Mentoring (panel)

Speakers:

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  Benjamin Firth

  Communications and Engagement Leader, LGBT+ Network Co-Chair
  EY

  Ben is Communications and Engagement Leader at EY in the UK. He’s also Co-Chair of Unity, EY’s LGBT+ employee network and a trustee of the charity, MindOut. Ben has over 15 years of corporate communications experience, gained through a variety of sectors in the UK and Australia. He’s passionate about working with leaders to drive positive change, business outcomes and inclusive cultures – all through compelling communication. Prior to EY, Ben spent eight years at the Financial Services Authority and Financial Conduct Authority working in internal and change communications throughout the financial crisis and shake-up of financial services regulation. Before then, he worked in corporate PR at Sydney Opera House and the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Born and raised in Gloucestershire, Ben regularly gets back to the Cotswolds to enjoy the countryside and see his family. He met his Partner while living in Australia. They moved to the UK in 2008 and have been living in North London since. When Ben’s not at a spin class with Psycle London or more recently doing a HIIT at home, he’s usually at the theatre or socialising with friends.

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  Jae Sloan

  Consultant, Coach, Writer, Speaker, Artist
  Apis Consultancy Group

  I am an organisational development consultant, executive coach and mentor with expertise in business strategy, performance, inclusion & diversity, leadership and change. I have 20 years’ experience working in a multinational pharma organisation as well as more than 5 years of professional experience working in education/non-profit community organisations. I have my NTL Organisational Development certification and am an APECS Certified Professional Executive Coach. As an OD Consultant I have supported individual leaders to lead their teams more effectively, have been the lead on large, global-scale change projects impacting thousands and everything in between. I primarily specialise in working with senior leaders and leadership teams to understand the root cause of a problem that needs to be solved and then work with the leader(s) to design and deliver solutions to resolve the problem in alignment with their overall business strategy and plan. I use a coaching approach, so leaders take active ownership of the process and solutions, while building their own leadership capabilities. When needed as part of a project, I also work with extended leader groups and support teams, most often to build their capability to lead change, to lead their teams and to deliver organisational goals more effectively. As an out queer (non-binary, gay) person I have nearly 10 years of leadership in inclusion and diversity with an emphasis on LGBTQ+. I have been recognised twice as an Involve Top 50 OUTstanding LGBT+ Future Leader. I am a Co-Founder and current Co-Chair of the Proud Science Alliance, a collective of healthcare and life sciences sector LGBTQ+ networks and partners who work together to raise the bar on LGBTQ+ inclusion within their organisations and the sector as a whole. I have mentored emerging inclusion leaders across multiple companies and am regularly invited to speak at events. As a reverse mentor, I have worked with corporate executive team members to support their growth as inclusive leaders. While working in the corporate, non-profit and educational sectors for more than 25 years, I have integrated personal study and practice across the mind-body-spirit continuum. I have done this formally through graduate degrees, an MSc in Exercise Physiology from Springfield College and an MSc in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, gaining in depth understanding of how our bodies work. Building on this foundation, I have used other formal learning opportunities, workshops, reading and practices such as exercise, yoga, meditation and chakra healing techniques to gain practical understanding of how our minds and spirits intersect with our bodies. With further formal training in interpersonal/group dynamics and Gestalt, I am skilled in working with individuals and groups to build knowledge and awareness of how we can better know ourselves, heal our bodies and stand in our power.

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  Chloë Davies

  Founder & CEO
  It Takes A Village Collective

  Chloe Davies is an award winning founder, creative, a passionate social impact consultant, chef, and entrepreneur who has dedicated much of her 20+ year career campaigning for inclusion and equality in all spaces, whether in-house at agency level, corporate organisations or through wider community engagement. With over 15 years of experience in retail, artist management, and PR, Chloe has honed her expertise in leadership, social impact and inclusive representation. Her work centres around authentic storytelling, creating spaces of belonging, mental health & well-being, self-empowerment, culture change and workplace advocacy. Simply put, she is trying to change the world for the better. In April 2023 she founded ‘It Takes A Village’ - a global collective for Black women in advertising, media, marketing and comms who's mission is to celebrate & champion them, for their talents to be seen, heard & amplified and together shape the collective industries into a space where Black women can have agency and succeed.

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  Marcus Frysol

  Managing Director
  Macquarie Group Limited

  Marcus' financial services career spans over 15 years with expertise founded in capital markets, and heads Macquarie's Market Operations in EMEA. Shortly after joining Macquarie in 2015, Marcus signed up as a Pride ally and a member of the Pride Steering Committee. As an active and visible champion of diversity, Marcus designed and implemented Macquarie's reverse mentoring programme to educate leaders and people managers on LGBT diversity issues and subsequently extended the programme to Macquarie's Senior Executives.

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  Lucy-Anne Bryans

  Supply chain services - Global Corporate Card Programme Manager
  EY

  Alongside my day job of managing our global commercial card programme I lead the Networking & Development workstream of EY’s LGBT+ network - Unity. I have been working in ERGs since the first day I discovered one more than 10 years ago and believe passionately that the opportunity to create an additional network of like minded people is a really important tool and can open doors and build confidence. At work I manage our global commercial card contract for EY. We look to drive new and innovative card solutions that enables the business to be agile in their purchasing processes, alongside a large corporate card programme that supports our employees as they travel.

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  Kirsten Dagless

  Assistant Head of Professional Development
  The British Army

  Colonel Kirsten Dagless was commissioned into the British Army in 1999. Her early service saw tours in Northern Ireland, Germany and Iraq. She holds a Master of Arts in Defence Studies, a joint honours degree in French and German, a Post Graduate Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership, a Post Graduate Certificate in Higher and Professional Education and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. An experienced military officer, she has a demonstrated history of working in talent development, workforce planning, personnel employment policy and logistics. She is currently employed as the Assistant Head of Professional Development for the British Army, responsible for the development and delivery of military training and education.

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  Lindsay Nuon

  Founder & CEO
  EmpirEqual

  Lindsay began her career in the US military 17 years ago and has since worked in the US Intelligence Community, with government agencies including NCIS, the FBI, and HHS, Akamai, Google, as an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Hampshire School of Law, and several startups including her own, EmpirEqual. She is also the Founder of a nonprofit devoted to serving Women of Color in Blockchain (WCB) and an ISACA Blockchain SME. Her commitment to transforming communities, organizations, and industries through Social Justice and technology initiatives have been covered in Al Jazeera, NBC, and quoted in various media outlets in and adjacent to the technology industry.

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