IDAHOBIT: The Power of Activism
To celebrate IDAHOBIT, myGwork and St James's Place Academy have invited global LGBTQ+ activists to share their stories and actions on making the world a more inclusive place. We are excited to hear their experiences and learn how we can all work together to push forward LGBTQ+ equality. Please join us and help us fight discrimination.
Panelists:
Aseel Altuwaijri (United Nations)
Aseel is from Kuwait and is a Human Resources Officer at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). She holds a MSc in Human Resources Management and Development. Aseel has been an advocate in Kuwait and the UN for trans rights and trans inclusive policies. She volunteers for UN GLOBE, the group representing LGBTIQ+ staff in the UN system, advising the board on trans-affairs.
Aritha Wickramasinghe (Sri Lanka Government)
Aritha is head of legal at Sri Lanka's Finance Ministry's National Agency for Public Private Partnerships and Equality Director at iProbono, global tech platform that helps connect people and organisations that need legal help but cannot afford it, with nearly 80,000 lawyers across 39 countries that help for free. He was also a founding trustee of the education initiative Think Equal and a lawyer at prestigious international firms Clifford Chance and K&L Gates in London.
Think Equal is piloting a global curriculum that is teaching children social and emotional intelligence from their very first day in school.
Since moving back to Sri Lanka in December 2016, Arithahas advised the Sri Lankan Government on education and economic policy reform including the USD 20 billion Colombo International Financial Centre project. In December 2017 he was appointed as head of legal at the Finance Ministry's National Agency for Public Private Partnerships.
Aritha continues to be strong advocate for legal reform to strengthen the rights of women, children and the LGBTQ community. He is the most senior, out LGBTQ public servant in Sri Lanka - a country that continues to criminalise homosexuality.
TJ Rrichards (Santander UK)
Formerly a Sergeant in the US Air Force before being “outed” and kicked out for being a lesbian, TJ is now a PMO & Stakeholder Outreach Manager at Santander UK. She is also the National Co-Chair of Santander UK’s LGBT+ Employee Network Embrace, a founding member of RoundabOUT, Milton Keynes’ Intercompany LGBT Network, as well as a Trustee and Director at Q:alliance, Milton Keynes’ only LGBT+ charity supporting the local community. In 2019 she was even part of the Pride:MK organising committee that delivered a hugely successful event for the community. An ardent supporter of inclusion and LGBTQ+ rights, she’s very passionate about helping to raise the bar in the workplace.
Chloe Davies (myGwork - UK Black Pride)
Chloe Davies is an activist, proud bisexual woman, mother of two, chef and entrepreneur, who campaigns for inclusion and equality in social spaces, corporate organisations and the wider community. She spent over 15 years working in retail, artist management and PR before starting her own company in 2015. Chloe is Head of Partnerships for myGwork - The global recruitment and networking hub for LGBT professionals and organisations promoting diversity and inclusion. Chloe volunteers with UK Black Pride (UKBP) as the Strategic Officer, working closely with the Executive Director and the Board of Directors to help shape the future of UK Black Pride. She is also an LBTQWomen Ambassador, heading up Community Engagement
