Black Allyship Program

We speak with allies on how they can be more effective in partnering with the Black community to create greater opportunities for the advancement of Black talent. In collaboration with our Diversity and Inclusion coach, we will deliver training to employees and senior management on how to best support Black employees/colleagues, recognise and challenge stereotypes, systematic inequalities and microaggressions in the workplace and create an inclusive work environment where Black employees believe they truly belong.

Who is this for?
We invite all allies who would like to develop, be inspired, and have real, honest and open discussions in an environment that supports learning and growth. Regardless of your race this is a fantastic session for you to attend.

Speakers

Sope Agbelusi

Executive Coach, Founder and Speaker

Aggie Mutuma

CEO of Mahogany Inclusion Partners

Aggie is the CEO and lead consulting director of Mahogany Inclusion Partners. She is a passionate Inclusion and Anti-Racism expert, Executive Coach and engaging speaker who excels at partnering with organisations to build cultures where everyone can thrive. Her recent accolades include being voted a top 20 Most influential HR thinker in 2022 by fellow people professionals.

She works with C-Suite leaders and their teams to deliver DEI strategies and anti-racism strategies. Cross-industry organisations she has supported include global FTSE 100 organisations, consultancies, retailers, third sector and public sector organisations.

She is a trusted advisor for the CIPD and an engaging speaker, most recently for the CBI, FTSE 100 organisations and the CIPD Annual Conference 2020.

Mamta Saha

Business Psychologist, Mamta Saha Ltd

Accredited by The British Psychological Society, Mamta Saha has earned her stellar track record as a Facilitator, Executive coach and DEI Learning and Development expert and independent consultant over 20 years, she’s worked in multiple global matrix – commercially focused businesses, academia, and bespoke consultancies, where she gained her wealth of experience leading cutting-edge learning and development strategy and company-wide implementation.
Mamta holds a bachelor’s and Master of Science in Occupational Psychology with further postgraduate qualifications in coaching and psychometric testing. Her value orientated work has had her take the stage in front of international audiences at The Hague and the 2020 Dubai Expo, she is also a double TEDx speaker.
Her craft and projects have centred on creating and raising consciousness on an individuals, cultural and climatic level. Mamta harnesses inclusivity, including gender, ethnicity and race, nationality, age, disabilities, sexual orientation, transgender, religion and belief, and micro inequities. Mamta has the ability to address any behavior gaps in order to enhance self-awareness’, effectiveness and productivity.
A brief insight of her clients include Tesco, Accenture, KPMG, L’Oreal, Aviva, Sport England, Blackstone, Sony, Bupa, Coca-Cola, Lucozade Ribena Suntory, China Investment Corporation, Logicor, Lloyd’s of London, State Street Bank, The Malala Fund, The Jumeirah Group, EY Foundation, The Royal Opera House, Middlesex, and Brunel University. She has also worked with the KHDA, International Private Schools Group and St Mary’s School.
Mamta creates bespoke projects that are fully customised to you’re institutes culture, values, industry sector and local, national, and international geographies. The ultimate goal for each business has been to raise awareness, attract, retain and develop the best talent and leverage the benefits of diversity and inclusion for the benefit of business.
Mamta has sat on the Logicor DEI council for 5 years as an external consultant providing DEI consultancy, strategy and bespoke workshops across their UK and European offices. Mamta also provides strategic consultancy to the EMEA and Talent Director at Dentsu – having recently shaped and created their Global Playbook and Strategy.
Mamta is also a regular media psychologist having been featured on Sky News, The BBC, GB News, and in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, The Guardian and The Metro.

Lavinya Stennett

Founder and CEO, The Black Curriculum

Lavinya is a writer, activist, and Founder and CEO of social enterprise The Black Curriculum.

The Black Curriculum was founded in 2019 and works to teach and support the teaching of Black history all year round, aiming to empower all students with a sense of identity and belonging and campaigning to bring about permanent change to the national curriculum ensuring it is truly inclusive.

Graduating with a first class from SOAS in 2019, she has most recently authored a paper exploring Maroon ecology in Jamaica and Brazil and has been named as one of the Sunday Times 50 Women of the Year, was awarded Trailblazer of The Year by Hello Magazine and featured in Vogue, and GQ for her activism. Lavinya is currently writing her debut book on Black History ‘Omitted’ due out for publication in 2024.

Dianne Greyson

Founder, #EthnicityPayGap Campaign

Dianne is the founder of the #EthnicityPayGap Campaign which has recently produced a research report on The Impact of the Ethnicity Pay Gap on Black Women. Dianne also contributed to The Race to the Top, a book written by Nazir Afzal OBE.
Dianne Greyson is the Director of Equilibrium Mediation Consulting Ltd and Managing Partner of Synergised Solutions Ltd. She is a writer and Author of Business Culture Review.
Dianne is an Advisory Board Committee Member for ShareAction providing advise and support around matters concerning the Ethnicity Pay Gap. She is also Advisory Board Committee member for the Equal Pay Alliance and Society of Emotional Intelligence UK & Europe.
Dianne is the winner of the BLAC Awards for campaigning 2022 and is the recipient of the Trailblazer Award 2022 and a finalist for National Diversity Award and the Baton Awards for campaigning.

Tiana Holgate

Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, Tap In

Tiana is the Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at creative social agency TapIn, driving their mission to pioneer a future of work driven by fairness, opportunity and belonging. In her role, Tiana is leading on the UK’s largest research into the experiences of how Black Gen Z navigate the world of work. Additionally, she is advising some of the worlds biggest brands on their DEI activities – ranging from public bodies, retail, professional services and more. Her approach is grounded in her rich experience of conducting Sociological research, allowing her to put the root causes of D&I issues into her work.

Sparked initially by lived experience, Tiana has years of experience in social action tackling institutional racism, sexual violence and the intersections between the two. Throughout her career she has represented university students at a National level and worked strategically as a Trustee, pioneering DEI reviews and igniting culture change.

Philip Mix

Independent Practitioner

Since George Floyd’s brutal public murder in May 2020, Mike has had two priorities: 1. Being the best grandfather he can be to his granddaughters, including with their antiracism education; and 2. Fulfilling his responsibility to actively oppose anti-Blackness and racism.
George Floyd’s murder became a turning point for him when his then-three-year-old white granddaughter asked him to explain what happened, how, and why. As difficult and emotional as it was to answer her, he was aware that his words and feelings were necessarily different from those her Black and brown relatives’ and friends’ carers would be using to explain what happened, how, and why.
The conversation moved him from being an individual who’s “not racist” to an aspiring antiracist, committed to personal and systemic antiracism work. His previous work included decades as an organisation consultant in more than 40 countries, and several years as a community organiser in Chicago.

Habee Hamilton

Diversity and inclusion Director, Mahogany Inclusion Partners

Habee is an engaging and pragmatic Diversity and Inclusion Director, known for her unique blend of operational expertise, commercial acumen and compassionate leadership. Habee applies her compassionate nature to deliver strategic and transformational D&I and racial equity change in organisations of all sizes. Propelled into DEI advocacy by her own professional journey, Habee is a certified DEI specialist from the Chartered Management Institute. Today, she’s reshaping the D&I landscape for iconic names like British Red Cross, Sony Pictures and Lego. Beyond her corporate feats, she’s a beacon in the sports world. As a three-time World Champion powerlifter, she’s on a mission: inspiring women to break barriers and redefine strength in male-dominated sports.

Rebecca Berry

Inclusion Consultant and Coach, The Inclusion Coach

Rebecca is a coach and consultant with expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion, and in organisational culture change. She’s led large-scale, global culture and DEI transformation programmes, and coached people individually at all stages of their careers. Rebecca’s YouTube channel, The Inclusion Coach, offers short, weekly ideas to build an inclusive mindset. Her podcast ‘Very Inclusive People’, talks about everyday allyship in conversation with everyday allies. Rebecca is a member of the Race2Dinner community, which challenges white women to acknowledge and own their racism, understand their role in upholding white supremacy, and play an active role in dismantling it. She has established an anti-racism community for white women who are determined to do better.

Lee Chambers

Director at Essentialise and Male Allies UK

After a diverse career in corporate finance, local government and scaling a video game business, he launched Essentialise in 2020 with a desire to bring a focus on inclusive and accessible wellbeing, which has featured on this year’s Startups 100 Index. He is the Director of Male Allies UK and is on the board of CMI Women. He is the first Black British scientist to receive the Kavli Fellowship by the National Academy of Sciences in it’s 33-year history, and was inducted into the Black Cultural Archives for services to Business and Health in 2022. He has been recognised for his work on allyship and equity by the Rising Stars, Marie Claire and was featured at the Bloomberg Global Equality Summit. He is the author of the Millennials Guide to Wellness, is a trustee for Age Concern, and is a global speaker on allyship and health inequalities.

Mark Roberts

Director of Commercial Services, Metropolitan Police Service

Mark has been with the Metropolitan Police since December 2019 as Director of Commercial Services. Mark’s responsibility to the Metropolitan Police become more efficient in its delivery of value for money. Services from its suppliers are to enable the Metropolitan Police ‘to make London the safest Global city’. Mark holds the most senior commercial role in UK Policing and is accountable for the Metropolitan Police budget of £800m, annual expenditure and £250m annual income. Mark has 20 years plus experience in the implementation of award-winning transformation programmes. Mark has been leading the transformation of Commercial Services for over 3 years to increase commercial capability across the MPS and has leveraged the spending power of the Metropolitan Police as an Anchor Institution to support Sustainable and Social value projects for the benefit of the citizens of London. Mark has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Bath University School of Management.