Meet Our Judges

Tiwalola Ogunlesi is a globally recognised coach specialising in positive psychology, an international speaker, an author and the founder of Confident and Killing It. 

A visionary British leader with Afro-Caribbean heritage, Mike embodies the essence of thought leadership. His unwavering commitment to client-centricity and elevating customer experiences has left an indelible mark. With a proven track record of steering teams through intricate international matrixed organizations, Mike thrives on delivering impactful results.

David is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) professional with over 15 years of experience leading ED&I initiatives in addition to a long career in community engagement, customer relations and project management. Currently working in professional services, David has also held professional roles in the global energy sector as well as UK occupational health care that provides him with a unique understanding and knowledge around the challenges businesses face.

Cecil (He/Him) holds an MSc in Information Systems from Canterbury Christchurch University.

Andy is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Manager at Capgemini UK and has worked within Capgemini UK for almost 20 years.

Aneeta has 30+ years in Sales & Marketing in the Software, Publishing and Media industries. A senior leader with experience building global businesses from ground up and a trained ICF certified coach, she uses her cross-cultural experience and leadership skills to help clients dig deep and challenge and expand their thinking to achieve their goals.

Cameron McKinnon is the Head of Sustainability at Innocent Drinks. He leads ESG strategy, driving both environmental and social results for Innocent. Under Cameron's leadership, the team at Innocent Drinks work toward driving down its carbon footprint, enhancing biodiversity and improving farming livelihoods within supply chains

Branded by the creative industry’s The Drum magazine as “adland’s activist” Matt is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Ogilvy UK, the world’s most awarded advertising agency. He is also a DEI thought leader, frequent public speaker, LGBTQ+ campaigner and multicultural specialist.

Stephen established Beyond Education in 2019 as an initiative to help his peers struggling to secure job opportunities after graduation. Today Beyond Education has an online community of over 40,000 followers, helping underrepresented talent access career opportunities with inclusive employers.

As Global Director – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) at CBRE, Chris Williams oversees the company’s DE&I efforts across its Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) Business. Until most recently (August 2022), he also had the pleasure of being the Co-Chair of the Race, Ethnicity & Cultural Heritage (REACH) Network and the Chair of the Christian Group (part of the Faith Network). As a Black British employee (with Caribbean parents), he is very passionate about creating environments where people can thrive by strengthening an inclusive culture, increasing workforce diversity, and spending with diverse suppliers.

Shauna Roper is a values-driven JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) thought leader, setting an exemplary standard of love-based leadership. She has been with HSBC for 15 years spanning across both Global Business lines and Functions across multiple geographies. With an unwavering commitment to her values and principles, she has consistently made a profound impact in the field of Financial Services, leading in her own skin.

Neila Butt is Channel 4's Creative Diversity Lead for the Nations and Regions. She has been working in TV and Audio for over 20 years, with a background in news. Her expertise in DEI challenges covers finding and working with both on and off screen talent, unpicking complex editorial, as well as running various interventions to improve representation and portrayal.

Asif Sadiq has been credited with impactful global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion activities and programs across organisations, that have created a strong sense of belonging for all and resulted in truly diverse workplaces. He has been key in building synergies between internal and external D&I efforts within organisations, ensuring diversity and inclusion are embedded in all elements of a business, resulting in innovative, creative, and inclusive products and services.

Anthropologist, researcher, author & keynote speaker Noémie Hermeking is an experienced intercultural trainer, consultant, inclusion and diversity officer who enables people to unlock their full potential to work within our multicultural world. Hermeking holds a PhD. in socio-cultural anthropology from Indiana University, USA & a master’s degree in socio-cultural anthropology from l´Ecole des hautes études en Sciences Sociales (School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences), Paris.

Kim Sabate, who goes by she/her pronouns, is a proud transgender woman from the Philippines. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She is an Associate Member of The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development after completing the Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management.

Chris started his career in Investment Banking and Strategy Consulting, where projects regularly demanded working weekends, 12+ hour days and the odd 36-hour shift.Since founding Innerfit, Chris has led executive-level coaching programmes, facilitated team and leadership away days across Europe, and delivered a mix of keynote talks for organisations and audiences of all shapes and sizes.

Sanchia is a multi-award-winning and distinguished global Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) practitioner, public speaker, and community change-maker with a reputation for driving systematic and sustainable change towards fostering inclusive environments. She has worked across the public sector over the last 15 years to help move organisations towards being truly being inclusive, valuing their staff and creating a culture where staff feel supported, appreciated, and respected.

Georgina is an award-winning DE&I leader with over 7 years of experience spanning various industries, including finance/banking, consultancy, community, and hospitality.

Francisco Gallego (he/him) is on a mission to cultivate an inclusive and vibrant culture, empower underrepresented communities and elevate the employee experience as Global Inclusion and Diversity Manager at Expedia Group. He holds a Master of Social Science in Practical Philosophy and has been spearheading DEIB endeavours since he joined the company in 2018. Prior to Expedia Group, he held international roles, working for Volvo during a round-the-world sailing competition and representing Spain at the National Tourism Board in New York.

Lucile is a forward-thinking and award-winning Diversity & Inclusion leader, Keynote Speaker and Leadership Coach, with over a decade of experience leading diversity and inclusion in male-dominated industries. Since 2021, she’s also been a guest Lecturer in International Business Ethics at the Institut Francais de la Mode in Paris, France. With a French and North African background, and the first person in her family to attend university. A change-maker, Lucile’s passion lies in creating safe and inclusive spaces for impactful conversations to explore the complexities of intersectional identities, the psychology of inclusion and behaviours that promote authenticity and belonging. She is committed to guiding her clients on a transformative journey towards realising their full potential.

Lucy has worked in Inclusion and Diversity for the last 10 years. Prior to joining SHL, she led the Inclusion agenda for the Commercial Banking division of Lloyds Banking Group. She is passionate about making a difference for colleagues and the benefits that a truly inclusive organisation can bring. Outside of work, Lucy is supporting her local parish council to design accessible and inclusive play areas, based on her experience with her son Vincenzo, who is disabled. Lucy is also mum to Connie and the chairwoman of her local netball team.

Ritika was born and brought up in India. She went on to achieve an MBA in the UK and broke all barriers as an immigrant to Canada and the UK. Ritika has over 30 years of experience working at Board level across 3 continents, with senior stakeholders - within the public and private sector.

Alan is an accomplished leader in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion, with over 15 years of experience in the industry. Alan has led diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in several sectors, including professional services, financial services, defence and aerospace engineering and within government.

Steve has led the Age Diversity Forum for the last seven years, developing and designing awareness, support and services to showcase the values of age diversity in the workplace.

Claire Thomas is the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Hitachi Vantara, responsible for developing and implementing a strategy for diversity, equity and inclusion through programs that reflect the various backgrounds, passions and interests of the company’s current and future workforce.

Mark Esho graduated from De Montfort University in 1994 after obtaining an MBA in Business Administration. Though a Masters degree is a notable achievement for most people, for Mark this marked the culmination of years of hard work battling against the many obstacles that got in his way.

When Mark was five years old, he went from a happy, carefree child to becoming paralysed overnight. He had contracted the poliovirus, which by that point should have been eradicated from the UK. He was initially given a 10% chance of survival but not only did he survive - he thrived.

Sarah is a totally blind trans woman who blends her rich personal and professional experience of navigating the intersecting worlds of disability and LGBT+ equality with honesty and humour. She is the founding co-director of Simply Equality Ltd, a social enterprise that seeks to break down barriers for disabled and LGBT+ people.

Elisa Roy Watts is a results-driven human resource (HR) executive and leadership coach who emphasises developing managers, improving employee engagement and productivity, and shaping organisational culture.

Her impact spans business size and industry, including Fortune 500 telecommunications, finance, and technology companies. She thrives on leading HR organisations in fast-moving, forward-thinking work environments.

Sybil is the Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), where she is responsible for the development and delivery of the RICS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy for roughly 700 employees and more than 135,000 surveying professionals globally. RICS aims to be an accountable and influential leader, regulator and employer that understands and adapts to global cultures and the wealth of experience that diversity brings whilst ensuring that RICS employees, members and firms value and embrace a culture of respect and belonging.

Deborah is an experienced transformational change manager, skilled in leading and developing teams to deliver complex change programmes using design thinking and agile methodologies. She is an expert communicator and is a trusted advisor to senior leaders in blue chip organisations. For the last 25 years Deborah has specialised in EDI, developing and implementing innovative and world class inclusion programmes globally.