DINNER SPEAKERS

June Sarpong

TV Presenter, Diversity Expert, Award-Winning Author and Former Director of Creative Diversity at the BBC

June Sarpong OBE is one of the world’s leading inclusion speakers, educators, and Top 10 D&I executives with over two decades of professional experience in the U.K and U.S. Formerly Global Director of Creative Diversity for the BBC and the first Black woman to sit on the corporation’s Executive Committee, June led the D&I strategy and implementation for the BBC’s 500-million plus global audience as well as internal creative teams and external production supply chain. As part of her portfolio she spearheaded the BBC’s ‘Creative Diversity Commitment’; a £100 million ($131 million) investment in diverse and inclusive TV content, with an extra £12 million ($16 million) infused into inclusive radio programming and podcasts. In addition to her role with the BBC, June is the founder of Diversify International Limited (DIL), a boutique consultancy firm whose clients include Burberry, Barclays, Nike, NHS, EY, Google, Unilever, Facebook, Wagamama and many more. As part of DIL’s services, June also advises Founders and CEO’s on DEI, strategy, delivery of culture transformation, ways to connect with new audiences and growth markets with a special expertise on Africa.

 

June is the co-creator of the Women: Inspiration & Enterprise Network (WIE). WIE first launched in NYC in 2010, in the UK in 2012 and then in Africa in 2014. WIE has

featured leading speakers from a gamut of industries, previous participants include: Melinda Gates, Arianna Huffington, Donna Karan, Queen Rania, Nancy Pelosi, Dame Natalie Massenet, man and many more. This women’s professional network has a community of over 200,000 around the world. In partnership with the United Nation’s ITU (International Telecommunication Union)  une was the brainchild behind the DNA Summit, an initiative aimed to bring together some of the most innovative minds in the world to generate ideas and solutions for critical

global challenges, the outcomes from the DNA Summit were presented to world leaders at the G8. She is currently an ambassador for London Tech Week and is the co-creator of the EQL- ledge, an initiative supported by Hillary Clinton, which encourages the venture capital community to repurpose capital into investing in diverse founded companies.

 

June has enjoyed a 25-year career, which has already seen her become one of the most recognizable faces of British television, as well as being one of the UK’s most intelligent and dynamic hosts. June is a media phenomenon and is the only host of her generation that is equally comfortable interviewing politicians, celebrities and members of the public. June has also taken on the world’s most challenging live audiences, hosting Make Poverty History in London’s Trafalgar Square and presenting at the UK leg of Live Earth, as well as Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday celebrations in front of 30,000 people in London’s Hyde Park. From 2015 -2020 June was the co-host of Sky News’s flagship weekly current affairs show ‘The

Pledge’.

 

June is the author of three award-winning books published by Harper Collins on the subject of DEI, the first being ‘Diversify’. Diversify shines a spotlight on groups

who are often marginalised in our society, including women, ethnic minorities, those living with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community. Diversify uncovers the hidden cost of exclusion and shows how a new approach to how we learn, live and do business can solve some of the most stubborn challenges we face. With unshakeable case studies, research from Oxford University, and six revolutionary steps to help overcome unconscious bias, Diversify makes a compelling case as to why inclusion is the best formula for sustainable long-term growth. Her

other books are ‘Power of Women’ and ‘Power of Privilege’ and ‘Calling Una Marson: The Extraordinary Life of a Forgotten Icon’ will be published in summer 2024, 

 

June was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) on the Queens 2007 new year’s honours list for her services to broadcasting and charity, making her one of the youngest people to  receive an MBE. In Nov 2020 she was awarded an OBE for her services to diversity and inclusion in the creative and media industries. June was awarded ‘Lifetime Fellow’ by the RSA (Royal  Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) and voted three years running as one of the Top 10 D&I Leaders in the Global Diversity Index.

 

June has worked extensively with the Prince’s Trust for two decades, the United Nations and a number of smaller anti-poverty and gender equality charities.

 

Professor David Olusoga

Author, Presenter and BAFTA winning film-maker

David Olusoga is a British-Nigerian historian, author, presenter and BAFTA winning film-maker. He is Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester and a columnist for The Observer. He writes also for The Guardian, The New Statesman, The Voice and BBC History Magazine.

He presents the longrunning BBC history series A House Through Time and wrote and presented the award winning series Black & British: A Forgotten History, Union with David Olusoga and the BAFTA winning Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners. Among his other presenting credits are The World’s War, and The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files, Extra Life, a Short History of Living Longer and the landmark BBC arts series Civilizations.

He is the author of seven books including Black & British: A Forgotten History, which was awarded both the Longman-History Today Trustees Award and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize. The World’s War, which won First World War Book of the Year in 2014. Black & British A Short Essential History which was a Waterstones Book Of The Year, Non-Fiction winner at the Quiz Writers’ Choice Awards 2021 and Book of the Year, Children’s non-fiction at the 2021 British Book Awards. The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism, Civilizations: Encounters and the Cult of Progress and A House Through Time.

 

David is a recipient of both the British Academy’s Presidents Medal and the Norton Medlicott Medal For Services to History. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, The Royal Society of Literature, The Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Historical Society. He also sits on the Scott Trust (the body that acts as proprietor of the Guardian Newspaper).

Lee Chambers

Chief psychologist and founder of Essentialise and Male Allies UK

Lee Chambers is the chief psychologist and founder of Essentialise and Male Allies UK. After a diverse career, from corporate finance to building a tech company to exit, he is now focused on supporting organisations to embed and deliver effective wellbeing and inclusion. He has been featured in the Startups 100 Index, has received a Great British Entrepreneur Award, and sits on the board of CMI Women and Regenerage.

He is a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in the USA, the first Black British scientist to be awarded the fellowship in it’s 33-year history, the UN Women Changemaker of the Year in 2023, and is an ambassador for the Governments Lilac Review for Disabled Entrepreneurship. He speaks globally on allyship and intersectionality, having taken the stage at One Young World and the Bloomberg Global Equality Summit, and is the author of the upcoming book, Momentum: Reboot Your Career, Unlock Your Potential. 

Personally, he shares his experiences as a Black autistic man, and his journey to learn to walk again after acquiring a chronic illness. He lives near Preston with his two children.



Mavis Anagboso

Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Harbour Energy. OGUK D&I Task Group member, AFBE Leadership Advisory Team

SPEAKERS

Caroline Nokes

Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North | Parliament

Short bio

The Rt Hon Caroline Nokes is the Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North, and has been an MP continually since 6 May 2010.

David Leiper

CMO | Harbour Energy

Short bio

Dr Leiper is a Consultant Occupational Health Physician who has acted as Medical Advisor to a number of Energy Sector Operators and as Hyperbaric Physician to a Global Diving Operator.

Carmen Morris

Founder and Managing Director | Kenroi Consulting Ltd

Carmen Morris is the founder and Managing Director of Kenroi Consulting, an award winning global diversity and inclusion consultancy. With over 3 decades experience in the field of diversity and inclusion, she has significant experience across a wide spectrum of diversity and inclusion, including strategic diversity management, training and development and consultancy.

Supporting organisations across industries and sectors to develop leadership around inclusion, Carmen works with leaders and teams to design more inclusive workplace environments. She has supported a wide range of clients across industries, to design, develop and roll out diversity and inclusion priorities. Taking a strategic approach to developing, and cultivating a mindset for equity and belonging, within project deliverables, she also assists boards, executives and teams to challenge effectively and enables team and individual development through coaching and mentoring around inclusion.

As well as being noted as a compelling writer on diversity and inclusion and racial equity, Carmen also speaks regularly and has featured in several podcasts, on radio and at events sharing her expertise with global audiences. She was listed amongst the top 100 diversity consultants by Diversin in 2020 and has been interviewed by BBC Radio, NBC News and TRT World News as examples, on issues relating to race, diversity and inclusion. She is a former Forbes Contributor, writing in the area of diversity and inclusion, race and leadership, and her work is widely referenced by organisations and individuals alike.

More information can be found at https://www.kenroi.com/

Caroline Nokes

Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North | Parliament

The Rt Hon Caroline Nokes is the Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North, and has been an MP continually since 6 May 2010.

David Leiper

CMO | Harbour Energy

Born and schooled in Aberdeen, Dr Leiper graduated Glasgow University Medical School in 1997 and spent the early years of his career in General Practice. Moving back to Aberdeen in 2004 he worked in Unscheduled Care and Accident and Emergency Medicine, before retraining in Occupational Medicine.

Dr Leiper is a Consultant Occupational Health Physician who has acted as Medical Advisor to a number of Energy Sector Operators and as Hyperbaric Physician to a Global Diving Operator.

He joined Harbour Energy in December of 2021 and leads the Occupational Health Team based in Aberdeen with a remit covering Occupational Health and Employee Wellbeing

Dushyant Sharma

Strategy Implementation Lead | BP

Senior leadership experience in the Oil and Gas industry, working across Engineering Contractors, Business Consultancy, Major Projects and Operations. Engineer by academia, I have worked across multi-discipline teams to develop and implement Strategy, deploy technologies, improve processes, run change programmes and most of all build and maintain relationships. People development is a key passion.

Dianne Greyson

Non-Exec Director | Spktral

Non- Exec Director Spktral, Director, Equilibrium Consulting, Managing Partner Synergised Solutions Founder #EthnicityPayGap Campaign, Senior Researcher, Multi Award Winner

Edafe Onerhime

Executive Director, Intelligent Automation Lead | JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Emmanuel Afolabi

Founder & Managing Director | The Fest Hub

A multi award winning founder who was previously a former Charlton Athletic Academy footballer for 9 years before making a transition into education and then STEM. Using my knowledge and experience of both the sporting and wonderful world of STEM to form the unique organisation we know today called The Fest Hub, an organisation which connects Football, Education & STEM.

Supporting sports clubs with STEM, helping companies achieve their CSR targets and employees with skill development and talent retention taking part in our unique programmes bringing these different worlds together.

Gopichand Katragadda

Founder, CEO | Myelin Foundry

Hayaatun Sillem

CEO | Royal Academy of Engineering and Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering

Ollie Folayan is a Visiting Professor at the School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, and a Co-founder of the Association of Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK).

With a BEng in Chemical Process Engineering with Fuel Technology from the University of Sheffield and a Doctorate (PhD) in Fuels and Combustion from the University of Leeds, Ollie has authored five international publications in combustion and engineering. With extensive experience in Major CAPEX Front End Engineering Design, Detailed Design, and commissioning Projects, Ollie was accepted into the Fellowship of the Institution of Chemical Engineers in 2018.

Ollie has spearheaded successful outreach programs such as Making Engineering Hot, NextGen (Scotland), Transition, and Real Projects. Co-authoring three publications on the impact of role models in academic-to-workplace transitions and the sustainability of the engineering profession in the UK, Ollie has chaired numerous annual seminars featuring industry leaders and politicians, and is a sought-after speaker on various engineering topics.

Additionally, Ollie has served as a judge for prestigious awards including the Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards, the Offshore Achievement Awards, the Association for Consultancy and Engineering Awards, and the Oil and Gas UK Awards. Recognized for mentoring and diversity initiatives, Ollie was a finalist in the Mentor of the Year category at the OGUK Awards in 2021 and a finalist in the Diversity Hero category at the Herald Awards in the same year. Notably, Ollie received the Diversity and Inclusion Award from the Institution of Chemical Engineering (IChemE) in 2021.

In recognition of Ollie’s outstanding contributions to diversity and inclusion in engineering, they were awarded an MBE in the King’s First New Year Honours’ List in 2023.

Isabella Mascarenhas

Vice President, Grass Roots Education & Social Impact | RS Group plc

Julianna Moats

Host | AFBE LIVE

Julianna is a railway engineer, with a background in rail systems consulting, railway feasibility studies, future mobility consulting, EV bus strategy, train franchise bidding, engineering safety management, requirements management, RAMS, vehicle-track interaction, signalling asset management, materials science, and solid state physics. She has ten years of experience working on large, multi-disciplinary projects, including High Speed Two (HS2), Crossrail, Southern Rail Access to Heathrow, West London Orbital Rail, Great Western Route Modernisation, Network Rail CP 5 Planning, GPS and US military satellites, and postgraduate railway engineering education design and delivery across the UK and China.

Margot Day

Global General Counsel | Arup

Marsha Ramroop

Founder, Director | Unheard Voice Consultancy Ltd

Founder and director of Unheard Voice, is an award-winning inclusive culture strategist with a passion for driving positive change in organisations.

With a diverse background as a former Director of Inclusion at RIBA and a BBC Journalist and Inclusion & Communities Editor, Marsha possesses a unique perspective on bias mitigation and effective communication.

Mohammed Taher

The Airport Guy | Mo Taher LTD

Mohammad helps brands bring to life their roles and operations using the power of short, sharp and engaging video content for social media!

Over the past few years, Mohammad has built an online community of over 500,000 people on social media where he educates about the aviation industry and the engineering that keeps it ticking!

Up until January 24, Mohammad was a technical engineering specialist looking after all the maintenance and compliance of the aerodrome electrical systems across the entirety of Heathrow Airports airfield.

Mohammad works hand in hand with organisations including the IET, The Royal Academy of Engineering and Fantasy Wings in order to inspire a future generation of Engineers and Aviators from underrepresented backgrounds into the industry he loves!

Nerys Thomas

VP Talent Development, Inclusion and Change | Leornardo

Nicola Mathers

Chief Executive | Future of London

Twenty five years experience supporting the public, private and third sectors to improve the quality of the built environment with a passion for equality and inclusion.

Specialities: leadership, training and peer support, stakeholder engagement, public space planning, design and management, national guidance, toolkits and best practice.

Nike Folayan

Co-Founder | AFBE-UK

Nike is an innovative and results-oriented chartered engineer and Fellow of the institution of Engineering and Technology. Nike has a PhD in Electronics Engineering with referenced international research publications and citations. An articulate communicator and influencer with good interpersonal skills; able to cultivate and maintain excellent working relationships with various stakeholders including company board members, government officials, strategic partners and staff.

Advisory board member of various governmental and non-governmental organisations including the Royal Academy of Engineering, Transport for London, University of Kent Industrial Panel amongst others Top 100 most influential women in engineering Financial Times and inclusive boards list.

Strong organisational, and ability to translate objectives into actionable plans. Comfortable working in both technical and commercial sides of the business.

Co-founder and chairperson of AFBE-UK (www.afbe.org.uk), a UK-wide organisation that promotes higher achievement in Engineering particularly for underrepresented groups in engineering. To date AFBE-UK has actively supported over 20000 individuals seeking to work in Engineering and engineering related subjects. Speaker and Panellists on various seminars and conferences on antenna design, communications systems in transport and infrastructure,SMART Technology, diversity and inclusiveness.

Winner of 2008 Precious ‘Inspiring leader in the workplace’ award.

Specialties: Communications System designs, Antenna Design, Electromagnetic Simulation Software, Diversity in Engineering

Nira Chamberlain

Atkin's Technical Fellow for Mathematical Modelling | Atkins

Professor Nira Chamberlain OBE PhD HonDSc, has five mathematical doctorates and named by FIN and Forbes – Best of Africa; Excellent Mathematician of the Year 2023.


Nira was listed by the PowerList 2022 Top 100 Most Influential Black Person in the UK (5th year in a row) and Top 100 Most Influential BAME Leaders in the UK Tech by Inclusive Board. Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Bath University for being one of the most eminent applied mathematician in the UK. Awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of Greenwich for his unique and inspirational contribution to the field of mathematics. In 2018, Nira was the Winner of the Big Math Off title – World’s Most Interesting Mathematician. As well as this, Nira is a Visiting Professor of Loughborough University & Honorary Professor at Warwick University.

Ollie Follayan

Co-Founder | AFBE-UK

Ollie Folayan is a Visiting Professor at the School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, and a Co-founder of the Association of Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK).

With a BEng in Chemical Process Engineering with Fuel Technology from the University of Sheffield and a Doctorate (PhD) in Fuels and Combustion from the University of Leeds, Ollie has authored five international publications in combustion and engineering. With extensive experience in Major CAPEX Front End Engineering Design, Detailed Design, and commissioning Projects, Ollie was accepted into the Fellowship of the Institution of Chemical Engineers in 2018.

Ollie has spearheaded successful outreach programs such as Making Engineering Hot, NextGen (Scotland), Transition, and Real Projects. Co-authoring three publications on the impact of role models in academic-to-workplace transitions and the sustainability of the engineering profession in the UK, Ollie has chaired numerous annual seminars featuring industry leaders and politicians, and is a sought-after speaker on various engineering topics.

Additionally, Ollie has served as a judge for prestigious awards including the Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards, the Offshore Achievement Awards, the Association for Consultancy and Engineering Awards, and the Oil and Gas UK Awards. Recognized for mentoring and diversity initiatives, Ollie was a finalist in the Mentor of the Year category at the OGUK Awards in 2021 and a finalist in the Diversity Hero category at the Herald Awards in the same year. Notably, Ollie received the Diversity and Inclusion Award from the Institution of Chemical Engineering (IChemE) in 2021.

In recognition of Ollie’s outstanding contributions to diversity and inclusion in engineering, they were awarded an MBE in the King’s First New Year Honours’ List in 2023.

Paul de Leeuw

Director - Energy Transition | Robert Gordon University

Senior industry leader and executive with over 36 years’ experience in the global energy sector, having worked in a wide range of companies, including Shell, Marathon Oil, Amoco, BP, Venture Production and Centrica.

Currently the Director of Robert Gordon University’s Energy Transition Institute, Chair of the National Energy Skills Accelerator, a Board member of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), a Board member of the International School in Aberdeen and a Professor at Robert Gordon University (UK).

A regular contributor to net zero activities, climate change discussions and industry events and a media commentator on issues and developments in the international energy sector.

Rafaella Ocone

Professor | Heriot-Watt University

Sarah Piscitelli

Technical Director | WSP

Shakir Laher

Research Application Manager | The Alan Turing Institute

Shakir Laher is a Research Application Manager at The Alan Turing Institute who works across Public Policy (PP) and Tools, Practices and Systems (TPS). For the PP programme, he is helping the AI Standards Hub deliver on its mission of shaping leading edge developments in the international AI standards ecosystem. With TPS colleagues, he is building an open-source infrastructure to facilitate open science for AI and data science.

Shakir has recently worked on projects which have included researching and developing a safety assurance framework for machine learning (ML) in the healthcare domain, contributing to AI reporting guidelines and authoring sections of an AI standard.

His other work experience lies within software engineering; clinical risk management activities that support the safe development, deployment and use of Health Information Technology; and authoring research papers for the ML community.

He holds degrees in Information Technology, Computer Science and Educational Pedagogy, with his most recent qualification being an MSc in Computing from the University of York. Shakir is a member of several research and special interest groups, such as the Safety of Autonomous Systems Working Group and the British Standards Institution’s AI standards development committee (ART/1).

His research interests include autonomous systems, safety engineering, assurance cases, argumentation patterns, AI governance & regulation and AI for medical diagnosis.

Shereen Daniels

Managing Director | HR Rewired

An influential advisor and HR strategist, Shereen has a specialist expertise in anti-racism and racial equity.

With over 10,000 copies sold as the bestselling author of The Anti-Racist Organization: Dismantling Systemic Racism in the Workplace (Wiley, 2022), her direct yet compassionate approach has seen her twice recognised as a LinkedIn Top Voice (with overly 100,000 followers), a former winner of HR Magazine’s Most Influential Thinker in 2021 and included in Human Resources Director Global 100 HR leaders list in 2023.

Steve Fernandez

Director | Midlands Civil & Structural Leader | Global Building Retrofit Leader | Arup

Steve is a Director at Arup which is a global organisation consisting of designers, engineers and sustainability consultants, advisors and experts dedicated to sustainable development, and to use imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world.

He has worked at Arup for 24 years. He studied Architecture and Structural Engineering and has worked in many different offices at Arup, including Leeds, Manchester, London, New York, Moscow, Dubai and Doha, and he now leads a team across Birmingham and Nottingham. He is a chartered Civil Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers and a Conservation Accredited Engineer (one of only 73 in the UK). The Fellow grade is a mark of senior status within structural engineering, and demonstrates exceptional ability, experience and professionalism and indicates an ambassador for structural engineering.

Tariq Shah

CEO | Vigo Group

Public and third sector leader with Board level experience in local, national and international organisations, focused on social mobility, shared prosperity, and integration; growing access to opportunities.

Yasmin Ali

Project Development Manager (Hydrogen) | RWE

Yasmin Ali is a project development manager in RWE’s green hydrogen business. She is a chartered chemical engineer, and previously worked in coal and gas fired power stations, oil and gas exploration and production, district heating systems, and energy innovation funding – transitioning away from fossil fuels into more sustainable energy systems over the course of her career.

As an avid promoter of engineering careers, Yasmin has given many talks to students, teachers, parents, engineering professionals and members of the public as well as writing for mainstream media on the topic. In 2024, Yasmin’s first book, Power Up was published – a definitive picture of the intricate energy systems that humanity has built, and a rallying cry to face the challenges of climate change using the power at our fingertips. In recognition of her public engagement work, she has been awarded and shortlisted for multiple industry awards, including the 2020 Women’s Engineering Society’s top 50 female engineers in sustainability.

Yewande Akinola

Vice President | Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)

Yewande is a chartered Engineer, Innovator, Consultant and Speaker.

Her engineering experience includes the design and construction, innovation and manufacture of buildings and systems in the built environment. She has worked on projects in the UK, Africa, the Middle East and East Asia and has been named one of the 100 Most influential Engineers in Europe by the Financial Times and Inclusive Boards. the UK Young Woman Engineer of the Year by the Institution of Engineering & Technology. She has also been awarded the Exceptional Achiever Award from the Association for BAME Engineers and the Association of Consultancy and Engineering, U.K. (ACE).

She sits on the governing body at the University of Warwick and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster. She is passionate about STEM Education and communication and has presented Engineering programmes for Television. In the 2020 New Year Honours list, Yewande was awarded an MBE for services to engineering innovation and diversity in STEM.

She has served as the UK's Innovation Agency (Innovate UK) Ambassador for Clean Growth and Infrastructure and was recently awarded Top 50 Workplace leaders in the UK. Yewande has been appointed as Vice President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and serves as Chair of the Institution's Knowledge Services & Solutions (KS&S) board. She sits on the Global Advisory Board of
Warwick Business School. She's the founder of Innovation for Impact.

She has recently been appointed non-executive director of Midlands Mindforge , a patient capital investment company for university spinouts and early stage IP rich businesses in the Midlands United Kingdom.

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