Speakers
Charlotte Valeur, IoD Chair
Charlotte Valeur was appointed Chair of the Institute in September 2018. As Chair, Charlotte is responsible for championing the IoD’s values, promoting its Objects and providing leadership to the Institute, ensuring it delivers maximum impact for its members and stakeholders.
Over the last decade, Charlotte has been a director of 7 public companies, including three appointments as chair. Charlotte is a corporate governance expert and a keen advocate for diversity in the boardroom, underpinning this advocacy with action by founding Board Apprentice. This not-for-profit organisation provides individuals hands-on experience at the very top of business, and has been cited in the Government’s recent reviews on ethnic and gender diversity in UK boardrooms as a resource for bringing about real change.
Bola Tinubu, Founder, The Cece Yara Foundation
Bola Founded The Cece Yara Foundation, a child-centered non-profit organisation established in 2016 to prevent child sexual abuse. She is responsible for the strategic direction of the organisation and is an ardent promoter of gender equality and diversity, and supports young women to take upper management levels in organisations.
Elizabeth Oni-Iyiola, Development Director, Inclusive Boards
Elizabeth manages the Executive search and Advisory and Research team and quality assures client projects. Major clients include UK Sport and Sport England, Royal Horticultural Society, The National Community Fund previously Big Lottery Fund to name a few. She was previously at Bloomberg as an Equity Data Analyst and API excel specialist and worked as a Corporate Client Coverage Assistant at Standard Bank before joining Inclusive Boards. Elizabeth has extensive experience in managing and delivering large-scale multi-million, multi-partner contracts for DWP and BEIS.
Mandy Fowler
Mandy Fowler has 25 years commercial experience in some of the UK's largest marketing and media companies. Her role is to support and challenge leaders and teams on their Journey of Trust as well as have responsibility for the Foundation’s business development.
Richard McKenna, MD, Inclusive Employers
As a commercially astute "Inclusioneer", Richard develops inclusion and diversity strategies that are rooted in the business/ organisational objectives and have successfully embedded these as 'business as usual' activity to help companies measure the success and reap the rewards of a truly inclusive culture. Richard is also the founder and director of Strudel, a 15 year old creative communications agency in London that works with organisations committed to positive social change.
Thomas Duncan Bell, Managing Director, The Kingsman
Thomas Duncan-Bell otherwise known as ‘The Bipolar Businessman’ runs two businesses and is also diagnosed with bi-polar and personality disorders, and has balanced his mental health issues while developing his start-ups through the growth journey. Thomas is a proud campaigner for mental health in business and works closely with the IoD to share his experiences with others.
Griselda Togobo, Mphil, ACA
Griselda is a multi-faceted entrepreneur, engineer and chartered accountant.
She uses her vast international experience to help progressive global companies create inclusive workplaces where the potential of 100% of the workforce is unleashed to better access and serve a global and diverse market.
She helps CEOs, business leaders and managers close the gender gap in their organisations.
John Blakey Founder – The Trusted Executive Foundation
John's role in the Foundation is to inspire and motivate senior leaders through delivering thought-provoking, pragmatic keynote sessions based on the best-selling books ‘Challenging Coaching’ and ‘The Trusted Executive’, as well as working 1-2-1 with CEOs as an executive coach to help them build the habits of trust and challenge in their day-to-day leadership roles.
Laura Bache, Senior Manager Diversity and Inclusion, Jaguar Land Rover
Global lead for Diversity and
Inclusion at Jaguar Land Rover. Working with all levels in the business, I have
introduced a 5 year vision, strategic objectives and the plan to deliver these,
focusing on empowering and educating our employees and leaders to make small
but impactful changes to deliver sustained impact. I am an Occupational
Psychologist with experience of delivering people and behavioural change
projects both inhouse and in consultancy roles.
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, Author, Lawyer, Public Speaker, Journalist & Women Rights Champ
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu has a broad area of specialism and interest in Leadership, Diversity, Gender Equality, Women Empowerment & Rights; Corporate Governance; International relations & Diplomacy; Law & Society; Politics; Business & Entrepreneurship; and Education. She is deeply passionate about diversity, socio-legal values and mentoring people to be visionary and achieving their goals, and has recently been nominated for Diversity Champion Award: Charity Sector in the Excellence in Diversity Awards 2017. She is also a Women4Africa Awards 2017 finalist; shortlisted for Author of the Year and Career Woman of the Year.
Neil Tomalin, Managing Partner, Saintclair Partnership
After a traditional career in financial services, including sales management, product design and consultancy roles, Neil formed his own practice in 2002. Initially focusing on risk management - getting boards of directors to understand how and why their businesses can fail, it changed in 2011 when he qualified as a Business Coach, training with Meyler Campbell.
Jonathan Richards, Founder & CEO, Breathe
Jonathan is the CEO of Breathe, a highly successful, fast growth and multi award-winning HR software company that helps small businesses unlock productivity and grow. They do this by freeing small business leaders from the ever-increasing burden of employee admin, allowing them to focus on what they do best – growing their businesses.
Founded 6 years ago, Jonathan has helmed Breathe to a near doubling in size every year and it now supports over 6,000 small businesses, employing more than 200,000 people, across the UK. In May 2019, Breathe won the Best Tech Place to Work category of the prestigious National Technology Awards, underlining Jonathan’s success in developing a highly positive workplace culture for his people. In June 2019 Jonathan was named SME Director of the Year in the Institute of Directors London and South awards.
Andrew Owen, National Consultancy Manager, Premier Companies
I have over 30 years’ experience in financial services, working in senior advisory and management roles with some of the country’s leading financial services organisations. I am a Chartered Financial Planner. My specialisms are At Retirement planning, Wealth Management and Estate Planning for individuals and business owners.”
Razia Aziz, Director, The Equality Academy
Along with a 30-year track record in equality, diversity & inclusion, her work draws upon a repertoire which includes facilitation, training, coaching, investigation, resolution, spiritual counselling, voice and bodywork, performance & presentation and ministry – all of which she is qualified to offer professionally. Razia’s style is distinctive, balancing the quest for truth & authenticity with the power of compassion and a sense of humour.
Liz Johnson, Athlete mentor & Corporate Speaker, Sports commentator & Pundit. Managing Director & Co-Founder at The Ability People
Liz Johnson has earned success as a Paralympian, media commentator, public speaker, athlete mentor and community ambassador. Her outstanding contribution as an athlete was recognised at London 2012 where she was selected to take the Paralympic Oath on behalf of all competing athletes and teams. Alongside commentary positions in the media and charity work, Liz is a regular speaker at corporate events. She shares her personal journey in overcoming the challenges posed by cerebral palsy and explains how the obstacles life throws at us can help us achieve success.
As TAP’s Managing Director and Client Ambassador, Liz leads the team and represents us with corporate partners, outlining and embodying the values that make our organisation unique
Dowshan Humzah, Director & Chair of UK Advisory Board, Board Apprentice Global
Dowshan Humzah is an independent board director, known for business transformation and ‘access to opportunity’. As an Executive, he delivered growth and digital innovation having held senior roles with RSA Insurance, Virgin Media, Orange, Procter & Gamble and four start-ups. Dowshan’s background and journey explain his passion for ‘access to opportunity’ for under-estimated groups and his development of diversity of POETS (Perspective, Outlook, Experience, Thought, Sector and Social Background) as an organisational imperative. He holds a number of Non-Executive board roles, including: Director of Board Apprentice Global, Trustee of the MS Society and on the Steering Board of 50:50 Parliament.