbi speaks at many events around the world on LGBT+ inclusion in business, transgender and diversity, and inclusion in industry. Bobbi is a Diversity Role Model and until recently a trustee of Mermaids, the gender diverse children’s charity.
She was voted #1 in the OUTstanding 50 LGBT+ Future Leaders’ List 2019, included in the PWC Stonewall 50 Inspirational Role Models 2019, was winner of the Rainbow Honours LGBTQ Champion Award 2019, was Nestle Diversity Champion Award at the 2020 British LGBT awards, and is placed #14 in the Pride Power List 2020.
5) Michael Lam, Executive Director, Goldman Sachs
Michael is the current co-chief of staff for Goldman Sachs' (GS) Asia Pacific LGBTQ+ Council, responsible for strategizing regional priorities and implementing key initiatives.
He is an advocate of intersectionality, having successfully driven 15 LGBTQ+ related cross-inclusion network internal initiatives. Michael is the winner of Community Business' 2020 LGBT+ Inclusion Champion Award and can often be found speaking at external events advocating for LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion. He is active in enhancing corporate awareness, sharing best practices, and is admired for his tireless community efforts as the secretariat of Hong Kong LGBT Interbank Forum and a board member of AIDS Concern.
Through many speaking engagements, Michael encourages others to be their own role models by embracing their authentic self, unique background and personal journey. His work, particularly in Asia, is of paramount importance to drive forward diversity and inclusion while navigating between the international corporate landscape and cultural nuances.
6) Maranda Gorr-Diaz, Global Co-Chair of Égalité, Publicis Groupe & Supervisor at Starcom USA
Publicis Groupe’s Maranda prides herself on living every day as a champion for diversity. As global co-chair of Égalité, Publicis Groupe's business resource group for LGBT+ professionals and allies, Maranda has implemented, interviewed, and mentored the Égalité Chicago Internship Program, ensuring Publicis Groupe agencies continue to score a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index.
A founding member of Lowe's "Belonging Team" to create an inclusive workplace at Starcom US, Maranda has also been an internal Out & Equal Workplace Summit Panellist Speaker, whilst also being featured in an employee spotlight for Pride month 2020 and has been a nominated "People Who Roar with Pride Inside" for outstanding ERG work.
Moreover, her creation of a Companywide Drag Show charity fundraiser raised thousands, whilst also leading 50+ Égalité members across the globe to participate in an Out & Equal Summit in DC. As a global consultant for Groupe clients for their LGBT+ campaigns, she ensures they are representing the community authentically.
7) Patricia del Castillo, Vertical Lead, Facebook
Patricia is the co-founder of Pride@Tech, an alliance of LGBT+ employees of tech and tech-related companies from across the Philippines, whilst also leading Facebook’s (FB) Philippines internal human resources group, Pride@Facebook.
Patricia has been helping companies open safe spaces for the LGBT+ employees through various projects and initiatives, growing Pride@ rapidly over the past years, onboarding many global companies. With a focus on ensuring mental health support is accessible to everyone in the LGBTQ+ community, she has built integral partnerships to ensure everyone within the community has support if needed.
Patricia can often be found speaking at Pride events, such as DIGICON and PFIP and is a leader in creating safe spaces for LGBT+ employees in the Philippines. She and the Pride@ have been integral in helping encourage companies and the wider community not just to tolerate but truly understand, accept and become allies of LGBT+ people.
8) John Lannin, Global Readiness Manager, Microsoft
John leads the LGBT+ Diversity and Inclusion Pillar at Microsoft Ireland, whilst also heading up a Microsoft (MSFT) ERG called GLEAM. Leading events to communicate and share ideas, John has grown membership, increased focus on intersectionality, supported national LGBT+ charities as well as empowering allies and LGBT+ employees.
John has been instrumental in achieving healthcare policy changes and support offered by Microsoft Ireland, which now includes cover for gender reassignment surgery, hormone replacement and speech and language therapy.
John was also a top 3 finalist for the Microsoft Leadership award for D&I Leadership. Under John, GLEAM Ireland ERG was named Microsoft's Worldwide Chapter of the Year. In a previous GLEAM role, he worked with BeLonGTo and USI Pink Training, the largest LGBT+ student training event in Europe. John lives in Dublin and was educated at University College Dublin and Harvard.
9) B. Pagels-Minor, Senior Data Product Manager, Netflix
B. is a transgender nonbinary lesbian and fierce advocate for diversity in tech. B. is a part of global leadership for Black@, and Trans*, Netflix (NLFX) ERGs, which support Black and trans Netflix colleagues and have historically helped inform internal content teams to ensure Netflix releases accurately represent the lived experiences of trans and Black folks.
B. can be found speaking nationally and internationally on LGBT+ topics, most commonly on trans and nonbinary issues. Also, B. sits on the board of directors of Howard Brown Health, a $200+ million LGBT+-focused health center, which treats over 40,000+ patients each year in Chicago and is leading the charge in COVID-19 testing and contact tracing in the city.
B. has been working with Silicon Valley Pride to create events focused on womxn to support the Silicon Valley community better and create opportunities for inclusion in the Bay Area.
10) Sam Paton, Customer Development Manager, Johnson & Johnson
Sam plays a key leadership role within J&J’s (JNJ) LGBTQ+ ERG – Open&Out – as the UK Talent & Pride lead.
The group was named a top 10 UK network by the British LGBT awards in 2019 and 2020. As the spearhead of J&J’s largest ever Pride community initiative to date, using well known household brands, Sam coordinated a national awareness campaign, securing £35,000 ($47,446) in support of LGBTQ+ young people facing homelessness.
Sam also mentors internal colleagues, organized the first UK LGBTQ+ Career Story for J&J and was a Guest Speaker on D&I at London Business School and the J&J UK Open&Out Summit.
He’s helped drive diversity in Healthcare, raising the bar on inclusion in the industry through collaboration with the Proud Science Alliance & J&J’s Open&Out Global Talent Pillar. Sam also regularly attends and participates in EUROUT, Europe’s leading LGBTQ+ business conference for graduates and alumni from top business schools.
11) Jarrod Trusler, Product Manager, Dow
Jarrod is a current Global Steering Team member, for Dow's LGBT+ and ally ERG, GLAD, and was the first regional leader for Asia Pacific until June 2020 when his family relocated to Europe.
His impact focused on making Dow APAC more open and visibly inclusive for LGBT+ employees through education, training, sharing stories and highlighting LGBT+ talent to help break down the taboo of LGBT+ topics in Asia’s corporate environment.
He helped grow the ERG from 35 registered participants to over 680 across APAC. Jarrod has also been a keynote speaker at Dow's APAC Inclusion Conference and at Dow Thailand Inclusion Seminars, discussing LGBT+ inclusion. He often appears as a panel member concentrating on LGBT+ inclusion, tolerance and human rights across Asia.
He was previously a member of the Dow Thailand Inclusion Council, advising country leaderships on how to make Dow's Thailand sites and workplaces more inclusive. He was named one of Dow's eleven Global Champions of Inclusion. Jarrod is also a founding member and executive committee member of Thailand first LGBT+ business network Pride!@Work Thailand.
12) James Courtney, Corporate Affairs Lead, Westpac Group
James joined the Westpac Group in November 2020 and is a member of Westpac’s GLOBAL employee action group, which promotes LGBT+ issues in the workplace and society-at-large. Prior to this, he was chair of HSBC Australia’s Pride Network for more than four years and helped grow the network from a base of 30 engaged employees to more than 400.
As well as recruiting new employees to the network and highlighting the importance of LGBT+ inclusion, James was considered a trusted adviser to the business and offered counsel on matters specific to the LGBT+ community.
As a result of these efforts, HSBC was awarded silver employer status in the 2020 Australian Workplace Equality Index. James also chairs an interorganizational working group in Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct – which includes representation from Westpac and HSBC – and promotes LGBT+ days of significance, including Wear it Purple Day.
13) Jonathan Andrews, Associate, Reed Smith
Jonathan is an associate in Reed Smith’s Entertainment and Media team and a champion of LGBT+ inclusion firm-wide. Hosting events with Reed Smith’s LGBT+ network, PRISM, Jonathan has spoken to 10,000+ aspiring applicants across various events and panels, utilizing his position as Reed Smith's first openly autistic and LGBT+ solicitor to demonstrate what can be achieved.
Jonathan has won several awards, including being named the UK’s fourth most influential disabled person 2020, a Franco-British Local Leader 2020, and the first individual D&I Award winner at the LexisNexis Awards. His work has also included directly advising a wide range of clients on LGBT+-inclusive hiring practices.
Whilst seconded to Bauer Media, Jonathan co-founded their diversity forum, and has since trained senior management in LGBT+/intersectional inclusion. Jonathan is co-chair and a founding member of the London Bi Network (LBN), an Equality Committee Member at Law Society, and Equality Improvement Leader at Mind.
14) Samantha Neath, Sales Account Manager, BAE Systems
Samantha is the co-chair of BAE Systems (BA.L) LGBTQ+ network, OutLinkUK and is also a D&I manager in BAE Systems. She is responsible for the company strategy for LGBTQ+ inclusion, working with senior sponsors and OutLinkUK to guide activity.
Samantha led OutLinkUK to win the ‘Best Employee Network’ at the Engineering Talent Awards, and won several awards in BAE for contributions to D&I. Samantha was also Secretary at Bi Pride UK, achieving the world's largest Bi gathering and first ever Bi Pride in the UK, which won Charity of the Year at the 2020 LGBT Awards.
As a trustee for at Pride in Gloucestershire, she manages relationships with community groups, ensuring pride is inclusive, and has established policies to protect and support volunteers in the Gloucestershire LGBTQ+ community. Samantha also co-founded the Pride in Defence network, bringing together LGBTQ+ networks across the Defence industry to collaborate.
15) Wilhelmina 'Weena' Ekid, Vice-President, JPMorgan Chase
Weena is the APAC co-lead for JPMorgan’s (JPM) Global Transgender Working Group and Chair Emeritus of JPMC PRIDE Philippines. Weena has helped push for fulfilment of trans-health benefits and enhancements, and the firm is now an established thought leader on LGBT+ workplace inclusion in the Philippines.
Weena is also chairperson of the Philippine Financial & Inter Industry Pride (PFIP) — a collaborative, voluntary community aiming to foster workplaces that are safe and inclusive for LGBT+. In this role, Weena conducts various speaking engagements at conferences and forums on diversity & inclusion in the workplace.
Weena is part of the organizing committee of PFIP PRIDE Summit, the Largest LGBT+ Summit in the Philippines, which was started by JPMC in 2016. In 2020, the 2019 PFIP PRIDE Summit won the Gold Standard Award for Diversity & Inclusion from Public Affairs Asia.
16) Jeiz Robles, Managed Services – Delivery Partner Executive, IBM
Jeiz has been a leader at IBM (IBM) Philippines’ LGBT+ BRG - EAGLE since 2015, whilst also being an IBM Global Out Role Model.
She recognizes intersectionality and allyship by working with other BRGs (women & PWD) to advance inclusion. Coordinating workshops and leadership development sessions, Jeiz engages and develops thousands of IBM’s LGBT+ employees and their allies. Jeiz was instrumental in IBM winning the Asia CEO's Diversity Company of the Year Award, recognizing the most diverse companies in Asia.
Jeiz is a co-leader of Pride@Tech, promoting inclusion through technology locally and actively works with the Philippine Financial & Inter-industry Pride (PFIP) to foster LGBT+ inclusion across Philippines' various corporate industries.
Jeiz’s advocacy led to company benefit changes, providing a full LGBT+ Domestic Partner benefit package, the first to be offered in IBM ASEAN and amongst the first within the Philippines. The change lead to the BRG being a finalist in Out & Equal's BRG of the Year Awards.
17) Sue Baines, Director, Barclays Bank
Sue is the co-chair of Spectrum at Barclays (BARC.L), the LGBT+ Employee Network, and is LGBT+ lead on Barclays’ UK D&I Council. She is an active role model internally and externally, championing the importance of diverse backgrounds and showcasing how investment in diverse talent benefits individuals, companies and society.
Sue has led discussions at UK Finance to set a blueprint for the industry, regularly speaking at events (Barclays Eagle Labs, Pride in City) and contributing to LGBT dialogue on lack of visible LB/BAME women in the workplace.
As the lead for Barclays Spectrum's support for LGBT charities, Sue has raised over £500,000 in last three years. As a trustee for Ditch the Label (LGBT youth anti-bullying charity), ELOP (LGBTQ+ mental health), and as a member of the Terrence Higgins Trust Finance & Risk Committee, she works tirelessly to directly support for these charities with fundraising, governance, premises space and awareness building. Sue was awarded Barclays Woman of the Year in 2017 for her LGBT+ efforts.
18) Belton Flournoy, Director, Protiviti
Belton is the founder and Executive Sponsor of Protiviti’s UK's LGBT+ group, proPride, which won best the D&I Initiate (LGBT+) award from the Inclusive Tech Alliance.
He has instigated formal support for the Global Out & Equal conference and frequently hosts events to amplify the voices of LGBT+ staff and allies. D&I remains a core focus of Protiviti, leading them to become one of the more visible networks across London.
Belton was included in the British LGBT+ Awards Top 10 Inspirational Leaders and regularly speaks at events ranging from sessions at the London Stock Exchange and Deliveroo’s offices to Pride in the City (PITC) and the Enterprise Resilience Forum. Belton founded Pride in the City with Pride in London, a mayor-backed initiative dedicated to amplifying the voices of LGBT+ people and their allies. In 2019 he also became a TLC Lion, sharing his personal story of career success. He also acts as an advisor and mentor.
19) Mark Schissler, Director, BlackRock
Mark was the first ever global chair of the OUT & Allies Network at BlackRock (BLK), charged with expanding its presence into new EMEA and APAC markets. Mark developed a comprehensive global strategy to help make BlackRock the best place to work for LGBT+ people in financial services.
Through external engagements, expanding internal reach, sponsorship and maintaining best-in-class LGBT+ data, Mark has made a huge impact on Diversity and Inclusion at BlackRock, which is now in the 13th year of its LGBT network.
Mark has spoken and been a panellist on many occasions, including at Out & Equal, INvolve and BlackRock events. Mark is a regular volunteer at local LGBT+ organizations, including Just Like Us, a program focused on LGBT+ inclusion for school aged children. He launched his own internship program at BlackRock, speaking at inner-city schools and mentoring underrepresented students in the New York area.
20) Jason Hoar, Senior Scientist, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Drug Metabolism, Merck
Beyond his R&D jobs at Merck (MRK), Jason has served as the global lead of the Merck Rainbow Alliance (MRA) Employee Business Resource Group (EBRG) and as a member of the EBRG Executive Leadership Council.
Jason has been instrumental in growing MRA from 250 to over 1,500 members and 26 Chapters around the world. With Jason’s guidance, MRA runs over 100 events a year focused on LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion, leadership, and allyship through Business Impact, Recruiting & Employee Development, and Community Outreach priorities.
In addition to partaking in internal panel sessions, Jason has spoken at events hosted by Unilever, PhRMA, NGLCC (BRG Sip & Pitch), and oSTEM (LGBTQ+ Narratives in Pursuing Life Science Workshop). Jason was recognized on the Business Equality Pride Magazine’s Forty LGBTQ Leaders Under 40. Additionally, MRA has received D&I awards such as the oSTEM LGBTQ+ Employee Network of the Year.
21) Olu Howard, Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase
Olu’s roles at JPMorgan Chase include being North American co-chair of JPMC PRIDE and global lead of JPMC Global Technology LGBTQ+ Community’s Retention Pillar.
In these roles, Olu has helped build out new LGBTQ+ communities at the firm’s technology centres and brought a focus on racism, representation, and inclusion. Olu built a Reverse Mentoring Program designed to identify, develop, and promote diverse talent, helped create a Global Authenticity campaign, which engaged LGBTQ+ senior leaders, and facilitated the creation of PRIDE's Tri-State Women's Committee.
Outside of JPMC, Olu participates in NYC’s LGBTQ+ community as a member of the Governance Committee of Anti-Violence Project (AVP), where he helps empower LGBT+ and HIV-affected communities and supports through organization, education and counselling. He is a board member of The Other Side of Silence (TOSOS), where he helps preserve and promote LGBTQ+ stories by providing theatrical opportunities to LGBTQ+ creators.
22) Roz Francuz-Harris – JT (Director of Tech Recruiting), Company (Zillow Group)
Roz is focused on connecting with talent, engaging with underserved and underrepresented communities, and maximizing partnerships with organizations such as Out in Tech, Lesbians Who Tech, and internal groups such as OUT and The League. Building on talent attraction strategies and developing talent communities, Roz has held several virtual recruitment activations showcasing women and out executives in the industry.
She is also a board advisor to Lesbians Who Tech (LWT). As a dynamic and innovative speaker, Roz has spoken at some of the industry's leading events and organizations such as the Lesbians Who Tech (LWT) Summit, Code2040, The Hidden Genius Project and The National Association of Adventurous Black Women.
She is also a member of the Stonewall PACT, which supports political nominees that look out for the LGBTQ community.
23) Nikki Symmons, Global Content Studio Planner, Philip Morris International
Nikki is part of the leadership about to launch STRIPES Global, helping create and implement ERG’s into the Phillip Morris International (PM). By being the voice for the LGBT+ employees, Nikki and STRIPES Global’s efforts have helped create a continuous conversation that enables PMI to build a more inclusive and respectful workplace.
As a former international hockey player, Nikki has appeared at Sporting Pride Ireland as a member of a panel discussing LGBT+ in sport and is included in the EuroHockey ‘Hall of Fame’ for her athletic career and work as an LGBT+ role model. Nikki was the first Irish gay female athlete to come out publicly on TV.
Nikki’s activism in Switzerland to end LGBT+ discrimination helped achieve a majority vote and she regularly helps Rainbow Families with their push to legalize gay marriage and IUI for gay couples.
24) Jenn Renoe, Associate Media Director, Publicis Health
As a transgender woman, Jenn has worked to increase the awareness and visibility of her community for both internal policies and external communications at Publicis Health Media. Utilizing personal experiences, Jenn has worked alongside the Égalité BRG to develop a set of standardized transition guidelines to help transgender employees who haven't felt safe and comfortable enough to come out at work.
Working on the development of an internal diversity consultancy team, Jenn hopes to ensure that all underprivileged communities are represented and celebrated. She also helped pioneer Publicis Groupe’s internal Transgender Awareness Week, engaging talent through panels, educational opportunities, and more.
Jenn has moderated multiple panels, including Transgender Inclusion in the Workplace during Trans Awareness Week, and spoke at the SXSW Mental Health Meet Up. Speaking openly about the need for mental health reform, Jenn helps others by discussing her own struggles on her podcast, Our Fractured Minds.
25) Suresh Ramdas, Global Training Lead, HP
Suresh is the Chair of HP (HPQ) India’s Pride BIN (Business Impact Network) and has focused keenly on inclusion, in collaboration with HP’s D&I Council.
During this time, he has successfully achieved a number of initiatives including introducing all-gender restrooms across every company site in India, same-sex partner benefits, initiated a skill development program for the transgender community, and improved employee sensitization and awareness.
Winner of Mr. Gay World India in 2019, Suresh went on to represent India at Mr. Gay World and made it to the Top 10.
Often invited to speak at events, Suresh is the co-founder of Working with Pride India, which brings together D&I professionals and LGBT+ people from organizations to collaborate and share best practices. Suresh also collaborates with Impulse India to spread awareness about safe sex practices and HIV awareness.
26) Eraldo d'Atri, Senior Associate and Solicitor Advocate, Clifford Chance
Eraldo is the co-chair of Clifford Chance LGBT+ Network and led initiatives which helped the firm reach 19th place in the 2019 Stonewall Index.
His work was instrumental in Clifford Chance being the first law firm to publish its LGBT+ pay gap alongside gender. Eraldo is recognized by the firm as the go-to person in shaping internal LGBT+ policies and initiatives.
As an Inclusion Advocate and mentor to junior LGBT+ lawyers, Eraldo often runs events to educate colleagues on issues facing LGBT+ co-workers. He also helped organize the first City multi-company Trans Awareness event.
Shortlisted for the Future Leader: LGBT+ Lawyer of the Year award by Chambers & Partners, Eraldo was also featured on Legal Week and BBC News for his various LGBT+ pro bono work, which even led the UK courts to recognize for the first time that human rights extend to identities outside the male/female binary.
27) Caroline Tutakiewicz, Director, Strategy & Innovation, RBC
Caroline champions diversity and inclusion through multiple channels, both through her role at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and through her participation in external networks.
Caroline is the co-chair of RBC Toronto Pride, the largest Pride Employee Resource Group nationally for Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). She created the 'Speak Up Series', an event series amplifying the voices of LGBT+ individuals in corporate Canada.
Caroline is a sought after speaker and thought leader, discussing topics of intersectionality, leadership, women in leadership, LGBT+ history, and coming out to create a more inclusive culture. She serves on the board of directors for Start Proud, an organization that facilitates the professional development of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals by building a national network within their community.
Carline is also a board director for Sherbourne Health, a hospital committed to helping people who may have been under-served by conventional health serves (LGBT+, homeless, and under-housed individuals).
28) Alexander Dmitrenko, Head of Asia Sanctions, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Alexander is a core member of the Freshfields Halo Network. He is responsible for organizing Halo events, tackling important topics such as marriage equality in Asia. Most recently he has focused on LGBT+ rights in Japan and led firm-wide pro bono work on LGBT+ issues, which results in a number of awards including the IFLR Pro Bono Firm of the Year, Stonewall Top Global Employer and Work with Pride in Japan.
Alexander co-founded and co-chairs Lawyers for LGBT+ & Allies Network (LLAN), an NPO offering a collaborative platform for lawyers to promote LGBT+ equality.
Alexander initiated and led LLAN’s major projects, including the Foreign Law Report on Marriage Equality, which the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations relied upon in declaring that denial of marriage rights constitutes a violation of the Japanese Constitution, and the Viewpoint on Marriage Equality, endorsed by 113 entities, which recommended the Japanese Government extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.
29) Jose Alberto Pino Andrade, Global Strategy Lead, Dow Consumer Solutions
Dow’s Jose Alberto is the global NGO liaison for Dow's LGBTQ+ and ally employee resource group, GLAD, and is also on their global steering team. He is an ambassador for Dow's 2019 Global Pride Campaign and leads trainings on D&I across Latin America.
Jose Alberto is a keen speaker on LGBT+ inclusion and conducted a TED talk during the Instituto Empresa: LGBT@Work event in Madrid. He can often be seen as a panelist at events, having spoken at Out&Equal, REDI and UDEM, among many others.
Jose Alberto was an advisor on the creation of an LGBT+ ERG for UNIVAR Latin America and he is also president of EXATEC Diversidad LGBT+ from Tec de Monterrey University promoting values of inclusion and economic empowerment for LGBT+ entrepreneurs. Recently, he has been mentoring students in Mexico's leaders of the future program.
30) Craig O'Boyle, Head of Apps & Gaming, Google & Executive Coach, Google
Craig is one of the EMEA Leads for Pride@ Google, the company's internal ERG. Craig’s role includes planning the strategy, external campaigns, and management of partnerships around Pride, and he has overseen Google’s largest EMEA pride programme over a number of years.
In 2020, he led the team of 26 chapters to pivot Pride to be completely virtual and worked on an internal campaign that featured 30 Google top executives sending messages of inclusiveness directly to Gayglers, Allies and the whole EMEA Google population.
Craig also runs the UK leader’s community and is a key advocate for D&I and #ItsUpToMe. Craig is an executive coach and is focused on accelerating and supporting talent from under-represented community groups. Craig is an active member of the LGBTQ+ networks at London Business School & Columbia Business School, as an alumni, partner and guest speaker.
He also maintains close relationships with numerous UK and EMEA LGBTQ+ charity and community organisations.
31) Sayato Nakata, Senior, EY Japan
Sayato is the leader of Unity, EY’s ERG in Japan for LGBT+ people + allies and has led numerous awareness-raising activities and contributed to personnel system improvements throughout the organization. Sayato has led a number of events to deliver positive messages about LGBT+ people, including quarterly cross-company joint events, regular luncheons and attendance of Tokyo Rainbow Pride.
He has presented his own personal story as a transgender individual at events to help inspire others. He participated in "Job Rainbow," a recruiting event for LGBT+ people, as a panelist.
Sayato has engaged in a Diversity Soccer Program as a volunteer coach, providing support for LGBT+ and homeless people suffering from depression and developmental difficulties. He is also a member of “good aging yells,” a non-for-profit organization promoting LGBT+ awareness in the workplace and sport.
32) Bruna Gil, Partner Manager, LinkedIn
Bruna is the Regional Lead for out@in across EMEA&LATAM, sitting on the global leadership team. At Out@In, Bruna launched an internal fundraiser during Pride month in honor of Black Lives Matter and championed the transition to large scale Virtual events. She also led the launch of LinkedIn’s external LGBT+ mentorship program.
Under her leadership, Out@In UK was recognized as a top 10 Network Group at the British LGBT Awards and Bruna has twice been awarded by LinkedIn for her contributions to D&I. Bruna spearheaded the creation, launch and delivery of LinkedIn’s first global leadership program, aimed at high potential LGBT+ employees.
As a board member of the UK Social Impact Board, Bruna worked with several non-profits to support underprivileged youth. She sits on the advisory board for Career Accelerator, and has been named ambassador for LBTQWomen. Bruna has also been shortlisted for a British LGBT Award under the Diversity Hero category.
33) Annie Newman, Senior Digital Content Editor, GSK
Annie leads the UK and RoW LGBT+ network, Spectrum, at GSK. Under her leadership, the network brought in new leadership team members to better reflect the diversity of the LGBT+ community at GSK and evolved an internal & external communications strategy for LGBT+ to ensure awareness of the LGBT+ community.
Annie oversaw GSK’s Global Workplace Equality Index submission, implemented the creation of mandatory Inclusion eLearning and revamped D&I content on gsk.com. She is member of the GSK advisory board on Mental Health.
Annie was shortlisted for Diversity Champion of the Year at the DIVA Awards 2020 and has been named PinkNews Role Model of the Year 2020, whilst also receiving multiple honors for GSK under her leadership. A regular speaker at events including WorkPride and LGBT+ STEM, Annie is also a member of the Proud Science Alliance steering team and part of the myGwork Mentor program.
34) Jon Tilli, Director, Commercial Real Estate, Deutsche Bank
Jon is global co-chair of dbPride, Deutsche Bank's LGBT+ and ally ERG. He is the driving force behind Deutsche Bank joining and participating in the Partnership for Global LGBT+ Equality. Having organized Deutsche Bank's first LGBT+-focused client event he also hosted the United Nations Consultation with LGBT+ civil society on "Engaging the private sector for LGBT+ equality" at Deutsche Bank's Palais Populaire in Berlin.
As a keynote speaker and panelist, Jon was promoted from vice president to director based on his work in driving D&I at the bank.
He is also co-chair of OPEN Finance, a coordinated effort across 48 financial services firms to share best practices, network and advocate for inclusive workplaces. Jon also supported the important work of Immigration Equality by hosting their annual summer fundraiser and co-chaired the Athlete Ally Action Awards.
35) Kushal Khandhar, Consultant, Boston Consulting Group
As leader of Pride@BCG (BCG's LGBT+ network) in India, Kushal laid the foundation and launched Pride@BCG in India, becoming the face of the network. Kushal played a key role in BCG extending partner benefits on insurance and compassionate leave, and helped extend BCG's mental well-being program to same-sex partners.
He also facilitated the introduction of BCG India's first all-gender toilets and organized numerous member and ally affiliation events and LGBT+-inclusion sessions.
Awarded BCG's "Key to Purpose" Award, Kushal introduced mandatory Pride@BCG sessions for new joiners, and spearheaded BCG India’s first LGBT+ thought leadership project, the Out@Work Barometer.
Kushal raised funds for Sappho for Equality, an organization focused on lesbian and bisexual women and transmen and played a key role in BCG making a corporate donation to an LGBTQ organization in India focused on trans individuals. He went on to become BCG’s first Global Pride@BCG Manager.
36) Lex Shu Chan, The Business of Fashion General Counsel
Lex launched Pride Network, the first official employee-led D&I initiative at The Business of Fashion (BoF), which led to the establishment of Belong, BoF’s D&I Council. Lex worked with their editors on developing an Editorial Style Guide to standardize the way BoF writes about identity.
As Co-Head of Belong with Jael Fowakes, Lex led on developing gender identity and expression policies, a pronouns guide and training to improve LGBTQ+ literacy internally. Lex’s management also led the BoF team to executing various internal systemic changes, including an inaugural D&I survey and further ERG’s, as well as external community initiatives.
Lex has provided pro bono legal advice to LGBT+ organizations such as Galop. Lex is also Co-Founder of Sachiko & Shu, a minority-led enterprise focused on activism through storytelling and events, which is due to release an anti-racism charity cookbook "Recipes Against Racism" in 2021.
37) Jess O'Keefe, Director, Transaction Banking, Standard Chartered Bank
Jess is the Americas D&I Champion for Standard Chartered (STAN.L) and an emerging leader in the bank’s corporates transaction banking team. During her time as champion, Jess has engaged global business leaders in the bank to advocate for an LGBT+ Employee Resource Group (ERG), which has gone on to support many colleagues since its inception.
As a founding member of the LGBT+ & Allies ERG, she played an integral part in building membership, awareness about allyship, and organised key events including participation in the bank’s first ever New York Pride Parade. Jess proudly co-authored the bank’s Ally to Advocate program, encouraging senior leaders to “walk the walk and talk the talk” when it comes to LGBT+ inclusion.
Jess is also a leader in the community as a member of the OPEN Finance Board, which provides a platform for the LGBT+ & Allies within the Financial Services industry. Jess is a volunteer with Trinity Place Homeless Shelter – an organisation hosting at-risk LGBT+ youth.
38) Alex Papastrat, Operations Leader, Dow
Alex is an operations leader at Dow’s (DOW) Texas City plant and Global Leader for Dow's LGBTQ+ and ally ERG, GLAD. In his manufacturing role, he has responsibility for the EH&S performance, plant assets, personnel and achievement of the plant related business goals.
For his role as ERG lead, he works to set the strategy for the network, aligning it toward Dow's ambition of becoming the most innovative, customer-centric inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world.
Under his leadership, Dow received its 15th consecutive perfect score on the HRC corporate equality index and, 2020 Out & Equal Workplace Equality Award, and was named a top employer for the LGBT+ community by Diversity Inc. Often seen as a panelist at events, Alex has engaged with numerous US state-based legislative initiatives to both support and oppose policies affecting the LGBT+ community. He has been instrumental in supporting HRC's Federal Equality Act legislation.
39) Steven Lewis, Manager, Legal Counsel, Capital One
At Capital One (COF), Steven co-chairs the Canadian LGBT+ Business Resource Group, OutFront, and works to improve internal policies and community engagement. Steven has ensured the continued engagement of the gender and sexually diverse community through expanded virtual programming and ongoing work with external partners, with a focus on intersectionality and gender diverse communities.
Named one of the top "40 LGBT+ Leaders Under 40" by Business Equality Magazine Steven has also received the "Future Leader Award" from Innovation and InHouse Counsel Magazine and has been nominated as "Person of the Year" by Fierté Simcoe Pride.
Externally, Steven has provided pro bono legal assistance to LGBT+ community groups in Toronto and has continued to lead education and advocacy work in the community through many boards he sits on, particularly with his work advocating for the trans and non-binary community in Ontario cancer screening programs.
40) Sarah Stephenson, Honorary Fellow, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
Sarah co-founded QueersInScience, aimed at fostering an all-inclusive environment for LGBT+ professionals and students in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine).
At QueersInScience, Sarah identifies and liaises with executive champions to highlight the challenges facing the LGBT+ community in STEMM and the steps that can be taken to create a more inclusive sector. Sarah creates an enabling environment for team members to lead initiatives that connect LGBT+ individuals across the isolated STEMM silos.
QueersInScience has grown nationally with Sarah’s guidance, and has established chapters in all Australian states, meeting regularly to promote continuity and a national focus on LGBT+ inclusion.
Having secured several government grants, Sarah and her team organised Australia's first LGBT+ STEMM symposium and she has received the Murdoch Children's Research Institute’s Staff Award for her work with QueersInScience. Sarah is also a mentor to the Pinnacle Foundation, supporting LGBT+ young adults to reach their full potential.
41) Andrew Hastings, Sharepoint Analyst, Standard Life Aberdeen
Andrew is the global chair of Lighthouse, an ERG at Standard Life Aberdeen, and is responsible for promoting workplace inclusion through events, networking, training, blogs, fundraising and peer-to-peer support.
Under his leadership Lighthouse has expanded globally and has designed, facilitated and delivered focus groups, run numerous events and championed a review of policies and processes resulting in a gender neutral, LGBT+ inclusive UK parental leave policy. Winner of the Rising Star award at the Scottish Diversity Awards and Highly Commended at the Employee Network of the Year Awards, Andrew co-founded the ALBA Alliance, an employer network advancing LGBT+ inclusion in Scotland.
He is also a member of InterInvest, the asset management industry's LGBT+ employer network that takes action across the industry to achieve progress.
42) Nathan Eastwood, Senior Associate, Clifford Chance
Nathan is the Australian co-chair of Arcus, Clifford Chance's LGBT+ Network. He has led several first of their kind workplace initiatives on inclusion for LGBT+ people within the firm, including Clifford Chance Australia's first gender affirmation policy, reviewing Australian HR policies to ensure they are LGBT+ inclusive, creating roadmaps for LGBT+ best practice for all of Clifford Chance's offices globally and organizing Trans and Intersex awareness training.
As a direct result of Nathan's efforts, Clifford Chance Australia obtained Gold status in the Australian Workplace Equality Index.
A keen speaker, Nathan has spoken at events such as the 2020 Australian Pride in Practice Conference, the Australian Ally Conference and on a panel of the International Bar Association's LGBT+ Law Reform Committee. Recently, Nathan was named Australian LGBT+ Network Leader of the Year, adding to his previous accolades as the 2020 Asia-Pacific Future Leader: LGBT+ Lawyer of the Year and Australian Young Arbitration Practitioner of the Year.
43) Tom Ketteley, Assistant Director, UK Visas & Immigration
Tom uses his position as a senior leader within UK Visas and Immigration to be a visible LGBT+ role mode.
He acts as a mentor to junior LGBT+ staff within the company and is an active advocate for SPECTRUM, the Home Office LGBT+ staff network. Delivering keynote sessions at universities and during UK Black History Month, Tom uses his platform to bring in diverse voices from junior LGBT+ colleagues.
He continues to sit regularly as an independent panel member on senior civil service recruitment boards, ensuring selection panels are diverse and that an LGBT+ lens is applied to appointments. Alongside various speaking engagements, Tom was invited to write an article for the Law Gazette to mark Pride 2020.
His work to make the legal profession more inclusive through his activities as a Law Society LGBT+ Division Committee member raises visibility to help create a diverse legal profession.
44) Rafhael Romero Bentos, Lawyer Associate, Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr e Quiroga Advogados
In Mattos Filho, one of the largest law firms in Brazil, Rafhael was the founder of the affinity group, #mfriendly, that discusses LGBT+ rights and is a pioneer initiative within the legal sector in Latin America. The impact of this initiative fostered Mattos Filho’s competitors to follow suit.
In addition to group events hosted by #mfriendly, Rafhael has spearheaded improvement in the number of self-declared LGBT+ professionals at the firm. He is a keen speaker at international events discussing LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace and has led #mfriendly to international awards such as the Latin Lawyer Diversity Initiative of the Year, the Out and Equal Excellence Award and the Americas Diversity & Inclusion Firm of the year. Rafhael also co-leads the legal committee at OUTstand, a group for inclusion within the financial sector and co-leads the LGBT+ committee at the International Bar Association (IBA).
45) Genesis Garcia, Vice-President, BNY Mellon
Genesis is a vice-president in the global marketing team at BNY Mellon and serves on the global operating committee for PRISM (LGBT+ ERG). In her efforts to drive diversity & inclusion at BNY Mellon, Genesis was part of the leadership team which launched the "Consciously Unbiased" series globally. The series focused on mitigating unconscious bias and creating an inclusive culture.
She has led planning for Pride events and was recognized by her peers with a BNY Mellon Applause award for her efforts. Spotlighted in an internal D&I column titled "Vantage Point,” Genesis continues to help educate by leading efforts to launch a three-part series on allyship with Out & Equal.
Genesis is also a member of the Open Finance executive committee and is on the programming board and board of advisors for StartOut, a nonprofit helping LGBT+ entrepreneurs connect with investors, mentors and sponsors.
46) Deon Pillay, Head of Marketing Operations, Legal and General Investment Management
Deon is the chair of the LGBT+ strand of Legal and General Investments Inclusion Team (LEGIT) and is co-chair of their L&GBT+allies Network. Passionate about diversity and Inclusion, Deon is a Top 10 British LGBT+ Award Diversity Hero and was featured number 27 on the EMpower Top 100 Ethnic Minority Future Leaders list.
He is often found taking part in panel sessions at various events including LGBT+ History Month, the NTT DATA Global Diversity Conference and at the Institute of Communications. As a founding member of Interinvest, a free network driving LGBT+ inclusion in the asset management and savings industry, Deon has grown the network from six firms to 31 in the past two years. He is also a steering committee member for the Diversity Project LGBT+ strand, using the platform to drive LGBT+ inclusion for ethnic minorities, using his personal story.
47) Robert Murphy, Customer Strategy & Propositions Specialist, Permanent TSB
Robert is a founding member of Permanent TSB's first LGBTQ+ Employee Network, PRISM, and their current co-chair. PRISM has supported and proactively propelled the delivery of Permanent TSB's D&I Strategy, aiming to support LGBTQ+ employees and allies, by promoting and driving positive change. Robert is also a founding member of PTSB's Change Collective, a network of employees focused on influencing and implementing meaningful, agile change within the organization.
Outside Permanent TSB, Robert is operations officer & steering committee member for Fusion Ireland, the Financial Services Inclusion Network, serving as a key influencer in the Network's broader strategy and currently leading the Committee's Network Best Practice Pillar.
In 2019, Robert was awarded Permanent TSB’s Group Values-In-Practice (VIP) ‘United’ award for his internal contribution. Most recently, Robert has completed a professional diploma in Leading Cultural Change and Ethical Behaviour in Financial Services with University College Dublin.
48) Christina Riley, Senior Project Planner, ISG Engineering Services
Christina was previous co-chair of the Kier Construction LGBT+ Network. As a trans role model, Christina is focused on being a construction industry leader, having transitioned whilst at Balfour Beatty in 2014 where she was chair of its LGBT+ Network. Christina’s tireless D&I work is focused at industry level, leaving a legacy at each of the networks she’s been involved in.
Having made the DIVA Power List in 2019, Christina is also a committee member for InterEngineering and a panel moderator at the largest diversity event in the construction industry. Working closely with the Chartered Institute of Building, Christina was appointed as the co-chair of its D&I Advisory Group.
Christina is also co-founder and exec committee Member of Building Equality, an organization making an impact on an industry of over 3 million people. Over the last 5 years, due to her significant influence on D&I in the industry, Christina has won nearly 20 awards on diversity.
49) Gabriel Duran, Associate, BLP
Gabriel is the director of BLP's LGBT+ Committee, developing one of the first LGBT+ Committees in a legal firm in Central America. The Committee does a huge amount of pro bono work for international organizations and NGOs, including Trans organizations.
This work helped BLP win the Most Inclusive Firm of the Year in Latin America award from Chambers and Partners. At BLP, Gabriel helped create the first no discrimination policy for the LGBT+ community and represented the firm as a legal advisor to Pride Connection by AED (Business Association), overseeing the legal strategy for Virtual Pride.
He included BLP in the HIVOS project to create colorful workplaces of inclusion. Gabriel has worked to promote equal marriage in Costa Rica, participating in forums and creating legal recommendations to legalize equal marriage, including legal opinions for the Human Rights Kit of Fundación Igualitos
50) Francesca Harris, Business Development Manager, PwC
Francesca is national co-chair of PwC's LGBT+ Network (SHINE). Spearheading a LGBT+ women subgroup, she expanded the network from a small UK-base to a now global network, with the support of a cherished team that earned a place on the shortlist for People Network of the Year at this year’s British LGBT+ Awards.
A regular internal speaker at PwC, Francesca acts as a LGBT+ female role model for the company, whilst also working with multiple charities which cover LGBT+ families, faith networks, and education. In 2018, Francesca won the Barclays Diversity Champion Award and placed 63 on the Guardian Pride Power List.
As the co-founder of The Alliance Network, she represents LGBT+ employer networks in the Midlands and is also a WERKIN with You Ambassador, providing voluntary support for LGBT employees and execs impacted by COVID.
51) Chris Howard, Open Source Lead, EPAM Systems
Chris has been an integral part of EPAM’s D&I journey, taking an active role in educating colleagues and bringing awareness to their LGBT+ community. Taking the lead by pushing for the creation of ERGs within the company, he actively holds internal sessions to guide policy and recruitment, whilst also securing opportunities for the company to publicly sponsor both Pride in London and Trans Rights are Human Rights.
Chris is the lead of the Intertech LGBT+ Diversity Forum working with over 100 organizations to promote LGBT+ diversity in the tech sector. Volunteering through Intertech, he works with organizations to facilitate roundtables, lunch and learn sessions and webinars, successfully helping organizations launch ERGs and change policy around LGBT+ rights. Within the British Army LGBT+ Network, Chris is also responsible for all media enquiries regarding LGBT+ matters.
52) Rachael Stein, Consultant, Boston Consulting Group
In 2020, Rachael started the Pride@BCG North America Intersectional Diversity Taskforce, which elevates the voices and needs of women, people of color, and TGNCNB (transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary) people in BCG’s LGBTQ+ employee network. Rachael also leads the communications function for Pride@BCG North America.
Through this role, Rachael is the first TGNCNB-identifying member of the Pride@BCG leadership board and the youngest current member. Outside of work, Rachael has spent the last several years on the conference leadership team for Out for Undergrad Business (O4UB), an organization dedicated to supporting the future careers of LGBTQ+ undergraduates.
Rachael has been involved with LGBTQ+ community advocacy since coming out as queer and gender non-conforming at age 13, and has been previously honored as a Point Foundation Scholar, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) National Media Ambassador, and State Farm Youth Advisory Board Service Initiative Grant Winner.
53) Cathy Denyer O'Leary, Client Distribution Support – Senior Manager, Vanguard Asset Management
Cathy is the founder and chair of Vanguard’s LGBTQ+ European network, OPEN Europe, and a founder member of the firm’s European D&I Council. Within OPEN Europe, Cathy created workstreams to focus on educating staff on LGBTQ+ related issues, raising awareness and creating a forum for questions or issues from all staff.
As part of the committee she helped to organise Vanguard Europe's first participation in London Pride and created and maintained strong links to their BAME, gender equality & mental health groups.
She also ensured links to the Diversity Project and InterInvest, which founded and chairs, to ensure best practice. InterInvest feeds into the Diversity Project’s LGBTQ+ workstream and also runs independently of the Diversity Project, maintaining over 30 member firms from the investment and savings industry. They share best practice within the industry and enable firm-to-firm collaboration to provide support to in-house LGBTQ+ networks and assist in attracting and retaining LGBTQ+ talent into the industry.
54) Laura Lavery, Assistant Manager, People Engagement, PwC UK
Laura is the Norther Ireland chair for Shine, PwC's LGBT+ network. Under her leadership the network educates, engages, and supports those within the firm. Shine has opened up conversation, created and implemented learning resources, formed partnerships with local charities and instigated a collaborative approach.
As co-chair of Working With Pride in Belfast, an external professional LGBT+ network organization, Laura has also been able to share the learnings she’s had from Shine's journey with other fledgling LGBT+ professional networks. Organizing and promoting networking, educational and fundraising events, Working With Pride also leverages their shared resources to add value to the network.
55) Louis Ng, Senior Manager, Early Careers Talent Acquisition, Fidelity International
Louis is the regional lead for Fidelity International’s LGBT+ Global Network and for the Fidelity for Eventone (F4E) Network. In this role, Louis helped lead the Network to achieve gold standard at the Community Business' Hong Kong LGBT+ Inclusion Index.
During Louis’ time, he collaborated on a joint event to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia (IDAHOTB), ran a refreshed LGBT+ Ally Training for Asia and oversaw the implementation of an improved Diversity Monitoring project.
Invited by Michael Page to help prepare its LGBT+ Network in Hong Kong, Louis featured as a LGBT Great Top 1000 List Role Model and received silver for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion at the HR Distinction Awards. Louis is also a mentor and advisor at the Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) and Fruits in Suits (FinS), helping share his experience as an out local Chinese man.
56) TJ Richards, PMO & Stakeholder Outreach Manager, Santander UK
TJ is the national co-chair of Santander UK’s LGBTQ+ Network, Embrace, helping to create and implement a flexible support model now made up of over 3,000 members. She led the development and implementation of a new organizational structure to allow the network to remain relevant in today’s virtual workplace, and organized Santander's headline sponsorship of the inaugural Pride:MK event.
Spearheading the bank's Stonewall WEI submission, TJ is a thought leader when it comes to the bank's strategy of being fully inclusive to customers and colleagues. As a keen public speaker on the importance of D&I, she has spoken at many events.
TJ was also corporate engagement manager (and a founding member) of Pride:MK (Milton Keynes), where she developed a corporate sponsorship model and developed lasting relationships across communities. TJ is also the chair and managing director of Q:alliance, and a committee member at RoundabOUT, supporting smaller and new LGBT+ networks with advice, mentoring and events.
57) Kirsty Mulholland, Client Relationship Manager, Bank of Ireland
Kirsty is co-chair of “With Pride,” Bank of Ireland’s (BOI) LGBT+ Employee Network. Kirsty led BOI’s first participation in Belfast Pride and organised their first LGBT+ ally training and trans awareness programs in NI.
The Network successfully delivered gender-neutral bathroom facilities in every BOI premises in Ireland and worked with TENI on trans training for frontline staff. The "With Pride" Network was named Best Employee Resource Group at the GALAs and BOI was named the Best Large Company at the NI Equality & Diversity awards; a big recognition of the work that Kirsty was directly involved in.
Kirsty is also a founding committee member of FuSIoN NI, the Financial Services Inclusion Network, and working on the FuSIoN Network Match program, an online networking and career development initiative for LGBT+ finance professionals. In 2017, she became the first person in the 200+ year history of Bank of Ireland Group to transition in the workplace.
58) Lynne Nicholls, Regional Service Charge & Section 20 Manager, Clarion Housing Group
Lynne is the co-chair of Clarion Housing Group’s LGBT+ Staff Network. Having coordinated the company's involvement in Prides across the UK, Lynne is instrumental in delivering a series of intersectional events demonstrating the company's commitment to the LGBT+ community.
Lynne has promoted intersectionality and cross-working between the company’s four staff diversity networks, resulting in combined campaigns, strategies and policy reviews. Conducting numerous speaking engagements Lynne has also been a finalist in the Inclusion Champion category of the Women in Housing Awards and helped Clarion achieve a Certificate of Excellence for the Outstanding Diversity Network category at the Inclusive Companies Awards.
Acting as a mentor at HouseProud, Lynne has supported the development and formation of staff LGBT+ and diversity networks in other social housing organizations, whilst also being a Trustee of Schools OUT UK and Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Plus History Month UK (LGBTHM).
59) Rhys Shegar-Astoralli, Senior Partner/Head of Vodafone Foundation Luxembourg, Vodafone
Rhys has been an active lead at Vodafone (VOD.L) championing activities and events in Luxembourg, as well as being a key player in Vodafone’s broader global LGBT+ programmes. He was the key initiator in the establishment of Vodafone’s Partners with Pride event, which focussed on LGBT+ inclusion through collaboration with its co-partner ecosystem.
Rhys has been mentoring LGBT+ people, as well as serving as a reverse mentor. As a director of the Luxembourg LGBT+ Professional Association, the association was awarded a national Diversity Award for best multi-company collaboration.
He was involved in the strategy blueprint for LGBT+ inclusion for the Diversity Charter Luxembourg. Rhys continues to actively engage with Vodafone’s co-partners on LGBT+ inclusion and intersectionality work as well as leading Vodafone’s Foundation in Luxembourg to drive further inclusion in the community.
60) Robert Head, Director, Proposition Lead, Legal Content Solutions, Asia & Emerging Markets, Thomson Reuters
As being the executive sponsor of Pride at Work Hong Kong (Thomson Reuters), Robert has successfully lobbied to setup all gender toilets and receive healthcare coverage for transgender surgery in HK.
In addition, Robert has lobbied to extend self-ID into Asian markets, whilst also creating an Understanding LGBT+ Terminology document for the company intranet. Robert has also created and implemented a Pride at Work Hong Kong LGBT+ Toolkit with links to key resources including training, relevant benefits, and highlights of awards and recognition.
As a panelist at numerous events, Robert led submissions when Thomson Reuters were shortlisted as finalist in Hong Kong’s LGBT+ Network Award and when they ranked 5th in the Hong Kong LGBT+ Inclusion Index. Robert is also Thomson Reuters’ representative within the Hong Kong LGBT+ Attorneys Network (HKGALA). Robert devised and spearheaded Thomson Reuters’ global Pride Month Social Media Campaign, #connectwithpride.
61) Seamus Kearney, Vice-President, Northern Trust
Seamus is community engagement lead of the Northern Trust Pride Network. He is also co-chair of FuSIoN, a cross-company network which works collaboratively with members across financial services in Ireland on LGBTQ+ best practice initiatives.
Seamus collaborates with numerous external organizations, and adapted quickly to the virtual world, maintaining educational and awareness-raising sessions in 2020, including an Equality For Children panel discussion, as well as Dublin and Limerick LGBTQ+ Virtual Pride Parade entries. Seamus’ key achievements include joining OUTstanding and FuSIoN, raising funds for LGBTQ+ youth charity BeLonGTo, and arranging speaker events, including Joy Neville (Irish Rugby Referee) and Nicole Owens (Dublin GAA Player).
As a result of his work, Northern Trust’s staff in Ireland proudly wear LGBTQ+ lanyards and Senior Management actively engage and participate in events. Seamus was nominated for a GALAS LGBTQ+ Role Model Award and is a trained Stonewall LGBTQ+ Role Model.
62) David Adamson, Strategy Director, The&Partnership (WPP)
David is the Founder of WPP Unite!, the LGBT+ employee network that connects all the advertising, PR and media agencies of WPP (WPP.L).
Having seen an opportunity to create a network that better reflects LGBT+ people within the workplaces and the work of the advertising industry, he built a community of LGBT+ employees and allies, agency leaders and D&I specialist to align the different agencies of WPP around LGBT+ D&I.
Unite’s focus is on amplifying the voices of LGBT+ people working in advertising, advising on workplace policies and creating tools, training and resources to inspire more authentic portrayal of LGBT+ people in campaigns and communications.
David has been instrumental in pushing clients to create better representations of LGBT+ individuals, lifestyles and families within the advertising they create. He is also a keynote speaker at numerous media panel discussions and mentors young diverse talent entering the creative industries.
63) Chiara Beccalossi, Associate Professor in Modern and Contemporary European History, University of Lincoln
Chiara organised an international video art exhibition, Transitional States, showing works about and from trans artists, in addition to associated public events featuring trans activists and trans-related topics. Chiara has hosted and presented numerous events as part of an international public engagement program on trans issues, gaining international recognition.
Her public discussion work has increased understanding of the lives of trans people and how medical treatments can be used to help their bodies match their gender identity.
At the University, Chiara has been working with marginalised trans students to establish a network and safe space for them to meet, discuss and celebrate their identities. Chiara has also organised gender identity training for staff to raise awareness and understanding of trans students' needs. She is also a member of the University’s LGBT+ Staff Network, Equalities Advisory Group and Race, Ethnicity and Equality Committee.
64) Alexandra D'Sa, Head of Programs, WERKIN
Alexandra is an out lesbian member of the senior management team at WERKIN, an organization that accelerates the careers of underrepresented groups. She designs talent development programs for organizations and industry networks with a D&I lens, promoting intersectionality and cross-pollination of ERGs.
Alexandra was also part of the design team for 'WERKIN With You,' a COVID-response program, and community lead for the LGBT+ and BAME groups on their tech platform. Alexandra won Citibank’s inaugural Diversity Champion Award and is proud to have co-founded House of Pride, a space for the queer female and non-binary community. to thrive personally, professionally, and creatively, and where funds raised from products and events go to LGBT+ charities.
HOP created 'The LGBT+ Guide to self-isolation' earlier this year, and centers Black, Asian, and minority ethnic voices at the heart of their organization. Alexandra is an ambassador for LBTQWomen and runs their mentoring arm.
65) Jonathan Foot, Head of Apprenticeships & Early Careers, Compass Group UK & Ireland
Jonathan is the co-chair for Compass Group’s Pride in Food Committee (LGBT+) and a member of their Women In Food Committee. Having been involved in promoting LGBT+ D&I within Compass Group, Jonathan drives awareness of the “Pride in Food” network, showcasing Compass as a home for diversity. Increasing awareness of career and development opportunities, Jonathan has been instrumental in developing and delivering awareness training, in line with their new policy which encompasses Dignity and Respect.
As co-chair, Jonathan helps support and organise campaigns, initiatives, seminars and events to communicate and engage with Compass’s supply chains, partners and customers to share best practice and raise awareness and acceptance of LGBT+ people.
Compass Group UK & Ireland’s Apprenticeship programme has been recognised for the great work they do promoting D&I. Jonathan is also a member of BSA and represents Compass on the BAME Apprenticeship Alliance.
66) Emiro Mendoza, Business Director, Mindshare
Emiro is the co-chair of Mindshare Pride and a member of PrideM, GroupM’s LGBT+ Network. Emiro has made it his mission to drive the right representation of the LGBT+ community in advertising.
Some of Emiro’s responsibilities at the Network include: setting up LGBT+ Role Model training; driving the inclusion of policies for trans people and same sex couples; and organizing educational events and driving awareness by setting up internal LGBT+ History Month exhibitions. Mindshare launched a DMP to target minority groups and LGBT+ in advertising to enable brands to talk to these communities.
Emiro was a Top 10 LGBT Inspirational Leader in the British LGBT Awards and is a keen public speaker in panels and keynotes. He is also director of events at Outvertising, training talent, driving engagement with agencies, and sharing best practices with LGBT+ industry leaders.
67) Laura Devaney, Applied Science Lead, Medical Affairs EMEA, Johnson & Johnson
Laura is chapter co-lead of Open&Out UK, Johnson and Johnson’s ERG chapter, which has been shortlisted as a Top 10 ERG of the year at the British LGBT awards. She has directly influenced various workstreams and ensured wide inclusion and impact, through the launch of a virtual speaker series in 2020.
As chapter co-lead, Laura has co-hosted the first UK Open&Out summit, created opportunities to attract and retain the best LGBT+ talent and provides development opportunities for LGBT+ talent. Previously recognized in the OUTstanding LGBT+ Future Leaders List, Laura has also written for DIVA magazine about the importance of building a sense of belonging in the workplace.
Laura is part of the Proud Science Alliance, a collective of healthcare and life sciences sector LGBT+ ERGs. She has co-facilitated an ally workshop for members of the HBA and trained to be a facilitator for Diversity Role Models.
68) Sophia Papadopoulos, Senior Business Analyst, Kantar
Sophia is global chair of Pride@Kantar, helping connect over 750 members of Kantar's LGBTQI+ employees and allies from across the world.
Sophia is responsible for strategy, acting as a beacon for the group and advising, lobbying and collaborating to turn awareness into action. She has been an integral part of Pride@Kantar’s success with nominations for MRS Pride Award, the DIVA LGBT+ Network of the Year and the Outstanding Diversity Network award. In 2019, she won the Women in Research MRX Diversity Champion award and most recently she was included in the Top 50 Research & Equitable Leadership (REEL) list.
A keen public speaker, Sophia has spoken at MRSPride, PRout@Work and the forthcoming Inclusion and Diversity conference. Sitting on the steering committee for MRSPride, Sophia also connects businesses to drive forward how they can better understand and support the community.
69) Sofia Nyx Piassetta, Development Analyst, Atos
Sofia is the head of Pride Network for Programa Diversidades Atos Brazil and a member of AtosPride Global, a worldwide support and inclusion network for LGBT+ people working for Atos. Sofia is the first transgender person in Atos Brazil and a member of the AtosPride LGBT+ Role Models program.
She plays an important role in cooperating to establish partnerships with recruitment and selection consultants, aiming to increase LGBT+ talent acquisition, and helping to educate other through lectures, presentations and webinars on D&I.
She has recently been appointed head of the LGBT+ committee for the D&I program in Atos Brazil, participating in both live interviews and a documentary on the lives and challenges of transgender people. Sofia is a keen volunteer at numerous organizations, participating in global projects that aims at empowering girls, women and gender expansive people, in addition to support groups and yarning circles aimed to transgender people.
70) Carlos Leighton, Experience Insights Senior Analyst, BP
Carlos is the co-chair of Pride UK. Actively involved in LGBT+ awareness activities, Carlos has been imperative to improving the way BP think and act in regards to LGBT+ people, improving their working environments for the better.
Participating in internal campaigns and sharing his story as a proud Latino gay man, Carlos’s mentorship to colleagues drives inclusive mindsets and challenges initiatives. He is a keen mentor both in the workplace and in the steerco committee at Pride.
Participating in panel discussions in his native Peru, he helped implement best practices in different countries, made recommendations to SMEs on how to support their LGBT+ employees, and spoken about how communication can be used to increase engagement with the community.
71) Joanne Gilmoran, Regional Head EMEA & APAC - Global Custody & Agency Services, Bank of America
Joanne is the EMEA regional lead for the LGBT+ Pride Network in Bank of America, bringing the five EMEA based chapters across Ireland, UK & France together by providing strong leadership, guidance and sharing best practices.
Joanne has been responsible for raising the international profile of the network by engaging and collaborating with the LGBT+ Pride Networks in the US & APAC regions and initiated collaboration with the Multi-Cultural Leadership Network (MLN) in EMEA to understand how the Network can help given BLM. Having facilitated a senior panel event Bringing Ourselves to Work, Joanne is also a member of the Parents & Carers Network, driving conversations with parents of children who are LGBT+ and LGBT+ parents with children.
She is also a member of InterInvest and a panel speaker at their events. Joanne is a Dublin Pride supporter.
72) Anthony Francis, Executive Business Manager, Lloyds Banking Group
Anthony is the Role Model and Intersectionality Lead for Lloyds Banking Group’s (LLOY.L) LGBT+ Network. He takes a lead on the LGBT+ strategy for the group, working with senior stakeholders to ensure LGBT+ remains a priority. Having established and delivered an internal LGBT+ Role Model list, Anthony also talks at internal and external events to deliver content on LGBT+ inclusion, intersectionality and support for colleagues in the group. Anthony has helped increase membership within the Network, gaining sponsorship for specific activity, and helped to increase the Network’s internal and external inclusion brand.
He is a mentor and coach to LGBT+ colleagues. Anthony works many other FTSE 100 companies and SMEs to help them learn from Lloyds Banking Group’s LGBT+ Network. A keen charity supporter, he has helped raise thousands for Diversity Role Models and Opening Doors London. In addition, Anthony also managed Opening Doors London’s website, playing a key role in their engagement strategy.
73) Victoria Jackson, Associate Solicitor, BLM
Victoria is the co-founder of the BLM LGBT+ Allies Network. Since inception, Victoria has grown the member numbers across various offices, engaging in a variety of initiatives to promote LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace across the firm and beyond. She is featured on the BLM websites for her views on Diversity.
As an EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion) Ambassador at BLM, she works tirelessly to ensure the firm is accessible to all and is dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the clients and communities BLM serve. She was nominated for Insurance Lawyer of the Year at the Women in Insurance Awards 2020 for her ongoing EDI work.
Victoria is also a founding member of the Liverpool Law Society EDI Committee, working with other law firms in helping them on their EDI journeys by sharing best practice. She is also a member and area coordinator of the Link Up North LGBT+ insurance network.
74) Nigel Kalra, Talent Partner, Sage
Nigel founded and leads Sage’s (SGE.L) internal LGBT+ business resource group for UK&I, PrideAtSage. Since inception, PrideAtSage has raised LGBT+ awareness through support for various celebrations such as History month, IDAHOTB Day and Trans day, running webinars, sharing communication, and introducing a Trans awareness training program.
Collaborating with LGBT+ charities, Nigel has also lead and supported a mentoring — and reverse mentoring — scheme, both at Sage and externally.
PrideAtSage UK&I was named the best D&I team of the year at the Inclusive Tech Alliance, and Nigel was personally recognized with the Make A Difference and Unsung Star awards internally at Sage. Nigel appears on podcasts and speaks at events championing D&I, with health, wellbeing and gender equality at the forefront of his LGBT+ strategy.
75) Kris Slay, Information Architect, AstraZeneca
Kris is the lead of AZPride LGBT+ Business Resource Group at AstraZeneca (AZN.L).
AZPride fosters a culture of acceptance, tolerance and advancement of LGBTQ+ employees. Membership has tripled over the last two years thanks to global expansion. Holding numerous virtual events throughout 2020, the group concentrated on the importance of mental health and scored an incredible 100 on the 2020 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index.
Kris also played an instrumental part in AstraZeneca being recognized by DiversityInc as one of the top 50 companies for diversity in 2020 and the company was named as a top LGBT+ employees.
With Kris as the lead, his BRG received the CEO’s award for its contribution to making AstraZeneca a great place to work. Kris is also a member of the United Way Pride Council, advocating for LGBT+ corporate and community support of LGBT+ individuals. He is a board member of Towne of Bellefonte.
76) Brais Louro, Principal Economist, Ricardo Energy & Environment
Brais is the co-founder of GLOBE Spain, the LGBT+ and ally group at Deloitte Spain. Brais has been active in promoting LGBT+ D&I within Deloitte and the wider business community, developing relationships with senior leaders and making the case for LGBT+ networks.
Spearheading five national events, GLOBE has had a real impact in Deloitte Spain, influencing internal policies and communication. Brais contributed to the first ever Pride external communications campaign that Deloitte carried out globally and was awarded Deloitte Spain's Green Mate Award for his work in building an inclusive workplace environment.
He now continues his efforts at Ricardo Energy & Environment. Previously, he was a senior advisor in the UK Government Equalities Office and ranked one of the top 30 LGBT+ Civil Servants with Impact. Brais also volunteers at COGAM, a leading LGBT+ forum in Madrid, and has been a mentor at Just Like Us UK.
77) Christopher Sayasith, Director, International Business Development, The Estée Lauder Companies
A driving force for inclusion and diversity at the Estée Lauder Companies (EL), Christopher is the co-chair of wELCome, ELC’s LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group.
In his role, Christopher developed capabilities to drive LGBTQ+ inclusivity at scale within ELC such as: the wELCome Plug & Playbook, a resource to facilitate the launch of wELCome in international affiliates; and the ELC Pride 365 Program, an internal initiative to ensure Pride is celebrated all year round.
In the wake of the BLM movement, Christopher led a panel discussion about the importance of intersectionality and allyship, which was cascaded to global leadership teams within ELC’s portfolio of prestige beauty brands. As part of his external contributions, Christopher was featured as a panellist at South by Southwest (SXSW), speaking on the rise of gender fluidity in beauty. He is a founding member of Out in Fashion & Beauty, a cross-industry networking organization for LGBTQ+ professionals.
78) Davina Ellis, Content Delivery Manager, American Express
Davina is a member of the American Express Pride+ Network UK and London.
Davina played a key part in driving visibility of the trans community within the company, helping to drive change of health care benefits offered to LGBT+ UK colleagues.
By creating supporting documentation for transitioning colleagues and a guide for allies on transgender related topics, Davina has been an advocate for better understanding the community. Davina also supports Free 2 Be, a London based community organization, supporting LGBT+ young people and their parents. Often found partaking in panel discussions, Davina is passionate about supporting others through transition.
79) Stephen Somerville, Senior Associate - Pro Bono, Herbert Smith Freehills
Stephen leads and facilitates Herbert Smith Freehills's (HSF) pro bono legal support and advocacy for LGBT+ charities, not-for-profit organizations and marginalized individuals in Australia. Through his role as co-chair of the IRIS Network (HSF's global LGBT+ network) in Sydney and Melbourne, Stephen has been the go-to person on LGBT+ issues and advocacy.
Through his role in HSF's Pro Bono & Citizenship team, he has supported the Pinnacle Foundation to facilitate education scholarships and mentoring for LGBT+ youth. Stephen contributed to Stonewall's guide to LGBT+ advocacy for businesses and he was previously profiled in Australasian Lawyer for his pro bono and LGBT+ leadership. Stephen is currently on the Board of St Kilda Legal Service, a community legal center based in Melbourne, which operates a specialized LGBT+ Legal Service.
He was previously also on the board of Inner City Legal Centre, a community legal center in Sydney which focuses on assisting disadvantaged and marginalized LGBT+ clients.
80) Shelley Tiltman, Employee Experience, Cognizant
Since joining Cognizant in 2019 as employee experience senior manager, Shelley has driven the engagement and activities for Cognizant’s LGBTQ+ and Allies Network, Embrace, and also held a leadership position within the organization’s global network.
Embrace shares best practice and drives LGBTQ+ inclusion. Shelley’s participation has been key to Embrace delivering at least one event per month to educate allies, raising awareness, and supporting those who identify and model inclusive behaviours. Shelley has led the company’s global allies awareness program, which resulted in a steep increase in membership numbers.
She created communication plans, collateral and material to help guide allies into action. Prior to Cognizant, Shelley completed the Stonewall Workplace Equality index (several times) and has been driving LGBT+ inclusion within various organizations for more than 15 years, delivering training on LGBT+ inclusion to over 60,000 people. Shelley is also a member of LBWomen and a volunteer at Brighton TransPride. Shelley recently moved into a global inclusion and belonging role within the company. Her focus is on collaborating with all networks to help their journey towards inclusion.
81) Juan Pena, Head of Corporate Law, Europe, Visa
Juan is the co-chair of Visa's (V) Pride ERG globally and is also co-chair of their Pro Bono Committee, working on a variety of issues that promote diversity and inclusion and that support educational programs. Juan has helped devise Visa’s global strategy for the Pride ERG as part of global D&I, creating goals and projects to allow employees in the community to understand how Visa supports them.
Having assisted with Virtual Global Pride and partnered with Goldman Sachs on the Pride Academy, Juan led the team to win the 2019 In-House Legal Team of the Year at the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards.
His work for the Pride Academy has helped students from across the UK gain a better understanding of what it is like to be out in a professional environment.
82) Frederico Bastos Pinheiro Martins, Lawyer Associate, Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr e Quiroga Advogados
Frederico supports and actively participates in Mattos Filho's ERG LGBT+ network, #mfriendly. As a sitting member of its executive committee, he oversees the group's initiatives and activities, such as the creation of gender-neutral restrooms, the company’s first participation in the Reaching Out job fair and the creation of HR guidelines for hiring transgender professionals.
Frederico has been a speaker at many events, both internal and external, and was part of the organizing committee of the Out&Equal LGBT+ Brazil Forum. The Forum brings together an array of Brazilian and multinational companies for educational and networking opportunities focused on advancing LGBT+ inclusion in the Brazilian workplace.
Being in a senior position at the firm and recognized for the D&I work he has done, Frederico is also a mentor to young LGBT+ professionals.
83) Stephanie Chang, Vice-President, Goldman Sachs
Stephanie sits on the Goldman Sachs LGBTQ+ Network Steering Committee. During her time in the Network, Stephanie has led the yearly NYC Pride March for Goldman, securing firm sponsorship, marketing the event, recruiting volunteers, and planning all the logistics.
Stephanie’s influence at the Network has led to ongoing mentoring discussions between LGBTQ+ network members and senior leaders within the firm, helping to foster ongoing professional development. As a mentor for LGBTQ+ members, Stephanie is continually participating in the Firm's diversity recruiting efforts such as Pride Summit and Lesbians Who Tech.
Stephanie led a team in fundraising for the LGBTQ+ Community Centre through Cycle for the Cause and is a continually supporter of the NQAPIA. She also serves as a mentor for Out 4 Undergrad Tech, helping LGBTQ+ undergraduates explore careers in tech and develop their professional skills.
84) James D'Rozario, Software Engineer, Vodafone
James is the founding chair for the London office branch of Vodafone’s LGBT+ Friends Network. James has helped shape global LGBT+ policies with D&I and HR and helped organize and facilitate Vodafone's LGBT+ inclusion training for graduates and apprentices.
As a keynote speaker at Partners With Pride, where he shares LGBT+ best practices, James also developed and delivered a Pride podcast allowing Vodafone employees to share their stories with the entire company for the first time. James’s work outside Vodafone has been instrumental too.
He initiated a partnership with Career Accelerator, where he recruited and coordinated LGBT+ mentors in the technology industry to mentor disadvantaged schoolchildren in London who wanted a career in tech. As well as producing podcasts for the likes of Hidayah, Mermaids and Micro Rainbow, James has also raised over £35,000 for charitable causes linked to LGBT+.
85) Tolu Osinubi, Senior Manager – Consulting, Deloitte UK
Tolu is the Intersectionality Lead for GLOBE, Deloitte UK’s LGBT+ Network. Tolu is leading their strategy and organized multiple events on the topic of intersectionality, which were attended by many people across the firm and educated people on intersectionality in the workplace and on being an intersectional ally. Tolu hosted a firm-wide Intersectionality and Diversity in the LGBT+ community workshop session at Deloitte.
Tolu has spoken at numerous events about the Black experience in the UK, representing her multiple intersections as a Black lesbian role model working in the technology sector. She has featured as a guest on Pride Diaries, a podcast exploring the lives and experiences of Nigerian LGBT+ folx. Tolu has also been a panellist at an Out At Work session for Lesbian Visibility Week discussing being your authentic self while at work as a Black LGBT+ person.
86) Joe English, Senior Business Analyst, McKinsey & Company
Joe is the founder of Hope in a Box, a nonprofit that helps rural educators ensure every LGBT+ student feels safe and welcome at school. They provide curated boxes of books with LGBT+ characters, detailed curriculum for these books, and training for educators on how to build an inclusive classroom.
Joe started Hope in a Box while working at McKinsey & Company, and in January, McKinsey supported his effort to take a leave of absence to grow the organization. Hope in a Box now supports 300 schools in all 50 states and aims to support all 7,000 rural schools in the US.
At McKinsey, Joe worked on education and economic development issues for state and local governments, published research on LGBT+ youth mental health, and was a member of McKinsey’s LGBT+ network. Joe was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list and has written on education issues for Politico and Education Week.
87) Aritra Kanjilal, Manager, Product Leadership, Nielsen
Aritra launched PRIDE ERG in Nielsen South Asia in 2019 and has been leading it ever since. Hosting over 15 awareness and inclusion campaigns, Aritra was instrumental in driving policy and facility changes to make Nielsen more LGBT+ inclusive and in introducing health benefits for same-sex partners.
Aritra has also diversified Nielsen's vendor list by bringing in LGBT+ owned businesses and contributed to global PRIDE and other D&I initiatives including the launch of a global PRIDE training module, organizing multiple global Diversity Dialogues and launching a global guide on LGBT+ inclusion policies.
As a finalist of 2020 Outies and of the 2019 D&I Champion of Change Award, Aritra can often be found conducting speaking engagements at the likes of Nielsen South Asia's PRIDE Town Hall and Pride Circle. Aritra also mentors LGBT+ individuals outside of work on their professional growth and skill development.
88) Gavin Williams, Senior Associate, Osborne Clarke
Gavin is founder and co-chair of OC Pride, Osborne Clarke's LGBT+ network and he also plays an active role in the professional LGBT+ community in Bristol. Gavin has led OC Pride to many firsts including its first Stonewall WEI submission, developing a multimedia catalogue of resources to support LGBT+ inclusion and establishing a real presence for Osborne Clarke's LGBT+ community.
He has also represented OC Pride's views in the design of the firm's new Bristol office. Gavin is one of the founders and outgoing Chair of PROUDbristol, an LGBT+ professional network. In this, he has worked with businesses in establishing their LGBT+ networks, has spoken at many events (including on bi-inclusion, trans-inclusion and network best practice) and has helped grow a community of like-minded professionals.
Most recently, Gavin has been collaborating with clients and in sectors outside of law to share his experience to inspire better LGBT+ inclusion for all.
89) Josi Reinhardt, Customer Service Representative, Aviva
Josi is a member of the steering committee of Aviva’s (AV.L) Pride Network. During her time in the role, Josi organised, promoted and ran an internal Nonbinary Webinar attended by UK and global Aviva employees. In addition, she founded an internal Nonbinary Network for trans and nonbinary colleagues and allies. Josi has actively encouraged staff to include pronouns in email signatures, increase awareness and understanding of nonbinary and trans identities, and actively created a safe space for nonbinary and trans colleagues.
Such work has since encouraged several people at Aviva to come out as nonbinary. Josi has been instrumental in organizing and running local events for Rainbow Laces Day alongside writing internal blog posts and coordinating and hosting panel discussions for LGBT+ History Month. Josi spoke at BLM protests to call for intersectionality and raised funds for LGBT+ charities across the UK by participating in #RunWithPrideUK.
90) Julia Atwater, Head of CX, Comms and Engagement, Atos
Julia is the co-founder of the Atos global Pride LGBT+ and Allies network. Through Julia's leadership, AtosPride has grown to 1,300 LGBT+ and Allies in 32 countries. She worked with the global D&I lead to update job descriptions globally with a powerful new inclusion statement. Julia regularly appears on panels and presents to senior leaders, sharing best practice and challenging leaders to create more inclusive work environments.
An outspoken LGBT+ role model actively contributing to all of Atos' diversity networks, Julia places great importance on intersectional inclusion. She is mentoring two junior LGBT+ colleagues and has created & delivered LGBT+ inclusive communications training to teams at Atos.
Julia is also the manager of York RI Ladies rugby team and ensures that LGBT+ inclusivity is at the core. She has led the team's involvement in York Pride and helps to coordinate regular social media campaigns about their inclusive culture.
91) Donald Darais, Senior U.S. Marketing Manager – Continence Care, ConvaTec
Donald is the co-founder and America’s chapter lead of ConvaTec’s Pride Employee Resource Group (LGBTQ+ ERG), focusing on diverse hiring, company insights, and professional development.
Donald has partnered with HR leaders to identify and develop employee resources for LGBTQ+ community and allies. He is also a key contributor and leading the creation of a Professional Development/Mentorship program for the LGBTQ+ Community at ConvaTec.
Having launched ConvaTec's first ever Pride Month, Donald has also collaborated with ERG Leads in creating an educational/awareness content calendar, focusing on recurring cadence of LGBTQ+ topics.
He collaborated with senior leadership on raising awareness around D&I metrics and how they can continue hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. Donald is also founding member of ConvaTec's Black Employee Network and Women at ConvaTec ERGs. He has fundraised for Sisu Youth Services and collaborated with local up-and-coming government leaders on how to foster a diverse and inclusive community.
92) Christine Chapman, Director, Software Development, Audible
Christine is a member of Audible Pride and founder of Amazon Women in Engineering Boston. Christine speaks on panels and advocates for policy changes within recruiting and other groups to improve experiences for LGBTQIA individuals.
Christine was a Speaker at the 2020 Lesbians Who Tech Virtual Pride Summit, and has been a mentor at their events, referring many queer and trans folks and helping them prepare for interviews, improve their resume, and get the introductory internship experience they need.
Christine is also founder of ChangingTheStory.org, an organization dedicated to improving retention of women in tech through the power of stories.
93) Tim Vallin, VP, Technology, IHS Markit
Tim is currently chair of Pride@IHS Markit LGBT+ network and a member of the firm's diversity council. Over the past 2 years he’s worked on raising awareness on LGBT+ issues across the industry with a focus on intersectionality and less talked about LGBT+ identities.
Within IHS Markit, he’s organised and taken part in panel events celebrating LGBT+ women, featuring trans, lesbian and bi representation, whilst also highlighting gender dysphoria issues with children and teenagers. He’s also spearheaded efforts for IHS Markit to openly come out in support of trans equality in the UK. He’s worked with the company’s core functions to help improve internal policies, training and processes further to make the organization more inclusive.
Tim is passionate about making IHS Markit inclusive for all and is a strong believer in allyship both for the LGBT+ community, women and the BAME community.
94) Satish Kumar, Accounts Analyst III, Swiss Re Global Business Solutions India Pvt Ltd
Satish is part of Together with Pride Network at Swiss Re, promoting LGBT+ causes in Bangalore. He is a core team member, as one of the founding members of the local chapter in Bangalore. Satish helped set up the network having felt the need to have an ERG within the local office to promote LGBT+ inclusion.
Having organized various panel discussions during the Pride Week celebration in office, Satish was instrumental in bringing prominent personalities from LGBT+ communities to share interesting conversation and trigger the dialogue on inclusion. This is in addition to his work organizing stands during Pride Weeks, coordinating workshops to bust myths and organizing inclusion quizzes. By running these events, Satish created impact and increased signup. As one of the keynote speakers at the Dive In festival, Satish also received the Asia D&I Award for his outstanding work in the LGBT+ space in the Bangalore office.
95) Francis Gatonga Theuri, Data & Analytics and E2E Commercial Transition Lead, Diageo
Francis is a member of the Diageo Rainbow Network. This year he supported the establishment of Diageo's UK gender identity & expression guidelines to support transgender, gender-fluid and non-binary employees.
He has contributed to the company's annual Inclusion Week (INC. Week) by providing platforms for trans men to share their experiences and discuss the intersectionality of ethnicity and queerness. For two years running, Francis has led and organized the distribution of 20,000 free cans of water promoting responsible drinking during London Pride and organized Pride celebrations in Diageo’s office.
Francis is also a trustee of BlackOUT, a group of professionals advocating for Black Queer Males in UK. His fundraising activities for Give Out also helped raise money for LGBT+ human rights activists around the world.
96) Andres Rodriguez, Global Center of Expertise Support Engineer, SAP
Andres is the regional lead for Pride@SAP Latin America and local co-lead for Pride@SAP Mexico. Andres has generated consciousness towards the LGBT+ community by introducing Pride Display, making it the first time the company had the Pride flag displayed at its Mexico City’s office.
Andres has been involved in the regional Transgender Day of Visibility, Pride@SAP Safe Zone Hour, and the Out and Equal Summit, raising awareness with colleagues while supporting the LGBT+ community. Andres was part of the 2019 Pride Connection Summit in Mexico and managed the certification process to achieve “Best Place to Work for LGBT+ Community'' granted by HRC EquidadMX.
He was featured on SAP News discussing how LGBT+ Inclusion creates a positive impact and how ERG activities reinforce SAP's vision of improving people's lives. Andres is also part of the Exatec Diversidad LGBT+ association that aims to promote LGBT+ involvement within the institution for its students and alumni.
97) Jeremy Washburn, Manager – Solutions Architects, Verizon
Jeremy is a global operations lead for Prism of Verizon. Prism of Verizon is Verizon's LGBT+ and Ally Employee Resource Group. Jeremy helped lead local events for the Ohio chapter of the ERG, including participating in the Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade and Festival.
The ERG also partnered on events that focused on the intersectionality of the LGBT+ community with BIPOC/Women/Disabilities. In the absence of a formal "Pride month," Jeremy offered and participated in virtual programming that included panels, drag bingo, movie nights, company podcasts, and virtual Pride walks tied to volunteer activities.
In addition, Jeremy has participated in a number of other initiates at Verizon that raise awareness among colleagues. This included Verizon “It's Never Too Late" and “Your Voice Matters” interviews which were broadcast to the company.
98) Anna Combe, Downstream Commercial Graduate, Shell
Anna is a member of Shell UK’s Young Professionals Network, Energie, and Shell UK’s LGBT+ Network, Proud@Shell. During the COVID-19 lockdown she created and ran a speaker series called Pride Bites and produced an accompanying music video.
The aim was to bring together LGBT+ and ally colleagues to celebrate each other and diversity at a time when many felt scared and alone and to remind each other of the importance of Pride. Anna organized hugely successful bite size sessions where LGBT+ colleagues told their stories in a safe inclusive space.
She sourced speakers from across the globe, with content ranging from coming out stories, drag performances, recollections of workplace harassment and marital issues. Over 500 UK colleagues engaged with the series. Anna used the #thisisme and the Shell rainbow pecten to market the series, which gained traction on LinkedIn.
99) Vitória Cassol, Software Developer, SAP
Vitória is Pride@SAP co-lead at SAP Labs Latin America. Together with a group of more than 25 employees, she has helped deliver activities that trained colleagues on privilege, subtle acts of exclusion, LGBTI+ awareness and the meaning of what the + represents, events to discuss history of black LGBT+ people's rights, and challenges and activities with local drag queens.
The Network focuses on intersectionality, bringing more to the LGBT+ community vision.
As the D&I champion and workgroup lead at SAP IBSO Brazil, Vitória is responsible for leading projects, creating discussion groups, and trainings and round tables, as well as the creation of safe space and community for LGBT+ people. Vitória was selected as one of the 52 Brazilian young LGBT+ leaders for the TODXS Embaixadorxs class and was one of the SAP representatives at Brazil Pride Connection meetings.
100) Aaron Lipford, Senior Associate, People, PSB Insights
Aaron is a member of UNITE and a participant in BCW’s PRide, both of the LGBT+ ERGs at PSB Insights’s parent company. At PSB Insights, Aaron has orchestrated many project initiatives.
Aaron took part in a campaign called Pride Insights, educating colleagues on how market research and data analytics impacts the usage of inclusive language, fosters community, and encourages allyship by acknowledge the representation of LGBT+ audiences.
Spearheading the inclusion of inclusive gender and sexual orientation representation in PSB's annual employee D&I survey, Aaron’s influence helped increased the representation and acknowledgement of LGBT+ identifying staff. Aaron is also a mentor with StartOut, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating great business leaders by fostering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer entrepreneurs. He is also a volunteer for Us Helping Us, a non-profit committed to improving the health and wellbeing of Black gay LGBT men. He is also a member of SeriesQ and BeGreatDC.
