WorkPride Opening & Intersectionality

Welcome to WorkPride 2020, a global online conference powered by Zoom.

We are delighted to present our first workplace conference together with our headline sponsor, EY. myGwork and EY have been partners since the launch of our network in 2015. We are really proud and honored by their continuous support not only to myGwork but also to the LGBTQ+ community worldwide.

EY is a leading professional services firm helping organisations across the world to navigate complex change. Our community of more than 230,000 people in over 150 countries provides forward-thinking advice to help our clients make better decisions. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients, and for our communities.

EY's longstanding support of the LGBT community is just one example of their open, diversity, and inclusive culture. Unity, EY's LGBT+ network, was originally set-up in the UK in 1995 (one of the first of its kind in the private sector) and since then has grown to over 600 members here and over 4,500 members worldwide in over 77 countries.

Panel outline: Intersectionality is the theory that the overlap of various social identities, as race, gender, sexuality, and class, contributes to the specific type of systemic oppression and discrimination experienced by an individual.

Join Aritha Wrickramsinghe - Lawyer for iProbono and human right’s activist as he chair’s a panel of industry leaders to discuss why businesses need to ensure that Intersectionality (if applied) is embedded by HR as working practice throughout.

In partnership with:

Receive your LGBT+ Inclusion Certificate of Attendance for the WorkPride Global Conference 2020!

(To qualify, you must register and attend a minimum of 5 webinars during the WorkPride Global Conference.)

Speakers:

Sandra Thompson

Audit Partner/ Unity Co-Partner Sponsor
EY

I am an Audit Partner in EY, Reading and Audit Partner Sponsor for Onboarding and Transformation. I work with a variety of clients across many diverse industries and geographies, from large private businesses to global multinational listed businesses. I am also Unity Co-Partner Sponsor (EY's LGBT+ network) and I Co-Lead Diversity & Inclusivity in the Reading office. I moved to Reading on 1 May 2019 from the North East, where I was Office Senior Partner and Head of Audit for EY, Newcastle. As Head of Networks in Newcastle, I championed D&I and was Co-sponsor to one of the largest Professional Services Women's Network in the North East. I initially joined EY in early 2015 in their London office, where I was the UK Audit Leader for Private Client Services, where I focused on dynamic, entrepreneurial and fast-growth businesses with a key focus on technology, retail, private equity backed and fast-growing businesses looking to IPO or keen to expand internationally. Prior to this I was CFO of an AiM listed global on-line acquisition business, working across North and South America, Europe and Asia, having moved from Practice where I was an Audit Partner in Grant Thornton and Audit Director in PwC. I am a Non-Executive Member of the Finance & Investment Committee for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

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Aritha Wickramasinghe

Lawyer, policy expert, human rights activist.
iProbono

I am an international banking and real estate finance solicitor with substantial experience in providing premium advice and assistance on some of the largest international transactions in the market. I have always been a champion of diversity and equality in the workplace and lead and support a number of diversity and social mobility initiatives in the UK and Globally. I believe that people perform their best when they are free to be themselves. In order to encourage personal development and productivity growth, we need to create environments at work and elsewhere which encourages individuality and discourages prejudice. I believe in giving back to the community. I have initiated and contribute towards a variety of pro bono work across the world. I am a founding director of iProbono's Justice Programme, an organisation that connects civil society with pro bono legal help across the world and I am a founding trustee of THINK EQUAL - a new UN Human Rights Office endorsed education initiative that is working with countries to introduce a new subject into schools teaching children social and emotional intelligence. Over the next several years, I wish to continue my legal development. I want to develop a sound and niche knowledge of financial transactions with a projects and real estate focus while seeking exposure to emerging and frontier markets. Pro bono and diversity will remain a passion and I intend on continuing the development of my pro bono and diversity portfolio. Specialties: Finance, Real Estate Finance, Diversity networks, Pro bono iniatives, Human Rights and Public Policy

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Paulina Herrmann

Director
Coverpoint Foodservice Consulting

Paulina’s background is in the tourism and hospitality industry following a degree in international hospitality management and tourism. Her experience began in the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Australia, training through all F&B departments. After that, Paulina spend 2 years at sea aboard cruise ships, assisting the Cruise Director in a Guest Management role, managing the on-board guest experience, coordinating with all Hotel & Ship departments. From 2012 - 2020 has worked as specialist foodservice consultant at JLL, delivering projects across industries. She also co-authors the JLL Foodservice Trends, an annual publication looking at global foodservice innovation & trends. In addition to overseeing projects and research publications, Paulina played an active role in JLL’s Building a Better Tomorrow team in her role with a focus on sustainability, both in terms of foodservice, but also by leading JLL's LGBT+ Network " Building Pride" for several years. Currently, Paulina is a Director at Coverpoint Foodservice Consulting, working on foodservice strategy across sectors, including but not limited to shopping centres, transport hub, master planning, Food Halls as well as business and industry.

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Dilraj Sura

Data Science Director
GSK

I have been working in the healthcare industry for over 9 years, with much of that time spent at GSK. I have worked in various roles across manufacturing, R&D, commercial and HR, providing excellence in insightful data visualisation and powerful storytelling, advocating data-driven evidence-based decision-making, underpinned by robust data science, effective consulting and the procurement of best in class data. I have been a leader of our LGBTQ+ employee resource group, Spectrum, since 2017, helping drive the LGBTQ+ agenda while working at sites in Hertfordshire and County Durham, before joining our UK Leadership Team in July 2019. I am extremely passionate and fascinated about people, and exploring the "intersectionalities" that we all exhibit (or often, don't), on a day to day basis, more so how they lend ourselves to experiences we may not have when these don't interact. I believe we all should be allowed to truly express our true selves, all the time. I also work very closely with our Allies at GSK, trying to tap into what is essentially, a big majority of people who are often "passive/positive" allies, to step up and step "out" to do more to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, visibility and inclusion. Lastly, a big passion of mine is mentoring. I've recently decided to become an LGBTQ+ mentor through myGwork, as I look to extend where my experiences can be most useful, beyond the graduates and placement students within the workplace. Outside of work, I spend a lot of time playing and watching football (you can read my article "LGBT and Sports" on myGwork's LinkedIn page, aswell as my profile), as well as travelling (I managed to get in some trips to Reykjavik, Porto, Madrid and Valencia before lock down). I've recently gotten a lot more into running and cycling (now that I've sold my car!).

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Colette Comerford

Head of Inclusion & Culture
LGIM - Legal & General Investment Managment

Colette Comerford Head of Inclusion & Culture at Legal & General Investment Management Colette joined LGIM in 2018 from M&G Investments where she spent nearly a decade working to create and maintain a balanced workforce. During her tenure, she helped grow and implement M&G’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) strategy addressing gender, ethnicity, nationality, LGBT, cultural diversity, social backgrounds and mental health/wellbeing. During her career, she also held senior roles in employer brand, talent attraction and retention, delivering innovative solutions to ensure a diverse candidate pipeline. Colette is responsible for driving the evolution and continuous improvement of LGIM’s culture, as well as LGIM’s diversity and inclusion objectives. Colette works closely with the executive team, LGIM’s diversity and inclusion team (LEGIT), and Legal & General’s Group Diversity and Inclusion team. Colette is a member of the Diversity Project's Steering Group – an initiative which aims to accelerate progress towards an inclusive culture and achieve diversity across all dimensions in the investment profession, and LGBT Great's Lead Role Model Ambassador.

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Rhammel Afflick

Trustee
Bi Pride UK

Rhammel Afflick is an outspoken campaigner and writer. For the last 15 years, Rhammel has actively lobbied for change on a number of issues including racism and LGBT+ rights in the UK. Rhammel currently works full time in the third-sector and Trustee of Bi Pride UK in his spare time.

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	Date & Time	Jun 22, 2020
	Location	Online