Leah Thompson is the Head of EnSpire Oxford, the University of Oxford’s Entrepreneurship Hub, enabling students, staff and local entrepreneurs to find the entrepreneurship resources they need, when they need them. In addition to EnSpire, she leads IDEA (Increasing Diversity in Enterprising Activities – an institutional initiative to increase diversity in entrepreneurship), and is a key contributor in other aspects of knowledge exchange (including the implementation of Oxford’s Knowledge Exchange Strategy). She has many years’ experience working with entrepreneurs, as well as a portfolio career including consulting, small business management, IT management, and agriculture.

Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Ogilvy UK Branded as “adland’s activist” by the creative industry’s The Drum magazine, Matt is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Ogilvy UK: the world’s largest and most-awarded advertising agency. He is also a DEI thought leader, frequent public speaker, LGBTQ+ campaigner and multicultural specialist. As a British Diversity Award-winning and founding member of WPP’s LGBTQ+ network UNITE, he has front-line experience of empowering employee networks that drive organisational change for the world’s largest marketing group. Matt’s professional career spans 18 years as a Healthcare communications expert, during which he specialised in delivering HIV advocacy programmes, with a focus on combatting health inequity and HIV stigma in vulnerable communities on behalf of ViiV Healthcare and Gilead Sciences. Matt currently sits in the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) Talent Leadership Group, the European Association of Communications Agencies’ (EACA) DEI Task Force, and the brand category judging panel of the British LGBT Awards. He is also a non-executive director of the advertising industry’s LGBTQ+ advocacy charity Outvertising, which aims to ensure brands and their creative and media partners are fully LGBTQ+ inclusive in their workplaces and in their communications. As a proudly queer, multi-racial British Filipino, Matt is a patron of Pinxy Creatives UK: an organisation established to support the careers of British Filipinos in the media, arts and creative industries.

Dr Sally Penni MBE is a high profile award-winning practicing barrister at Law at Kenworthy’s Chambers. Outside of that she is also a public speaker, diversity leader, in her own words and most importantly a Proud Mother of three. Sally is also the founder of the Women in the Law UK organisation. A Professional development organisation empowering its 35,000 members plus members through education and training events. Women in the Law UK is focused on supporting the next generation of leaders in law and encouraging career progression through personal development. Sally also sits as Non-Executive Director on a variety of boards bringing her experience and expertise in a variety of areas including criminal law, governance, employment law & cybersecurity These boards include: •Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester •Arawak Walton Housing Association •Camberwell Park School – Governor (Vice Chair) & Chair of Standards Committee Boards in Law: •The Advocates Gateway – How witnesses can be better treated in court. •Access to Justice Foundation - Sally is a keen fundraiser supporting numerous local and national charities including Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, breast cancer prevent and cancer research and mind. This year she is involved in a challenge a month a month. Choosing a different charity a month to fund raise for. She is the author of over 16 books including academic legal books and 4 children books the wonderful Amazon best seller Rosie and the Unicorn series. She is the broadcast and host of her acclaimed weekly podcast Talking law which has now over 500,000k listeners from aspiring lawyers to those in business and commerce. It has global reach and presently 23 in the careers charts. Sally is a respected legal expert in her own right. She holds a number of highly acclaimed fellowships including being a Companion of Chartered Management institute, a Chartered Manager (Cmgr), Fellow RSA, Trustee of Access to justice foundation, member of the advocates gateway committee. She is an Industry Fellow on the board of the University of Salford. In 2020 she was awarded an MBE by her Majesty in Her Birthday Honours list for services to diversity, social mobility and to law. In 2022 she was awarded an Hon Doctorate by MMU. In 2022 she began sitting as a part time judge in the VTE Tribunal.

Bob Athwal, Culture and belonging Director at Skyscanner Bob leads on building Belonging at a leading Tech company where people can do their best work and be their authentic professional selves Bob has a unique background and perspective as he has been an employer, a vendor and a University senior leader. He is a regular International conference speaker specialising in Early Careers, Social Mobility and Racial Equity, Student Experience and Student Outcomes. He has been the recipient of several industry awards relating to graduate recruitment and development as well as careers preparation within universities. He holds an executive MBA from University of Southampton. As well as being the co-founder of the Global Career Services Summit, Bob is also the co-founder of the 1 Hour Project, an initiative designed to level the playing field based upon his PhD to help advance social mobility amongst graduates.

Leah Thompson is the Head of EnSpire Oxford, the University of Oxford’s Entrepreneurship Hub, enabling students, staff and local entrepreneurs to find the entrepreneurship resources they need, when they need them. In addition to EnSpire, she leads IDEA (Increasing Diversity in Enterprising Activities – an institutional initiative to increase diversity in entrepreneurship), and is a key contributor in other aspects of knowledge exchange (including the implementation of Oxford’s Knowledge Exchange Strategy). She has many years’ experience working with entrepreneurs, as well as a portfolio career including consulting, small business management, IT management, and agriculture.

Sue is a multi-award-winning businesswoman, senior executive advisor, and human capital innovation consultant. In addition, she has a portfolio of non-executive directorships, NHS public appointments and is a Deputy Lieutenant for Lincolnshire. Sue works in the UK and internationally, across a range of sectors for some of the world’s leading Brands, Charities and Public sector organisations, influencing thinking at the highest levels. Her academic research interests lie in the constructive disruption of organisational cultures to create healthy inclusive workplaces. Although the business case for diversity & inclusion is on the corporate leadership agenda, progress has remained stubbornly slow — gender, ethnic and cultural disparity is still prevalent in complex monolithic organisational cultures. Her research is uncovering paradoxes within diversity management and evolving thinking and frameworks for more effective organisational change. Sue and her research are becoming a thoughtful contributor to the evolving narrative in the fast-changing ED&I landscape.