As an experienced interfaith practitioner, and inclusive education leader, I’m excited to join the EDI Accreditation panel to advocate for faith and belief inclusion in the workplace. As Interim CEO of the Faith & Belief Forum, I’ve seen how faith and belief are often overlooked in EDI efforts, sometimes sidelined as controversial or private. This can leave employees feeling excluded, which negatively impacts both their well-being and an organisation’s bottom line. I’m passionate about helping create workplaces where people of all faiths and beliefs feel they belong. I look forward to helping advance this important work for greater equity and inclusion across sectors.

As a trans woman, I am aware of the complex ways in which trans and non-binary people are discriminated against in the workplace and wish to change things for the better. I would also like to see companies provide better accommodations for neurodivergent people and am confident that this accreditation will encourage companies to do better for all their people.

The EDI agenda is so important for businesses in the modern world. I wanted to be part of an accreditation that rewards responsible businesses and actively acknowledges those that are improving EDI in the workplace. I am proud to be part of this well needed initiative and to support EDI Accreditation. I know it will be a learning experience for me too on this journey.

As a young British Indian growing up in the corporate world, I feel that I have achieved success through my own hard work, however I didn’t have much opportunity to rise up through the ranks, in the same way some of my peers did. I often think back to the leaders I had, in the businesses I worked for, and note the lack of diversity at those levels. The term ‘face does not fit’ has resonated with me over the years. Recently this has begun to change, and I want to support that change for all people that have the talent and desire to contribute at every level to the organisations they work for.

I am an HR Specialist who is passionate about helping leaders and managers to be brilliant people managers. I am also a UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist. The thread that flows through both aspects of my professional life is my passion to walking alongside individuals and organisations on their own journey. Not because I have all the answers. Rather because as an old African proverb goes ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’. As human beings we are wired for connection – the energy that exists when we are seen, heard, valued for who we are and belong (Brene Brown). Being a panel member for EDI Accreditation combines so many of the things that are important to me. I want to do life ‘together’ and where relationships build and foster great connections. Working with great people, engaging with a variety of organisations committed to employee engagement and being able to support edi accredited on this most ambitious and epic journey that they are on for me is the professional embodiment of ‘going together’. The energy, passion, commitment, and the massive impact that work of EDI Accreditation is going to have can only be described as exciting and a privilege to be a part of.

I’m thrilled to serve as a Panel Member because I believe deeply in the power of collaboration and shared vision to drive meaningful change, and in the rigour that this organisation brings to supporting that journey. As a representative of the Runnymede Trust, I bring our 3T approach to change—Triage, Transition and Transformation—which reflects our commitment to supporting organisations as they identify challenges, embed sustainable change, and ultimately transform their culture and practices. This perspective is vital for helping organisations on their journey to create workplaces and systems that, in turn, foster a fairer society for the communities most impacted by structural inequality.

It’s very important for me to be to be part of this panel so that we keep on raising the bar on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in organisations. We can assess whether workplaces are fully authentically inclusive, they aren’t just changing their logo’s and chasing awards.

I want to be a panel member because equity, diversity, and inclusion shouldn’t be optional, performative, or tick-box exercises. I want to be part of a process that challenges organisations to move beyond surface-level commitments and actually dismantle the barriers that keep systems unequal. Accreditation should mean something – it should reflect real accountability, not just good intentions. I’m interested in being on the panel because I believe in calling things out when they’re not working, and in amplifying the voices that are too often ignored. I want to help shape standards that are bold, honest, and rooted in lived experience. This is about justice, not just policy. If we’re going to accredit organisations, let’s make sure they’re doing the work – not just talking about it.

I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to help shape and advise on future EDI accreditation outcomes as a Panel member, both for what I think I can contribute and what I expect I will learn along the way. I have been a vocal EDI advocate and a proactive activist in both commercial and charitable organisations for many years now. A key challenge, however, is that there haven’t been any clear, consistent, externally agreed measures for what “good” looks like in this area. That makes it hard to have relevant and realistic goals. Instead, progress is often measured simply by activity, rather than benchmarks or specific outcome improvements. The need for a respected and informed third party to provide EDI accreditation is therefore both acute and timely. My ability to bring years of experience, both in the UK and the US, coupled with my lived experience as a black man, being immersed in a non-native culture will hopefully help enrich the evaluation discussions we will have on a Panel.

I am passionate about ensuring that EDI is not just a tick-box exercise but a meaningful, lived commitment to change. Being a Panel Member offers an opportunity to champion best practice, hold organisations to account, and uplift the voices of those too often excluded from decision-making spaces. With my experience across charity, education, and local government, I hope to bring a thoughtful, values-driven perspective to the panel.

I’m a digital recruitment guy, British, of Caribbean heritage, I am the founder of Digital Execs and the Black Data Professional Network (BDPN), a D&I advocate & host of the Digital Hub podcast (created to inspire people from within the digital sector). I am committed to levelling the playing field for black & ethnic digital talent, because only 7% of black & ethnic population occupy roles in the digital sector. Therefore, I have become an ED&I advocate, focused on ensuring everyone has a fair chance of exceeding their goals in the digital sector. Being a Panel Member for EDI Accreditation aligns well with my passion and I believe the accreditation will be a powerful tool for change.

I’m cynical when firms talk a lot about how good their EDI is but don’t walk the walk. I see this as an opportunity to have input into how firms implement EDI meaningfully. Also, being a lawyer, I love evidence, and this accreditation requires a firm to evidence what they do rather than just tick the box.

I am a disabled military veteran who experienced a ‘bad day at the office’ when parachuting, I managed to break my back and neck. Following medical discharge from the military, I went on to develop several careers during my time in business. Having experienced how challenging it could be to progress, I have been both an ‘agitator’ and an evangelist for diversity, making sure companies ‘get the message and get on board’. Being a panel member provides me the opportunity to relate some of my experiences and help develop the baseline for those organisations who want to prove and improve their ED&I commitment.

Equity of opportunity is essential to ensure all people can thrive and excel in spite of their differences or beginnings. Companies and organisations can make life changing opportunities for those who come from backgrounds that make it harder for them to achieve. Coming from working class roots and being openly gay I’ve had internal and external barriers to success, but by having support, and being able to “code switch”, I’ve managed to push through barriers and make a good career – albeit how much further could I be without these time wasting barriers? My passion is now to hand the ladder down to others and to clear blockages for their progression, to change attitudes and to promote diversity of thought, equity of opportunity and inclusivity by default. Being part of this program will allow me to challenge organisations to go beyond the “tick box” and truly deliver life and business changing results.

Equality isn’t just something I believe is important but striving for diversity, equity and inclusion is necessary for all of society’s well-being. As a queer non-binary neurodivergent young person, who was faced with mental health challenges as a consequence of bullying from a young age, I had two options; let that ignorance of others bury my true identity or educate my peers to understand the importance of diversity and acceptance. The last 5 year of my life I have dedicated to challenging ignorance and educating others. My work as head student was focused on inclusivity, personal freedom, and growth. The best decision I have ever made in my life was to be myself and I aspire to help others find the confidence and security in all spaces to be themselves too. I can see the real difference this accreditation will have on people lives within the workplace and influence on the wider world.

I grew up in a world that told me I was different, that I didn’t belong and so should not expect the same opportunities and choices. I believed this until my early 20s when I recognised the inequality I was experiencing. I decided then that I wanted to do something about this, to be part of the change. I haven’t looked back since, and celebrate diversity and difference. Working with allies in solidarity to change our society.

I am delighted to be part of a panel that focuses on helping to build evidence-led inclusive environments. Day to day, I lead and deliver important holistic change around inclusion and intersectionality. With a strong public sector background in community engagement and trade union organising, I have a particular interest in anti-racism and decolonisation. I also have unique lived experience across several areas of marginalisation. I hope that as part of the panel I will support organisational continuous improvement and develop personally too.

I don’t really want to be a panel member, that said I am continually frustrated at seeing a wide range of companies being only ‘policy’ compliant with their commitment to EDI and winning awards on the back of these accreditation, when the reality for their employees and customers, clients and service users can be very different. Having led the embedding of EDI as a fundamental part of business cultures for 15+ years, and following many discussions with the EDI Accreditation Team, I am reassured that this accreditation won’t be a paid for washing to please shareholders but will be a meaningful path to improvement for employees and customers alike.

We spend our lives making community. In the workplace, in our neighbourhoods, in the hobbies we take part in. Those communities help us thrive, survive and create community for others. That’s why Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is so important. It simply makes life a little better, a little easier, a little kinder, so it’s an honour to be on this panel, supporting others to create that community.

After a number of years campaigning for social justice, I’m excited at the opportunity to work with EDI accreditation on the impact of equality in the workplace, facilitating companies towards real change.

There are a lot of Diversity Jazz hands within the Corporate space, I joined as panel member to ensure that submissions are authentic and will have real effect, in particular on the community that I am part of.

I became an equality campaigner the day I worked out (whilst still in my teens) what apartheid was and dissolved into spluttering fury as a result. I’ve marched, fought, worked and campaigned for equality for women, global majority people, Disabled and LGBTQI+ communities, among others, ever since.

As a South Asian male, I can contribute to diverse representation that reflects inclusivity. By becoming a panel member, I can actively participate in efforts to address these issues and promote fairness and equality for organisations through the EDI accreditation process. As a panel member, it sends a powerful message that diversity is valued and that individuals from all backgrounds can contribute meaningfully to decision-making processes leading to more inclusive policies and practices. The key is to bring diverse perspectives, challenge biases, and work towards creating inclusive environments where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.

My background is in HR Management and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion has been important to me, before it became a popular ‘buzzword’. I believe that creating inclusive and equitable workplaces is what all organisations should take action on and it’s at the very heart of what I do and who I am. Navigating the workplace as a Black Woman, Parent Carer, Immigrant and a Christian has exposed me to a lot of workplace inequities for people like me and beyond my lived experiences, I have invested time and resources to educate myself of the inequities and discrimination that other minoritised groups face in the workplace. That knowledge, skill and experience is what I hope to put to use as a Panel Member.