Inclusive Networks Awards 2015 : Official Programme by Inclusive Networks

19th November 2015 Band on the Wall, Manchester

A warm welcome from Thomas Anderson, Founder of Inclusive Networks

Welcome to the official programme for the inaugural Inclusive Networks Awards. We’re recognising the people who make the networks live and breathe as well as thanking the organisations that support and encourage their work and that of an inclusive society. We’re celebrating and rewarding the work of the individuals and teams who show an extraordinary amount of commitment and dedication to supporting employees, the wider community and help influence the views of the wider public on their perception of the organisations they represent through their work. They really make a positive difference in the workplace and beyond. Massive congratulations to all of our finalists and well done to everyone nominated. You should all feel very proud. Following five years of developing and Chairing one of Europe’s most followed, active, awarded and respected employee network groups, I made a big decision in early 2014. I stepped down from the role and later that year left the business to concentrate on developing Inclusive Networks full time. I learnt and experienced lots of things being a part of the network and met so many awesome networks during this time. I wanted to share the experience and insight I gained with other networks and organisations. With a good luck message from Stephen Fry, Inclusive Networks was officially launched on 20th October 2014. Inclusive Networks was launched to open up the opportunities for networks to share their work via our award winning website and Network Buzz magazine, collaborate and share experiences with other networks, as well as celebrate the work of every type of network on an equal playing field. In our first year we have published over 400 pages of diverse content, gained over 18,500 followers on social media and we’ve engaged with hundreds of thousands of people. At awards events it is usually the network group as a whole or the Executive Sponsor for the network that receives the recognition. We know that all too often it’s the less senior members of the organisation who turn up to support every network event and go out of their way to help where they can. They are also often the people who put in the vast majority of the time, face the biggest challenges, increase engagement, and champion the network and organisation at every possible opportunity. The Inclusive Networks Awards were founded to authentically recognise the doers and recognise all the different elements that make a network successful, from events to communications - covering networks of all diversity strands. I think we’d all agree that there are lots of networks and individuals out there that don’t get half the recognition they deserve, internally and externally. Let’s change this! When we launched the awards, the UK’s first awards dedicated to network groups, I hoped networks and organisations from around the UK and from all sectors would embrace the initiative and see the value in increasing the profile of their networks and rewarding the people who make the networks live and breathe. With over 450 nominations, it’s clear there are hundreds of fantastic networks doing lots of innovative, inspiring and important work. I also know there are lots of great networks out there that we don’t yet know about. Although there was lots of diversity in the nominations received, there is clearly underrepresentation from many sectors and diversity strands in many of the categories. I hope to see this change next year and I would encourage you all to celebrate the work of network groups of all strands in your organisation and beyond please spread the word. It’s important that businesses understand multiple identities amongst staff. Understanding that people don’t just fit into one group is also vital - not just so businesses grasp the complexities of their employees experiences but also to ensure they aren’t typecast in any way within the organisation. It’s integral to avoid looking at things as standalone, which prevents businesses to expand, and to look at the further issues which people who identify with more than one protected characteristic face. This is why it was important for us to create an authentic event that brought networks of all diversity strands together and gave them the opportunity to be recognised.

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The awards were always going to be a bit different. I didn’t want the event to be another black tie event on the calendar (however great lots of them are) and it had to stand-alone as being something different and aligned with what Inclusive Networks is all about - and to be more N MORG ICKY AN MP accessible too. We’re not formal and we’re not exclusive. We’ve started small and our first awards reception is a more informal affair with the HEATH focus being on the award giving and there being lots of opportunities ER PEACE to meet and chat to fellow attendees - and have fun in a relaxed and inclusive environment. Band on the Wall in Manchester was the perfect venue for our first awards, and as a registered charity all of the money we spent on the event went back in to keeping the venue open and supporting up and coming musical talent. COVER

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By supporting the awards you supported our charity partner Ditch the Label - we donated a percentage of ticket sales to the charity. The charity is one of the UK’s largest, most ambitious and pioneering anti-bullying charities. Find out more at www.ditchthelabel.org

We’ve just started our journey. Thank you for being a part of our first year and our first awards.

Thank you to our awesome judges for their time and effort in judging the awards - it was a tough process. Huge thanks to our amazing category sponsors for making the night possible and a big thank you to our supporters for their continued support.

Over 18,500 social media followers

@IncNetworks & @IncNetworksMag

A special thank you goes to the individuals who have supported me this year, offering words of advice and encouragement. I really appreciate it. The awards will be back bigger and louder next year, and in a different UK city. If you’d like to get involved and support the awards, please get in touch. See you in 2016.

Thomas Anderson

Founder and Managing Director, Inclusive Networks thomas@inclusivenetworksuk.co.uk | @thomasinmanc Thomas has been honoured to be shortlisted, and to have won a number of awards for his work in the diversity field. This has included being shortlisted for ‘Diversity Champion of the Year’ at the 2013 European Diversity Awards, shortlisted for ‘Role Model of the Year’ at the 2012 Lesbian & Gay Foundation Homo Heroes Awards and shortlisted for the ‘Positive Action’ award at the 2013 Asian Fire Service Association Fair & Diverse Awards. He was delighted to win the ‘Pride of The Co- operative’ award in 2012. Thomas contributed to the Stonewall ‘Workplace Equality Index Five Year Review’ that was published at the end of 2013. Thomas also came up with the name and branding for the UK’s first Inter-Retail LGBT Network checkOUT, also developing its launch in 2013 and producing the networks magazine.

Thank you to our sponsors

www.pwc.co.uk

Making anything possible for everyone.

We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive ﬁrm, this helps us build better relationships with our people and our clients. We start from the simple premise that every person is unique, that our difference, regardless of age, sexual orientation, race, disability, religion or gender is something we should celebrate and embrace. In our experience the most diverse teams are the highest performing teams. So for our business it remains essential to attract, train and develop a diverse group of fantastic PwC people. Find out more about us at www.pwc.co.uk

© 2015 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved. In this document, “PwC” refers to the UK member ﬁrm, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member ﬁrm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

Say hello to our #INAwards2015 host Kate McCabe Starting her comedy career in NYC, American Kate now resides in Manchester and performs stand-up all over the UK. She produces and hosts Sidekick Comedy in Manchester’s world famous Gay Village. As an improviser, she performs and teaches with ComedySportz Manchester, which specialises in all-ages comedy, and also with Murder Inc., a long-form murder mystery show. You can catch her on The Gay Agenda, a radio show and podcast, available on Fab Radio and iTunes and occasionally as a panelist on That’s Manchester’s (TV) late night news show. ‘Carnival of Souls’, a binaural re-telling of the cult classic film, is currently touring the UK and features Kate as a voice actress.

Do you enjoy networking? I do enjoy networking. The more people you know in your field or your community the more help you have access to and the more YOU can help others. A sort of simple win/win. Tips? Be genuinely nice to people. If you can’t help, but know someone who can? Refer on. Say ‘yes’ to things.

Why do you think celebrating and rewarding all spectrums of diversity on an equal platform is important? I think it’s important because in celebrating differences, you’re acknowledging what people bring to an organisation. Inclusivity benefits us all. If you’re going out of your way…making extra efforts to make inclusivity a priority, I say kudos to you.

Follow Kate on Twitter @katemccabesays

Thank you to our supporters

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For transparency: All of our sponsors and supporters pledged their support for the awards after the judging for the awards had taken place and the shortlist was announced.

Say hello to our #INAwards2015 speakers Sanjay Sood-Smith Sanjay made it all the way to week ten on the 2014 series of hit BBC show The Apprentice. Since hearing the words ‘you’re fired’, Sanjay has been very active and visible with his support of tackling homophobia and hate crime as a role model for Stonewall. He is the Co-Founder of new curry-in-a-naan business, Tuk In, who are proud sponsors of our Collaboration of the Year category. Watch out for the products in a supermarket near you soon!

Why do you think network groups are important? I think network groups are great as they give employees support and ensure they feel like they are valued within their organisation. It is also a great place to find mentors and role models who have progressed in their field to offer advice. A group of voices makes a louder noise than one voice alone, and so people are more likely to be listened to when they unite together. In organisations having such groups means that people have more of a chance of being heard when they speak out, particularly if there is a cultural change required. It also gives people confidence. Personally I love networking. It’s great to meet new people and listen to their perspectives. I try to learn something from everyone I meet, even the ones that I don’t like!

Follow Sanjay on Twitter @sanjaysoodsmith and Tuk In @tukinfoods

Jane Kenyon Jane is a powerhouse on the female empowerment stage. Through her two established and award winning aspirational brands Well Heeled Divas and Girls Out Loud, she is on a mission to inspire women and girls to step up and shine and her passion for potential is contagious. After a successful corporate career in marketing and brand development, followed by 18 years as a serial entrepreneur, she is now on her third act as a social leader and game changer with a particular passion for empowering teenage girls - the next generation of female leaders and business women. She is an intuitive coach, inspirational speaker, author, an audacious commentator, blogger, campaigner, entrepreneur and female ambassador. Her legacy, through Girls Out Loud, is to embed a more empowering mindset in our girls that in effect, inspires them to think big, reach for the stars and make better life choices. Central to the Girls Out Loud mission is to introduce girls to awesome, successful female role models through their Big Sister mentoring programme and motivational events.

Follow Jane on Twitter @divadomrocks

A message from Nicky Morgan MP, Secretary of State for Education & Minister for Women & Equalities It’s clear that network groups can make a very real contribution to the workplace, helping create a culture which values diversity and attracts the best talent. It is of course up to individual firms how they recognise the work that network groups do, both inside and outside of the organisation, but I would certainly encourage any company to reward staff who give something back to the workplace and their communities. We know that networks are important – we’ve seen how the ‘old boys’ network’ used to dominate the workplace at senior levels. Luckily, things are now changing and there is much more diversity in the world of work. However, there is still a lot of benefit from both formal and informal networks.

Read our full interview with Nicky at www.inclusivenetworks.co.uk/features/nicky-morgan

The Judging Panel

Elly Barnes, Founder & CEO, Educate and Celebrate Elly is the CEO and Founder of ‘Educate & Celebrate’ and LGBT Schools Advisor for Birmingham City Council and Durham County Council. She is a regular speaker and writer on LGBT+ inclusion in education. She was voted No1 in The Independent on Sundays Pink List 2011 (now known as the Rainbow List).

James Wharton, Author & Diversity Specialist In 2013 James published his debut best-selling book ‘Out In The Army’ that detailed his ten years service to the British Army as one of the first openly gay soldiers. In 2014 he received the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his work in the LGBT community to tackle homophobic bullying in secondary schools.

John Amaechi OBE, Former NBA Player & MD, Amaechi Performance Systems John is a psychologist, high-performance executive coach and New York Times best-selling author. After a successful career playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) John became the first and only Britain to have his jersey hung in the U.S. Basketball Hall of Fame.

Richard McKenna, Managing Director, Inclusive Employers Richard is founding director of Inclusive Employers, the UK’s first membership network for employers that understand the opportunity of creating truly inclusive workplaces where all staff feel valued and all staff add value. They are the organisation behind the annual National Inclusion Week.

Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, Co-Founder & Executive Director, UK Black Pride Phyll is the co-founder and Trustee of UK Black Pride, Stonewall Board Member and Head of Campaigns for PCS where she previously held the role of Head of Equality. She was a Top50 entrant in The Independent on Sunday’s Pink List 2012 and is a Prime Minister’s ‘Big Society Award’ nominee.

Liam Hackett, Founder & CEO, Ditch the Label After experiencing extreme bullying for a decade of his childhood, Liam identified a significant gap in provision for a new, innovative organisation designed to eradicate the impact and prominence of bullying within the UK. Now, several years on he is the CEO of the national award winning anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label.

Scott Durairaj, Head of NHS England Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Scott has extensive experience in the diversity, inclusion and human rights field. He has written contributions to two NHS Mental Health focussed books on specific areas of equality and patient care. He was awarded two Health Service Journal Awards in 2014, BME Pioneer and LGBT Role Model.

Thomas Anderson, Founder & MD, Inclusive Networks A trailblazer in the retail sector, up until stepping down from the role in March 2014 he was Chair of Europe’s most followed, most active and most awarded employee network group. He contributed to Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 5 Year Review and was shortlisted for the ‘Diversity Champion of the Year’ award at the 2013 European Diversity Awards.

Vanessa Vallely, Founder & MD, WeAreTheCity Vanessa is a recognised expert in person-to-person business networking, online branding and motivational speaking. She founded WeAreTheCity as a vehicle to help other women connect and grow personally and professionally. Good Housekeeping named her one of their 50 Influential Women and she has featured in Brummells Top 30 Inspiring Women list. For transparency: Judges did not score any entries that they were personally affiliated with and these affiliations were declared before the scoring. The winners of the awards are the networks or individuals who scored the most points from the scoring across all judges.

Balancing family life with your professional career in London? Cityparents (www.cityparents.co.uk) helps firms support their working parent employees, and offers a proactive resource for individuals. The group encompasses Citymothers & Cityfathers – inclusive networks for City professionals who have a shared interest in balancing family life with a progressive career. We have over 7,000 members in London representing the law, banking / finance, management consultancy, human resources and accountancy. Our aim is to provide peer support to those balancing careers and families; to help members achieve flexibility in the workplace and maintain career trajectory; and to provide a schedule of informative networking events at family-friendly times in the City and Canary Wharf, covering topics relevant to working parents. Join Us now to hear from high profile guest speakers, meet and connect with other working parents in the City / Canary Wharf, benefit from support and resources and receive our great range of Member Benefits. Want to Get Ahead? Find out more about Cityparents Coaching and Mentoring, and other ways we can help you if you’re looking to get ahead in the office, improve your work / life balance or address any other area of your work and home life. Are you an Employer? There are many ways you can get involved with Citymothers & Cityfathers, by: • Giving your employees access to our events by purchasing a Corporate Access Pass • Joining Cityparents Policy Works • Using our Mentoring Scheme • Engaging us to work with you on Bespoke solutions. Whatever it is, we would love to hear from you.

www.cityparents.co.uk

WELL DONE ALL OF YOU!

WeAreTheCity would like to congratulate all of the Inclusive Networks Award Winners and Shortlisted Networks. WeAreTheCity are proud to sponsor the Employee Gender Network of the Year Award 2015

SUPPORTING THE FEMALE PIPELINE WWW.WEARETHECITY.COM

Employee Gender Network of the Year

Sponsored by

EY, EY Women’s Network With over 3,000 members across 28 offices and 100 volunteers organising 80 engaging events in 2015, the network inspires change and progress. They promote diverse teams, inclusive leadership and raise awareness of gender issues. The network provides opportunities for their members to be inspired, connect and develop internally and externally. They hold events throughout the working day to flex to members requirements and film events for those who cannot attend. Almost 90% of attendees learn something tangible each time. Their ‘selfie’ initiative ‘Igniting Change’ saw people globally, male and female, make pledges on how they would accelerate change towards gender parity.

Follow EY on Twitter @EY_UKI

Lloyds Banking Group, Breakthrough Network The network has over 12,000 members and is incredibly active in supporting the development of women at all levels within the organisation. In the last twelve months the network has held an Annual National Breakthrough Week, held 8 national events for all members to get involved in, held almost 120 regional events across the country that successfully reached colleagues who may not be able to travel outside their locality and they expanded their dedicated Parenting arm. The network has also developed their Mentoring scheme, which now has more than 10,000 women and men registered as mentors and mentees.

Follow the Lloyds Banking Group diversity team on Twitter @LBG_Diversity

RBS, RBS Focused Women’s Network The ultimate objective of the network is to develop the female talent pipeline and create a voice that would be listened to by the business, for the business. They have an established membership of circa 10,000 members globally in more than 30 countries with 12 regional committees. The network provides opportunities for their members to explore career paths within RBS and they support them through a range of workshops and events to help them develop the confidence to apply for senior positions, meet senior female leaders, share experiences, get support from male members through mentorship and coaching, continuously learn and develop, and most importantly - network and support each other.

Follow the network on Twitter @RBS_FW

The Environment Agency, Women’s Network The primary function of the network is to challenge the organisation to ensure it encourages, enables and equips women in the workforce to be the best they can be. Their mission is to enable, equip and encourage women to reach their full potential in the workplace. Success is due to the 1,400 members (28% of their female population) and friends (men), the committee of 40 volunteers that host events in local offices and their online space that builds a sense of community across geographical boundaries. Their ultimate aim is not to exist at all, because the need for the network would have gone. But for as long as it takes the barriers women face to be dismantled, the network will continue with their awesome work.

Follow the networks Co-Chair, Keela Shackell-Smith, on Twitter @KeelaShackell

The University of Nottingham, Women’s Network The network provides an informal forum for debate and raising awareness, ensuring that women are not unfairly disadvantaged in order to promote diversity and equal opportunities both within and outside the institution. The network acts as a mechanism for communication with the University, including raising issues of University practice and procedure. Recent women’s events at the University include the Women’s Staff Network Conference 2015, the International Women’s Day Public Lecture, Building Your Network from Scratch and Playing to Win with Apprentice star and role model Karen Brady CBE.

Follow the University of Nottingham equality team on Twitter @UoNEandD

The University of Sheffield, Women@TUoS NETwork Launched in 2012, the network has flourished and offers its members a programme of events throughout the year and lots of opportunities to get involved and shape the network. Recent events have included lunchtime discussion groups, CV+ Feedback and advice for women seeking career progression and their awesome Celebrating International Women’s Day 2015 event. Keen to share their learnings, the network has published ‘The Good Practice Guide for creating Women’s Networks in Academia’ guide that’s available to download from their website. The guide provides practical tips and recommendations on how to set up and maintain a vibrant, strategically relevant women’s network in academia - check it out!

Follow the network on Twitter @WomenTUoS

Save the Date Thursday 19 May 2016

Employee Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Network of the Year

Sponsored by

Fujitsu, Shine LGBT+ Network The inclusive network is open to all employees and members are encouraged to participate in the development of the network. They launched an online ‘to do’ list - this allows members to select activities they can participate in. The network has hosted and participated in a number of events including the national Fujitsu Diversity & Inclusion Week, walked in the parades at London and Manchester Pride and co-sponsored a launch party for InterTech in Manchester. They regularly feature in the internal UK Fujitsu magazine and together with other inclusion groups in Fujitsu, they have launched an Inclusion Matters diversity and inclusion newsletter.

Follow the network on Twitter @ShineLGBT

Lloyds Banking Group, Rainbow Network The inclusive network has over 2600 members. Their mission is to deliver professional development and support for LGBT colleagues, providing access to people, information, training and resources to enable them to be authentic and to achieve their full potential, whilst working with and supporting their allies to foster a positive and inclusive environment, both internally and externally. Their mentoring scheme is open to all members and supporters. The network issues a monthly newsletter and they have an online forum where members are able to connect with each other. Did you spot one of their Pride GayTMs over the Summer?

Follow the network on Twitter @Rainbow_Network

PwC, GLEE@PwC The network is open to everyone and focuses on creating a safe space for PwC’s LGBTI+ staff. They help everyone understand the power of difference in the workplace, engaging PwC staff who may not come to their events by inviting their clients, motivating them to come and learn, allowing GLEE to move the agenda forward. Their 2015 Annual People Survey of 18,000+ staff showed LGB staff are more engaged, more likely to recommend PwC as a place to work, and feel more able to be themselves than their heterosexual counterparts. The network offers a packed calendar of diverse events.

Follow the network on Twitter @GLEEPwCUK

The Health & Social Care (HSC) Service, LGBT Staff Forum To help raise visibility of the Forum, members and allies provide information stalls in all fifteen hospital sites across Northern Ireland to coincide with local Pride festivals and over 2000 Pride themed lanyards and posters have been distributed. The Forum tweets about health, organisational development and LGBT issues to cross-fertilise a variety of messages and information to health workers, organisations and beyond. The Forum has helped inform a number of key developments including an e-learning programme entitled Creating Inclusive Workplaces - guidelines to support the health care needs of LGBT people in primary care and care guidelines for LGBT people in residential care.

Follow the network on Twitter @LGBT_StaffForum

Transport for London, OUTbound 2015 marks the tenth birthday for the network. Over the past year it has embarked on an unprecedented engagement strategy to increase membership, promote the network, and demonstrate the importance of inclusivity. The networks Twitter following has seen a huge expansion with over 5,900 followers - one of the fastest growing staff network Twitter feeds. During 2015 they launched three #RidewithPride vehicles - a bus, a taxi and a DLR train. This Summer they arranged and facilitated the training of around 1,000 Pride in London volunteers. They also worked with the London Transport Museum to create a limited edition #RidewithPride poster, alongside special edition oyster card wallets.

Follow the network on Twitter @TfLLGBT

York St John University, LGBT Staff Network The fully inclusive network has increased their visibility by wearing rainbow lanyards that the HR team now offers to all new staff by default. The network has held discussions with the wider University about supporting their LGBT students and staff abroad as well as international students who may have come from a homosexual, bi- and/or transphobic environment. Initiated by the network, the University pledged its support to Stonewall’s #NoBystanders campaign. In its first 18 months, the network has made a significant impact on the University, which although always a welcoming place, is now far more openly LGBT+ friendly and a place where equality is celebrated.

Follow the network on Twitter @YSJULGBTStaff

CHEERS! THE FRAUD WOMEN’S NETWORK HAS BEEN SET UP TO BRING TOGETHER WOMEN INVOLVED IN ALL ASPECTS OF FRAUD PREVENTION, DETECTION, INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION, TO NETWORK AND TO SHARE BEST PRACTICE, INFORMATION AND EXPERIENCE IN ORDER TO HELP TACKLE THE THREAT FROM FRAUD AND ORGANISED CRIME HEAD ON. THE FRAUD WOMEN’S NETWORK IS PROUD TO BE NOMINATED FOR AN INCLUSIVE NETWORKS AWARD.

2015

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fraudwomensnetwork.com

Employee Race, Ethnicity & Cultural Heritage Network of the Year Deloitte, Deloitte Multicultural Network  Launched in 2007, the network aims to ensure the organisation engages with wider numbers of people from ethnic minorities in order to attract talent to the organisation. At 42%, applications from ethnic minority graduates remain above the industry average but they want to do more to encourage and retain ethnic minority talent at all levels and right across the firm. They’ve developed a mentoring programme that encourages their people to connect with colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds. The network hosted a special event to discuss the portrayal of BAME individuals in the British media. Other successful events include their Diversity and Inclusion in Sports event and the Multicultural Network Insight Evening.

Follow Deloitte on Twitter @DeloitteUK

EY, EY Sikh Network  The network was established in 2011 as a part of EY’s interfaith network and wider commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce. Its aim was to provide a forum where anyone can openly discuss issues that they face, a route to leadership, and a platform to raise awareness of the Sikh faith. The network has delivered a number of exceptional events including working with the Mayor of London to bring the Vaisakhi celebrations to City Hall in London - which was visited by 6,000 guests. The network also hosted the SINGH Project art exhibition, which aimed to capture the diversity of British Sikh men through two prominent symbols, the turban and beard, and The Untold Stories of Sikh Soldiers in WW1 event.

Follow the network on Twitter @EYSikhNetwork

Lloyds Banking Group, GEM Network  The network aims to connect, support and develop ethnic minority colleagues within Lloyds Banking Group, and is open to all colleagues as either members or supporters. The network is run by a volunteer steering group of mixed ethnic minority colleagues who drive the network forward and work to understand the needs of their members. During the last 12 months the team have delivered a number of exceptional events including the Cultural Awareness and Mentoring event. The network also ran a number of Live Meet events, where colleagues dial in and hear stories from inspirational colleagues and senior leaders who share their career paths, stories and top tips that have a wide appeal to all colleagues.

Follow the Lloyds Banking Group diversity team on Twitter @LBG_Diversity

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Black and Minority Ethnic Staff Development Network  The network is open to all disciplines and staff with an interest in promoting racial and cultural equality within the workplace. Achievements during the past 12 months include hosting the trusts first Black History Month celebration, their first BME Network Bulletin was published and they developed two Leadership Programmes, a Personal Development Workshop - and much more. The network has attended many trust events to help raise the profile of the network. The network continues to be the HR and OD Department’s ‘critical friend’, supporting and challenging the trust in the publication of statistical information and truly delivering racial equality.

Follow the trust on Twitter @NHFTNHS

North East London NHS Foundation Trust, Ethnic Minority Staff Network  Established in 2012, the network has strong board support and has been critical in driving change. Following discussions with staff across the organisation they devised a three-year strategy, endorsed by the board and overseen by a steering group including staff from each directorate. Three years on progress has been made, with 9 assistant or associate directors employed at band 8c from a BME background out of a total of 26 staff at this level in the organisation. Staff reports a more open culture where people feel more able to talk about issues of race and racism not just in relation to staff, but how they impact on the care provided to patients and service users.

Follow the trust on Twitter @NELFT

The Metropolitan Police, The Metropolitan Black Police Association Founded in 1994, the association was formed to improve the working environment of black police staff and officers within the Metropolitan Police Service. They support staff and officers encountering difficulties at work, deliver social activities and events for their members, work towards achieving equality of opportunity for all BME staff working within the service, work with the service to improve recruitment of BME staff and they actively participate in policy development - and much more. Recent successes include their 100 Years of Women in British Policing event (2015 marks 100 years of women in policing), the publication of their Black History Month magazine and the informative Black History Walk.

Follow the association on Twitter @MetBPA

03456 07 55 55 royalnavy.mod.uk/careers

Health & Wellbeing Network of the Year EY, EY Dyslexia Network  The network is fully inclusive and welcomes members from across the organisation. The EY Dyslexia Network Annual Event took place in April 2015. The theme of the event was How Dyslexia Shapes Us and it covered how levels of disclosure of dyslexia are often low within most workplaces with the successful rarely feeling the need to mention it when conversation about dyslexia in our children tend to be far more open. One attendee of the event said, “It was an amazing event, such a great bunch of speakers and great people attendees. The EY team are really inspirational.” Did you know that 1 in 5 people suffer from dyslexia?

Follow the network on Twitter @EY_Ability

Lloyds Banking Group, Access Network  Access was founded in 2009 and has approximately 2500 members, who have, or support someone with a disability or just want to support raising awareness. Their mentoring scheme also helps develop their members and currently has 70 active relationships. The network has hosted and supported a number of internal initiatives including the Group-wide Disability Awareness Week and Mental Health Awareness Week as well as hosting their popular Lunch & Learn events on a range of topics to provide support for colleagues. Access also supported National Carers Week, where they launched a new microsite to help colleagues with caring responsibilities.

Follow the Lloyds Banking Group diversity team on Twitter @LBG_Diversity

The Armed Forces, Defence Stammering Network  In less than 18 months it has grown to a membership of over 40. The network has already had a significant impact on culture and policy within the Defence establishment, with the MoD now setting up a working group to explore development of an official policy for members of the Armed Forces who stammer. It is the first such network in any Armed Force in the World. Forces TV profiled the network in a 30-minute documentary entitled My War with Words, receiving hugely positive reactions and praise. An active network, they held a stall at the MoD Adult Learners Week event and organised an engagement event between the British Stammering Association and the Defence College of Healthcare Education and Training.

Want to know more about stammering? Follow the Employers Stammering Network on Twitter @stammering4work

The University of Bradford, n-able  The network has run for nearly 10 years and has grown in membership and engagement. A loud, proud and supportive network, they strive to make their voice and opinions count. They will be at every possible event with their logo emblazoned across their chests and they speak up for those who don’t have the confidence (and they always win the battles!). Their events to raise awareness of Disability History Month in 2014 were their biggest to date. Events ranged from an art debate, the David Stone event and a Sing-along to Frozen family event, which was the highest attended free event in the University calendar. In collaboration with other networks at the University, watch out for their 2016 Diversity Festival.

Follow the network on Twitter @nablebradford

The University of Manchester, Disabled Staff Network  The network provides a voice within the University for disability equality. The network is open to all members of staff who consider themselves to have an impairment or long-term health/medical condition or members of staff who have an interest in this area. Influenced by the network, the University has been working in partnership with DisabledGo to launch a new app to provide detailed access information to all University buildings. What Are We Hiding?, the first national conference for the UK’s disabled workforce, was organised and hosted by the network. The conference was an exploration of the double theme of “hidden” disabilities and the “hidden” contribution of disabled employees to the nation’s economy.

Follow the network on Twitter @UoMDSN

The University of York, Disabled Student’s Network The network represents disabled students at the University. In May, the network ran a campaign to raise awareness of Deaf Awareness Week and amongst their activities; they ran a Facebook event inviting people to share their stories and perspectives from a deaf/hearing person’s point of view. The network also celebrated Disability History Month where the network committee displayed pictures of famous disabled people throughout history including Roman Emperor Claudius and Tanni-Grey Thompson. The network arranged a special screening of the movie Finding Nemo, raising an impressive £300 that went towards helping the university automate more doors on campus.

Follow the network on Twitter @YUSU_DS

Bring your unique perspective, an open mind and a thirst for changing things for the better, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll give you an environment where everyone is valued equally. Join today. Change tomorrow. Visit ey.com/careers #BetterQuestions

What if our differences are what unites us?

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New Network of the Year Action for Children, Celebrate LGBT  The LGBT staff network was officially launched in October 2014. The inclusive network is open to all staff and volunteers. One of the most active employee network groups on Twitter (700+ followers), the network does a fantastic job of highlighting key diversity days to their followers as well as within the organisation. Members of the network receive informative bi-monthly newsletters, regular equality updates, invitations to training and social events, networking opportunities, confidential support from the network and most importantly, a space to be themselves. Events hosted by the network include their official launch event, a Christmas quiz and a creative Love is Love event for Valentines Day.

Follow the network on Twitter @CelebrateLGBT

Fujitsu, Women at Fujitsu  Launched in March 2015, the network has developed the distinctive Why not a woman? brand, a dynamic leadership team, 250+ members and a robust strategy. The network has raised the profile of gender diversity, achieved some impressive results and had a transformational impact on Fujitsu’s approach to D&I. To increase its influence, the network has positioned gender equality as an issue for the entire workforce by focusing on the ‘power of difference’ and has both male and female members. A series of role model profiles have been published on their intranet page and they are now appointing regional leads so that all of their people can engage in the network, whatever their location.

Follow Fujitsu UK on Twitter @Fujitsu_UK

PayPal, PayPal Pride  The network was launched in March 2015 with the main purpose of celebrating diversity and creating a support network of LGBT colleagues. They do this through a combination of programs, resources and advocacy, raising awareness of diversity issues, encouraging sponsorship, fostering professional development and deepening connections amongst LGBT employees and those interested in supporting the network. The network walked together with members of InterTech, the LGBT forum for the UK tech industry, at Pride in London this Summer and members visibly supported the Irish constitution amendment on same-sex marriage. The network features prominently in the PayPal UK Diversity Newsletter.

Follow PayPal UK on Twitter @PayPalUK

Standard Life, Young Persons’ Development Network  The network was launched in February 2015 and now has over 200 members. It aims to be a community where every young person (16-25 years old) within the organisation gets equal development support, equal opportunities, time to socialise and share ideas and a chance to have a positive impact on the wider community. Young people coordinate the network for young people and they act exclusively on ideas and suggestions made by other young people. The network is now covered in every induction and young people are offered the opportunity to join as soon as they join the company. The network is also an avenue for managers wanting to learn about how best to support young people in their areas.

Follow Standard Life on Twitter @StandardLifeplc

The Co-operative Bank, Proud Together  The network was launched in May 2015 to tie in with International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). The network aims to represent LGBT colleagues across the Bank and to offer support and information on all things LGBT to anyone who’s interested. As part of the networks launch they held meet and greet sessions across a number of sites, along with flying a rainbow flag outside the famous CIS tower on Miller Street, Manchester. The network publishes a regular newsletter and engages with their members and supporters via their dedicated Twitter and Facebook accounts. The network has already undertaken fundraising activities, recently raising money for charity Stonewall.

Follow the network on Twitter @P2GCoop

WILL (Women in Law London) The network was officially launched in October 2014. The Committee decided to set up WILL after attending an International Women’s Day Law Society networking event in early 2014. They had, unsuccessfully, tried to find a network aimed at prepartnership (or top level in-house) women lawyers. They have amassed a considerable amount of enthusiasm for the network. With over 1,500 members it’s clear that there is a real need and desire for networking at associate level in London. The network has held a number of high impact events including their monthly WILL Supper Club, WILL Wednesdays and The WILLpower Programme - a series of professional development events and sessions.

Follow the network on Twitter @WomenInLawLon

Thank you to our goody bag supporters

me o s e w IN A etition Comp

We hope you enjoy the treats from our awesome goody bag supporters. To be in with a chance of winning £100 worth of vouchers for the store of your choice, tweet a photo of your goody bag and goodies to @IncNetworks using the hashtag #INAwesomeGoodies We’ll be picking a winner on 10th December 2015, so if you’re the lucky winner there’s a good chance you’ll receive your vouchers just in time for Christmas. Good luck!

Professional Network of the Year

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Citymothers and Cityfathers  Citymothers was founded in 2012 with the aim of providing a friendly, inclusive forum for working mothers in City professions to meet up and access support at what is often a testing time in their working and home lives. In April 2014, Cityfathers was launched to meet similar demand from working fathers. Support is provided via a range of networking events, a cross-industry mentoring scheme, online discussion groups, empathetic and witty weekly blogs and social media updates. The networking events are held in the City of London and Canary Wharf at family-friendly times. Membership has grown rapidly and they now have over 6,500 members and their diverse events reach capacity in only a few hours.

Follow the network on Twitter @Citymothers

I AM Networking  I Am Networking events have developed a reputation as the best place to meet like-minded, intelligent and interesting people who all have a shared passion for charities and social business. They meet on the last Wednesday of every month to share ideas, laughter and a glass of wine! They also run themed events, including regular meet ups for charities and potential new trustees, confidence boosting learn to network sessions, fundraising tactic talks, and many more. One nominee said, “Really wonderful organisation, great opportunities to network, inclusive and not cliché. Wonderful, inspiring speakers and often free!”

Follow the network on Twitter @theiamgroup

Lady Val’s Professional Women’s Network The network celebrates their 10th Anniversary on the day of the 2015 Inclusive Networks Awards. The network doesn’t like the concept of ‘ladies who lunch’ so through connecting top women they have always supported a charity whilst having fun and networking. The network is proud to have raised over £60,000 for charities since it was founded. One nominee said, “It brings together a group of professional working women with no limitations. This allows a great variety of working women to drop in. There are always really good speakers, a huge group of impressive women, and the Chair induces just the right informal business atmosphere, stimulating and all to be kind, friendly, helpful and also keep a commercial mindset.”

Find out more about the network at lvpwn.com

Muslim Counsellor and Psychotherapist Network  The network was founded in 2013 and currently has around 370 international members, made up of Muslim counsellors, therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists. The network has multiple purposes. It promotes Muslim counsellors and counselling services to Muslim communities (to both professionals and clients) and it breaks down barriers for Muslim communities/clients to access mental health services and support. One of the aims of the network is to have a mentoring scheme, to match trainees and newly qualified professionals with an experienced counsellor/therapist/psychologist, to get support, help and advice as they start out in their career and/or during training.

Follow the network on Twitter @MCAPN_CO_UK

Radius Founded in 2011, the network connects across organisations with individuals who come from a diverse range of backgrounds, yet are all interested in building their careers and knowledge of business topics. The organisations involved with them benefit by being able to share best practice and drive new revenue streams. In particular, they have strong connections to LGBT and D&I leadership communities. They hold a variety of different events throughout the year. One of their recent events was So you want to be a globetrotter?, a panel discussion that examined how different organisations have open and challenging conversations about the opportunities for their people to work globally.

Follow the network on Twitter @RadiusBusiness

WeAreTheCity WeAreTheCity was started as a hobby back in 2008 and was built out of frustration the founders experienced. They believed that there was a myriad of development opportunities for women, however these were scattered across multiple websites and often difficult to find. In 2014, they became a commercial venture due to their growth and the interest they were receiving. They’ve grown organically from 10 members in 2008 to 27,000 in less than 7 years. They promote over 250 women’s networks and 60 charities and are the only aggregator of everything that is female in the UK, combining opportunities for both corporate women and entrepreneurs. In terms of market share, they are the dominant leader as there is no one that does quite what they do. Their website receives 4,000,000 + hits per month.

Follow the network on Twitter @WATC_Updates

Diversity makes us who we are At Tesco, we know that diversity makes us stronger. By working together, we can better understand and respect each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs. Which helps make Tesco a better place to work, and a better place to shop. Because in our family, everyone is welcome.

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Social Network of the Year BiPhoria  Biphoria, coordinated by Jen Yockney, is a social support network for bisexual people based in Manchester. The network is over 20 years old and is the longest running bisexual support group in the UK. The group gives bisexual people a space where they are supported through a support group, pub and cafe meet ups and helping to campaign on bi issues at Pride and other events. Besides being the cornerstone of the bi community in the North West, they have a much wider reach. They support others around the UK and further afield on everything related to running a support/social group and through their website they offer many resources, including their own publication Getting Bi in a Gay/Straight World.

Follow the network on Twitter @BiPhoria

Forever Manchester (First Friday Networking)  The First Friday event, fuelled by charity Forever Manchester, allows like-minded people from across Greater Manchester to meet in a relaxed networking environment and mingle over a few drinks. Forever Manchester staff are always on hand to make introductions and share upcoming activities for guests to get involved in to raise money to support community projects across Greater Manchester. The events are free to attend and attract a diverse audience from many sectors and professions. Through generous contributions from individuals and businesses, Forever Manchester strengthens communities and enriches local life by inspiring local people to do extraordinary things together.

Follow Forever Manchester on Twitter @4EVERManchester

Manchester Lesbian & Gay Chorus  One of the UK’s largest LGBT+ choirs, they are celebrating their 15th anniversary this year. They bring people together from all backgrounds and circumstances into an environment of acceptance, respect, support and celebration. Creating music together and joining their voices in solidarity allows them to be the musical voice of Manchester’s LGBT community. Following a homophobic attack on two young gay men on the Metrolink, they joined together with other choirs in the North West to create the Safe to Sing event. They took to the trams to sing out in response to the crime - culminating in a special performance in the city centre. The event twitter hashtag #SafeToSing was used over 540,000 times and trended.

Follow the network on Twitter @MLGConline

USDAW  With over 440,000 members, USDAW are one of Britain’s largest trade unions. They have seven geographical divisions across the UK, with each division organising its own activities, conferences and other events. They have around 550 branches at present. On a national and local level, the Union offers many opportunities throughout the year for members to meet, network, socialise, learn and campaign. These include a diverse range of events and initiatives including The Annual Delegate Meeting, National Young Workers’ Weekend, the Black Members’ Weekend Workshop and Wear Red Day, a day where people demonstrate their stance against racism.

Follow USDAW on Twitter @UsdawUnion

Village Bakers Inspired by the Great British Bake Off, the Manchester based network was formed in November 2012 by a group of friends who met and shared homemade cake and lots of glasses of wine. Their motto is Bake it! Bring it! Share it! They meet on the second Sunday of every month at the Molly House. The network is a fully inclusive network and all members of the community and supporters are welcome at their events. The group isn’t just about eating cake. They work with charities including Manchester Pride and George House Trust to raise funds and awareness amongst their members and the wider community. An event highlight is their annual Great Village Bake Off and Manchester Pride parade entry.

Follow the network on Twitter @VillageBakers

Village Drinks A network for LGBT professionals, their events are very popular amongst political, financial and legal industries, but are open to anyone who lives, works or just wants to visit the West End of London to meet likeminded professionals. For each event they select a great venue - one that’s not too expensive, and one that’s large enough to comfortably accommodate their crowd. Guests meet, chat and drink - with lots of useful relationships formed. The organisers also throw in a complimentary glass of wine (because they’re nice like that). After the event guests are encouraged to keep in touch with each other through the networks free online community, Village People. Their website offers many networking opportunities.

Follow the network on Twitter @VillageDrinks

Proud sponsors of the inaugural Inclusive Networks Awards

At Fujitsu we believe in the power of difference to create a better future for everyone. Search for Diversity at uk.fujitsu.com

Cultural Diversity Network

Gender Network

SEED Disability Network

Shine LGBT+ Network

Inter-Sector Network of the Year

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Black Solicitors Network Launched in 1995, the network is the primary voice of black solicitors in England and Wales and is committed to achieving equality of access, retention and the promotion of black solicitors. An inclusive rather than exclusive network, they attract and welcome members from across the cultural and diversity spectrum. The network provides pastoral care and support and promotes equality and challenges discrimination within the profession. With over 5,500 members, the network offers a rolling programme of small and major events, conferences, workshops and an annual dinner for their members. These are all popular and many of their events are in collaboration with other organisations that share the same values.

Follow the network on Twitter @BSNofficial

Chicks With Bricks Chicks with Bricks is a proactive network connecting women in the construction industry to their female peers and role models. Founded by Holly Porter, she realised there was a severe lack of female role models in the industry and was determined to create a network where she, and other like-minded women, could meet those who were making path-ways in construction. Each of their events brings 200-400 women together for drinks and lively debate led by key industry figures at exclusive venues. At one of their events in January 2015 at the House of Commons, 12% of tickets were allocated to men to highlight the same percentage of women currently working in the construction industry.

Follow the network on Twitter @withbricks

Fraud Women’s Network Any woman who works in the anti-fraud arena will know that it can sometimes be a rather male dominated environment, in which there are few senior female executives. The Fraud Women’s Network (FWN) was set up to bring together women involved in all aspects of fraud prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution, to network and to share best practice, information and experiences in order to help tackle the threat from fraud and organised crime head on. The network offers mentoring opportunities and a calendar of diverse events. One nominee said, “Being part of this network really makes a difference to all our lives.”

Follow the network on Twitter @FraudWomensNet

InterEngineering LGBT diversity and inclusion within the engineering sector is significantly lagging behind other sectors such as banking, media and law. Founded in 2014, the network aims to connect, inform and empower LGBT engineers and allies. A very active network, highlights include hosting social events and site visits to bring engineers together to network, hosting business focused events for knowledge sharing of best practice advice and guidance, working in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering to interface with senior leaders in engineering firms to communicate the need for change from top-down and they’ve worked with Professional Engineering Institutes to instigate change within member companies.

Follow the network on Twitter @InterEngLGBT

InterMedia Launched in 2012, the network is the LGBT network for people working in the media. Many LGBT people don’t have employee networks to connect with or are freelance, and many creative companies are quite small. Both these things mean networking with LGBT colleagues and contacts can be tricky. Many people think the creative industries are a gay friendly place, but in these fast moving and influential businesses, the effects of being in a small minority can be hard to deal with. The network provides a comfortable space for networking, forming new contacts and finding jobs and business opportunities. Their 2015 Pride in London parade entry saw members from organisations including BBC, ITV, MTV, Sky and Creative Skillset taking part.

Follow the network on Twitter @Inter_MediaUK

Link LGBT Insurance Network Launched in 2012, the LGBT network is accessible to anyone who works in the UK insurance sector. The network has over 300 members who represent 150 organisations. They offer a calendar of diverse events and highlights include their Summer Party and Quiz Night. They work with their supporting organisations to deliver industry events targeted at leadership and encouraging best practice - ensuring equality is talked about. The network engages with members via a website that has many features not seen on many other network group websites, including a ‘Forum’ that allows members around the UK to communicate with each other and build networks. They launched their North of England off-shoot Link Up North in 2015.

Follow the network on Twitter @Link_LGBT

Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) is a privately owned and managed financial services firm. We serve the most sophisticated institutions and individuals with expertise in Investor Services, Investment Management and Private Banking.

BBH A ff init y N et work C ommu nity

As a privately held financial institution, Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH), has always been committed to open and inclusive dialogue. Over the last few years, BBH employees have created various networks to help collaborate, share ideas, and discuss issues of common interest. In 2010 these networks became formalized under the BBH Affinity Network Community, or BANC. Their mission is to promote a culture of inclusion, creating the environment and infrastructure for development of all.

“We are delighted to have Brown Brothers Harriman’s Women’s Network featured among Inclusive Networks ‘Awesome Networks.’ BBH needs the best talent to innovate and deliver excellence in products and services to our clients. Our strategy requires that we attract and develop a broad, global and diverse talent base. The BBH Women’s Network supports our goals with programs focused on the advancement of our female leaders, who are critical to the success of our business, and bolsters our broad diversity and inclusion initiatives.” Maroa Velez, Partner Global Women’s Network Sponsor

For more information about Brown Brothers Harriman, please visit www.bbh.com

1089_15

Network Team of the Year

Sponsored by

EY, EY Women’s Network With over 3,000 members across 28 offices and 100 volunteers organising 80 engaging events in 2015, the network inspires change and progress. A dedicated team of volunteers who are each responsible for different areas and do this work on top of their day jobs coordinate the network. Roles include External Events, Internal Development and Strategic Communications. A testament to the work of the team, 90% of attendees at their diverse events learn something tangible each time. EY has featured in Times Top 50 Employers for Women for nine consecutive years and it’s very clear from the quality of their events, their innovation and engagement that the team have played a significant role in this success.

Follow EY on Twitter @EY_UKI

InterEngineering The network aims to connect, inform and empower LGBT engineers and allies. It is run voluntarily on the enthusiasm of a core team who want to do something good for LGBT inclusion in engineering. They are Dr. Mark McBride-Wright (Chair), Tom Wallace (Vice-Chair), Jason Linford (Treasurer) and Peter Gracey (Secretary). They each bring a unique blend of skills to the table, which has enabled the network to make so much progress in a short space of time. Tom created a fantastic website, Jason secured their first allocation of funding for running their inaugural Company Networks event and Peter brings a wealth of connections which ensures they can tap in to talent when they need to. Under Marks leadership the network is going from strength to strength.

Follow the network on Twitter @InterEngLGBT

Parliament (UK), ParliOUT  The network is the workplace equality network in support of LGBTIQ people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and questioning) in Parliament. The network is one of the most active employee network groups in the UK with a packed calendar of diverse events that engage with the diversity of their membership. Events have included Being your LGBT self at work, ParliOUT Christmas Social, Making A Difference - LGBT History Month 2015, Slam Fiction Workshop, Stonewall Brighton Equality Walk and many more. These would not have been possible without the dedication of the Steering Committee who give their all to their network roles, ensuring momentum is maintained and the network continues to develop.

Follow the network on Twitter @ParliOUT

Tesco, OUT at Tesco  Founded in 2009, the network has over 1,300 members across the Tesco Group. The team have achieved a lot with the support of many members from all areas of the business. During Pride in London 2015 the team coordinated authentic support for the event and beyond, with Tesco stores selling the UK’s first specially designed Pride t-shirts, created by F&F, where £1 for every t-shirt purchased was donated to the Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline. They also donated 700 goody-bags for the volunteers who make the event happen each year. The team have extensively promoted Stonewalls #NoBystanders campaign across the business with a significant amount of employees signing the pledge, including the networks Senior Champion, Benny Higgins, CEO of Tesco Bank.

Follow the network on Twitter @OutatTesco

The Armed Forces, Defence Stammering Network Leadership Team Regimental Sergeant Major James Lang, Corporal Emmanuel Ottih and Walter Scott (an MOD civil servant) jointly lead the network. They have shown transformative leadership and exceptional courage by successfully raising a very stigmatised condition in an environment not traditionally known to be inclusive; they have made it possible for other people who stammer to come out and join the network. They are changing lives and careers by making it possible to be open about stammering and receive recognition and support. They are continually raising awareness and challenging existing policy within the Armed Forces - and they do succeed in this in addition to their demanding day jobs, on an entirely voluntary basis.

Want to know more about stammering? Follow the Employers Stammering Network on Twitter @stammering4work

WILL (Women in Law London) The network was launched in October 2014. The Committee decided to set up WILL after attending an International Women’s Day Law Society networking event in early 2014. They had, unsuccessfully, tried to find a network aimed at pre-partnership (or top level in-house) women lawyers. All five committee members work as lawyers in top City law firms. They each have incredibly demanding day jobs yet have committed to the demands of coordinating an extremely active network, making tremendous personal sacrifices. They have amassed a considerable amount of enthusiasm for the network. With over 1,500 members it’s clear that the team have made a considerable impact with their innovative engagement initiatives.

Follow the network on Twitter @WomenInLawLon

Network Leader of the Year

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Indy Hothi and Anisha Seth, EY, EY Sikh Network  Indy and Anisha have been voluntarily co-chairing the network over the last two years. Under their leadership the network has driven a number of programmes to support EY’s Diversity & Inclusion initiatives. Internally, they have fostered an open and collaborative approach to influence positive change within the network and the firm. They have supported the creation of D&I networks across the professional spectrum, including the creation of a cross public service sector Sikh Network that incorporates all Governmental entities. Their leadership qualities were recently recognised by the Mayor of London who asked them to coordinate community celebrations at City Hall that were visited by over 6,000 guests.

Follow Indy and Anisha on Twitter @IndyHothi and @AnishaSeth25

Martin York, Fujitsu, Shine LGBT+ Network Martin is the Chair of the network and under his leadership Shine has progressed significantly in a relatively short space of time. He has dedicated a large amount of effort and energy, frequently in his own time, to creating a fully inclusive group that colleagues want to be a part of and other organisations want to engage with. He encourages colleagues to participate and is always prepared to provide support to encourage them to flourish. The Fujitsu UK leadership team and CEO acknowledge him as being the “go get” person who always delivers and ensures that the network continues to grow and delivers results.

Follow Martin on Twitter @TamesideM

Detective Sergeant Janet Hills, Metropolitan Police, Metropolitan Black Police Association An inspirational Chair whose dedication, drive and passion has seen the association develop and further engage with their members, and attract new ones - which is a great thing to be able to say for a network that celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2015. Appointed in 2013, she was the first female chair of the association and is a great role model. She has broken a glass ceiling and is a trailblazer. She is using her position to challenge the working experiences of BAME employees and the portrayal of the service in the media - as well as their engagement with the communities they serve. She is not afraid to challenge.

Follow Janet on Twitter @Janet_Hills

Dan Ricard, PwC, GLEE@PwC Through his Co-Leader role, he is responsible for managing and keeping engaged a virtual team of over 40 individual volunteers who contribute to the network above and beyond their day job - engaging with their 500+ members. Through his involvement with GLEE, Dan has supported a number of charities including Stonewall and Diversity Role Models, whether through fundraising, taking part in fundraising competitions or doing pro-bono consultancy. He has also advised many of PwC’s clients wanting to create their own LGBT networks and built value based relationships with them by organising and hosting joint events. Dan connects with people, inspires them about the network, whilst bringing order and structure.

Follow Dan on Twitter @Dan_Ricard

Lt Cdr Chris Wood and Lt Cdr Sam Truelove, Royal Navy, COMPASS In January 2015 the network planned, organised and delivered a successful pan-Defence LGBT engagement event (#LGB15) to mark the 15th anniversary of the lifting of the ban on LGB personnel serving openly in the UK Armed Forces - involving the Army, RAF and the MOD Civil Service LGBT Networks. The initial idea came from Lt Cdr Chris Wood and he was soon supported by his now Vice Chair, Lt Cdr Sam Truelove. Between them, they turned the vision for the event into a highly successful reality in the heart of the Ministry of Defence building in Whitehall, with over 120 distinguished and influential guests, key supporters, military veterans and serving LGBT personnel.

Follow Chris and Sam on Twitter @CTWoodUK and @samfish01

Cath Rose and Gill Cockburn, The University of Bradford, n-able Gill founded the network in 2006 and each year she pushed the network and the membership grew. Co-chair Cath was appointed when the activities and the membership of the network began to grow. They have provided successful events every year to raise awareness and celebrate disability. They talk about the network at any opportunity, whether they are in a meeting about Equality and Diversity or the IT strategy or a lunch meeting with prospective students. They are speaking up constantly for the disability agenda, so much so that many divisions now approach them before any policy announcements are made or even designed.

Follow the n-able network on Twitter @nablebradford

Martyn Loukes BEM, Transport for London, OUTbound As Chair of the OUTbound LGBT Network, Martyn has taken the community engagement that TfL do to a whole new level. Just a year ago he was responsible for arranging a rainbow zebra crossing on the streets of London. Going in to 2015 he continued to work on other community engagement initiatives and was the driving force behind the #RidewithPride campaign that saw a Routemaster bus, a London cab and a Dockland Light Railway train get wrapped in rainbow branding to coincide with Pride in London and the networks 10th birthday. Under his leadership the network has significantly increased its membership and internal and external engagement continues to grow. He does this all in addition to his day job.

Follow Martyn on Twitter @Ryder666uk

Jonathan Marshall and Paul Begley, UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, FLAGG Co-Chairs Jonathan Marshall and Paul Begley have been inspirations for the network, not only balancing their work lives, but helping to launch a successful Twitter account, masterminding a historic LGBT event for the FCO, and ensuring that FLAGG was listened to in discussions relating to LGBT and broader diversity issues. Jonathan has been based in Rome since February and Paul is based in Belgium. This has meant that their time has been at a premium but they have never let that impede on their strong leadership of FLAGG, not least due to the number of big events and moments that FLAGG has experienced so far in 2015. They have both influenced positive change.

Follow the FLAGG network on Twitter @FCOflagg

Networks Helping Networks Sharing and celebrating the inspiring work of network groups all over the UK [ MAGAZINE ]

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Celebrating the work of networks and organisations that have a positive impact in the workplace and beyond is what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all about. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sharing the work of networks, charities and community groups via our Inclusive Networks Magazine, or celebrating networks who are officially awesome via our Awesome Networks initiative or putting the people who make networks live and breathe in the spotlight via our upcoming dedication list, The IN 100, we do this with authenticity and in our own way. Celebrating this work should not be exclusive. Get in touch and celebrate with us.

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Inspiring Member of the Year

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Cairn F Newton-Evans, Dyfed-Powys Police, LGBT Staff Network In 2008 he was the victim of a violent homophobic hate crime that resulted in him requiring surgery. This left him scared to leave the house and constantly afraid of harassment, alarm and distress but after months of hiding away he decided to turn this negative experience into a positive one. In 2009, he and a friend launched the support network Gay Ammanford to help raise awareness of LGBT issues within the county of Carmarthenshire and the surrounding area and to give the local LGBT community a voice whilst supporting those that had been through a similar situation as Cairn. He went on to join the police as a member of the Special Constabulary as a Special Constable and he is now Deputy-Lead of the LGBT Staff Network at Dyfed-Powys Police. He launched the straight allies scheme within the force.

Indy Hothi, EY, EY Sikh Network  He has been leading the successful EY Sikh Network for the last three years, now joined by Anisha Seth. He has actively supported black and minority ethnic group students by running ‘graduate insight’ days and CV Workshops for students at University to help students demystify the application process for careers in the city. To date the initiatives he has led has resulted in 40 students being placed in roles across the city. He is a trustee for an international humanitarian NGO, Khalsa Aid, which focuses on providing humanitarian support in disaster and war zones. He has been actively involved in field projects in countries such as Bosnia, Haiti and Syria and he coordinated relief efforts in Bosnia after the flooding in 2014. Under his leadership a village with over 3,000 residents were supported with home repairs, rebuilds and clean drinking water.

Follow Indy on Twitter @IndyHothi

Lt Cdr Chris Wood, Royal Navy, COMPASS Chris assisted in the recent introduction of sexual orientation declaration and monitoring to the organisation, presenting on the need to understand the workforce and producing briefing notes/communications to gain employee trust. As a qualified coach and mentor, he understands the importance of diversity mentoring and recently implemented a mentoring scheme for LGBT people in the organisation - to benefit both mentors and mentees. In 2015 he successfully managed to introduce a new ‘spirit of diversity’ category into the prestigious RN Photographic Competition, the Peregrine Trophy, to raise the profile and start discussions about diversity and inclusion internally and externally. He strives to make the workplace and network more inclusive.

Follow Chris on Twitter @CTWoodUK

Funke Abimbola, Black Solicitors Network and WILL Funke is a practicing solicitor now leading the UK & Ireland legal team of Roche. She is currently the most senior black lawyer working in the UK pharmaceutical industry. She had to overcome significant obstacles in pursuing and progressing her legal career to this stage and her passion for becoming a business lawyer drove her to cold-call the corporate department heads at the top 100 UK law firms with a “sales pitch” confirming what she could offer. It is her personal mission to promote diversity within the legal profession. She mentors a number of female solicitors and is a professional Ambassador for Aspiring Solicitors, an organisation that supports and promotes diversity within the legal profession. She is also an active member of a number of networks, including the Black Solicitors’ Network and WILL.

Follow Funke on Twitter @DiversityChamp1

Andy Law, York St John University, LGBT Staff Network Andy is one of the drivers of the network. As the Secretary, he has put significant and successful efforts into raising the profile of the network and substantiating its role in advancing equality and diversity at the University, in particular for LGBT people. From the beginning he has striven to make LGBT equality a matter for everyone at the University. He has also shown how the network can work for the benefit of the whole University. Using his own initiative, to mark LGBT History Month he brought together representatives from organisations across York to put together a programme of events in the City of York. Whenever the University thinks they’ve pretty much done everything they can do, Andy is always there with new ideas and challenges.

Follow Andy on Twitter @andylaw31

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Collaboration of the Year BNY Mellon PRISM Network and George House Trust, UK AIDS Memorial Quilt  PRISM, the inclusive LGBT network at BNY Mellon, in Manchester has a long-standing relationship with HIV charity George House Trust (GHT), working together on many initiatives in the past decade. The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt pays tribute to people who died of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s and 90s. The UK portion of the quilt consists of approximately 48 sections and more than 384 people from all around the UK are represented by the quilt. It is a vital part of LGBT social history. There is a large amount of material related to the panels. These are a mixture of individual testimonials from the people who made the panels and information and photos about the individuals who died. A team of BNY Mellon volunteers was put together to create a digital archive. This project was offered out to all employees, making it a truly inclusive initiative.

City Sikhs Network & City Hindus Network, Hustings in the City  The City Sikhs Network and the City Hindus Network came together for the first time to co-host and collaborate on a unique event in April 2015. The event also involved the Faiths Forum for London and Square Mile Muslims amongst others as supporting partners. It was a unique collaboration and brought together Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and people of all faiths who work across over 100 different organisations. The event attracted over 200 people and was filmed by Zee TV and NDTV for broadcast around the world. At one point, the event hashtag #CityHustings was the 7th most trending hashtag in the UK on Twitter. The success of the evening was solely due to the fact that it was a true joint effort.

EY Women’s Network and Lloyds Banking Group ‘Breakthrough’ Network, The Secrets of Stakeholder Mapping and Networking for Success  Hosted by EY in London in June 2015, the event was broadcasted to EY and Lloyd’s Banking Group (LBG) offices in other cities including Leeds, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with almost 2,000 EY and LBG colleagues connecting in collaboration hubs across the UK. This was a record attendance for an EY Women’s Network event. It was filmed and shared with those who could not attend on the day, or with flexible working arrangements. The event succeeded in its primary mission, to increase networking between LBG and EY, with many new contacts made. Secondly, the regional offices were opened up for both LBG and EY colleagues to build new relationships.

PwC Employee Network Groups, Disability, Military and GLEE, To disclose or not to disclose  On 30th March 2015 three network groups at PwC collaborated to deliver a unique event. Disclosure rates on employee monitoring surveys, often used to monitor engagement, inclusiveness of recruitment and training, and employee workplace experience, is still low in many organisations. Knowing this info allows for steps to be put in place to address any shortfalls or barriers. Without knowing it, this is difficult. Speakers at the panel event that discussed the value of disclosing information included Dr. Christian Jessen and Kate Nash OBE. Attendees were encouraged to partake. The collaboration between the networks ensured the panel was diverse and represented more than one diversity strand.

The Network of Networks (TNON)  TNON was created to bring together employee network leaders from large corporates, professional services firms and public sector organisations in and around London for best practice sharing, topical discussions with key external diversity organisations and influencers, and also for networking opportunities between the network leaders. The TNON Gender Chapter launched in 2009 with the BAME Chapter following in 2012 and the LGBT Chapter in 2014. TNON participating organisations send representatives to meet quarterly to share best practice, hosted by a participating organisation. The focus is on supporting participants around employee network operations and raising awareness around current issues and opportunities for the respective diversity strands.

York St John University LGBT Staff Network, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the City of York Council, LGBT History Month 2015 Following a successful first event in 2014, the LGBT Staff network at York St John University collaborated with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the City of York Council for LGBT History Month 2015 to host a half-day conference exploring how employers can enable their staff to bring their whole selves into work. The aim was to highlight how being authentic at work can have a positive impact on every aspect of a business - from recruitment to morale to productivity. The purpose of the event was for staff to meet role models with personal experience of encouraging such change and walk away feeling equipped to bring their authentic selves into their workplace and it achieved this. Following the event, the City of York Council joined Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme.

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Network Event of the Year Brown Brothers Harriman, European Women’s Network, Connecting Women Across Borders The Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) Women’s Network held a pan-European offsite event - ‘Connecting Women Across Borders’ for approximately 125 women from across the globe in May 2015. The two day event provided opportunities for selfdevelopment and networking around the “Confidence Gap” and “Personal Brand.” Perhaps more important, the incredible two days declared loud and clear that BBH is an organisation committed to empowering women in leadership and to breaking down any remaining cultural, attitudinal, or territorial barriers across our business!

Find out more about Brown Brothers Harriman at www.bbh.com

Cardiff University, Enfys LGBT+ Staff Network, Pride Film Screening with Dai Donovan As part of their LGBT History Month 2015 celebrations the network hosted a showing of the hit film Pride. They were particularly keen to show the film as 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners that is of significant local importance. This wasn’t just an ordinary showing of the film; they were delighted to have the company of Dai Donovan, one of the original inspirations for the film who took part in a question and answer session after the screening. This was by far the largest audience they’ve ever had for a network event with over 100 people attending the screening, including students, members of staff and the public and four members of the University Executive Board.

Follow the network on Twitter @EnfysCardiff

EY, EY Women’s Network, Igniting Change In March 2015 the network hosted a day of celebrations across the UK and Ireland touching 15,000 people. The theme Igniting Change united people across 15 events, including a global social media campaign ‘Pledge to ignite change’ and awards programme. The campaign showcased how they harness their collective power to ignite change and build a better working world, for their people, clients and communities. Guests at events included EY women and men, clients, and representatives from external networks, including the City Women’s Network and Guardian Women in Leadership. Speakers included Bridget McConnell and Rosemary Squire OBE, EY’s 2014 UK Entrepreneur Of The Year winner.

Follow EY on Twitter @EY_UKI

Fujitsu, Shine LGBT+ Network, Inclusion Motivates To coincide with the networks first birthday they hosted an Inclusion themed event with John Amaechi as their keynote speaker. Other speakers included representatives from Stonewall and IBM’s Eagle LGBT network. The Executive Sponsor for the network, Steven Cox (VP and Head of Public Sector), opened the event and spoke on a personal level about his journey of coming out as a senior executive and the reason why he actively supports the network. 70 people attended the uplifting event that included the premiere of a Fujitsu staff video on what inclusion means for them. The event was recorded so the network could share the experience and thought-provoking discussions with colleagues who were unable to attend.

Follow the network on Twitter @ShineLGBT

LGBT Leaders, LGBT Leaders Conference Their inaugural conference took place on 21st February 2015 in London with 120 students from 39 Universities attending. One of the aims was to help reverse the trend of too many LGBT students re-entering the closet when they enter the workforce, an estimated 62%. The team not only delivered a fantastic conference with 101 inspiring speakers, including Dennis Layton and Sandy Downs, but they also kept the momentum going with regular updates and additional support for attendees. The LGBT Leaders network of ‘alumni’ - former attendees and speakers - have a role in continuing the success of the annual conference as well as creating an inclusive community of likeminded people who can advance LGBT rights in the workplace together.

Follow the network on Twitter @LGBTLeaders

PwC, GLEE@PwC, #bigGLEEday 2015 saw the network host its first Big GLEE@PwC Day - a day of networking and awareness raising events. Using the #bigGLEEday hashtag, they were able to make sure the event reached further than just their offices in London. It was a sizeable event that included a breakfast hosted by The Network of Networks and was followed by an internal team building and strategy session. Their midday session was part of the Lunch with Leaders programme, informal lunchtime events where those internally can network in smaller relaxed environments and talk to LGBT leaders. The afternoon started off with the charities roadshow, where charities were invited to present to PwC employees about what they do and how people at PwC can help. An external networking event ended the inspiring day.

Follow the network on Twitter @GLEEPwCUK

The University of Sheffield, Women@TUoS NETwork, International Women’s Day 2015 90 guests were welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Cllr Peter Rippon to Sheffield Town Hall to celebrate International Women’s Day 2015. The theme this year was Closing the pay gap. Despite the Equal Pay Act from 45 years ago, the gender pay gap remains stubbornly persistent and stands at 19.1% today which means that for every £1 a man earns, a woman gets just under 81p. Speakers included Professor Anne Peat, Pro Vice Chancellor for Learning and Teaching at the University of Sheffield and Shahida Siddique, founding partner and director of FaithStar. The event certainly got people talking and ended with energetic and enthusiastic networking.

Follow the network on Twitter @WomenTUoS

Village Bakers, Great Village Bake Off The Manchester based network host their annual event as part of Superbia (formally Manchester Pride Fringe). Money raised at the event is donated to the Manchester Pride Community Fund that helps local LGBT charities and community groups. It’s a fabulous afternoon full of cake, pastries and savoury treats made by amateur bakers. There was lots of laughs and fun had and as always, attendees met up with friends, and made new ones too. Hosted at The Molly House, prizes were awarded for categories including Best Savoury Snack. The inclusive event was packed with a real buzz in the air. Judges in recent years have included Bake Off star Howard Middleton and Corrie actress Jennie McAlpine.

Follow the network on Twitter @VillageBakers

Bringing networks together Watch out for our 2016 events programme at www.inclusivenetworks.co.uk/events

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ASDA, ASDA LGBT Network, Sparkle and ‘Getting to know you - Our transgender colleagues’ video  Following their support of 30 UK Pride events in 2014, ASDA engaged further with their transgender employees and members of their LGBT network, ASDA LGBT Network, in 2015. They sponsored Sparkle in 2015, the world’s largest transgender festival. To mark the event they created a short film featuring colleagues sharing their experiences of being transgender and coming out at work. This is hosted in The Greenroom (their intranet) that’s accessible for employees to view at work and at home. They also shared an inspiring interview with role model Stephanie Hirst who announced she was transgender in 2014.

Follow the network on Twitter @AsdaLGBT

BNP Paribas, Diversity Week  Building on the success of the programme in the UK in 2012 and 2013, the organisations Diversity and Inclusion week took place in BNP Paribas offices in London, New York, Brussels, Paris, Sydney and across Asia Pacific in November 2014. In addition, there were over 50 events across 10 local offices in the UK. The week aims to inspire and educate people of diversity and inclusion through a speaker series, events and panel discussions. Some of the speakers in the UK included Nicky Moffat CBE and Gareth Thomas. The week is a fantastic example of an employee-led initiative that is a forum for employees to engage with important issues that matter to us all.

Follow the organisation on Twitter @BNPParibasUK

EY, EY Sikh Network, SINGH Project  The network aims to raise awareness of the Sikh faith and increase interfaith collaborations within the corporate environment. The network believes art transcends human barriers such as ethnicity and gender and helps to provide an inclusive viewpoint of the world. In November 2014 they hosted the SINGH Project art exhibition. The aim of the project was to capture the diversity of British Sikh men through two prominent symbols, the turban and beard. The exhibition was on view at their offices in London Bridge and subsequently they held a presentation exploring the inception, development and execution the project. Co‑Lead Indy Hothi and Partner Sponsor of the network, Amarjit Singh, had their photo taken to form a part of the exhibition.

Follow the network on Twitter @EYSikhNetwork

Tesco, OUT at Tesco, No Bystanders  Over the past year Tesco, led by their LGBT network OUTatTesco, have promoted Stonewall’s #NoBystanders campaign to their 320,000 UK based employees. The network has raised awareness of the campaign and encouraged colleagues to sign the pledge at every opportunity. Support for the campaign and the organisation’s commitment to equality and diversity is shown at the very top of the organisation, with senior leaders including People Director Therese Procter and Board Member Benny Higgins signing the pledge. They garnered the most pledges from any organisation in the UK and received special recognition from Stonewall for their work.

Follow the network on Twitter @OutatTesco

Transport for London, OUTbound, #RideWithPride  The network conceived and initiated the #RidewithPride campaign which has seen a bus, a taxi and a DLR train redecorated with rainbow livery to demonstrate the organisations strong support for the LGBT+ community and to celebrate their 10th Birthday. All of this work was done in conjunction with other sponsors and launched to coincide with key dates on the LGBT calendar. The branding includes the networks Twitter account and this, along with other engagement, has seen the network gain more than 5,900 followers in less than ten months. They also worked with the London Transport Museum to create a limited edition #RidewithPride poster, alongside special edition oyster card wallets.

Follow the network on Twitter @TfLLGBT

Metropolitan Police, Metropolitan Black Police Association, Black History Month Magazine The association celebrated their 20th Anniversary in September 2014. They began their annual celebration of Black History Month with the publication of their magazine titled “Still moving in time“. The publication highlights the achievements of individuals over the last 10 years and is an inspiring read. The forty-page magazine features contributions from people including Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe - Commissioner of the Metropolis and Ron Hope - Founder member and first Chair of MetBPA. Contributors shared their memories and recollections and it’s clear the network has come a long way. Appointed in 2013, current Chair Detective Sergeant Janet Hills was the first female chair of the association.

Follow the association on Twitter @MetBPA

Celebrating 10 years of OUTbound, TfLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LGBT+ Network

Transport for London congratulates everyone who made the shortlist at the inaugural Inclusive Networks Awards 2015 Continuing to #RidewithPride in 2016 @TFLLGBT

Network Champion of the Year Professor Colin Riordan, Cardiff University Colin is the President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University and is their Chief Executive Officer. His engagement with their LGBT+ staff network Enfys has increased their profile and enabled them to achieve their objectives. He influenced the introduction of the gender-neutral toilets around campus with new estate developments having gender-neutral toilet provision and current buildings being assessed for necessary adaptation. He has made it clear that this is simply the right thing to do. An active supporter, he became the first Friend of Enfys (straight ally campaign) and was part of the publicity to launch the scheme, which has gathered a huge amount of momentum and support across campus.

Follow the Enfys network on Twitter @EnfysCardiff

Amarjit Singh, EY Amarjit is a partner at EY and has sponsored the EY Sikh Network since it was launched. His support, guidance and advice have been absolutely invaluable. As part of the networks SINGH Project exhibition he had his photo taken and this was displayed at their London office for all staff and visitors to see - a very visible Senior Champion. He offers the network fantastic support and has had a huge influence on their work and impact. He helps make their ideas a reality. He has previously been interviewed for the Sikh Spectrum where he talked about his education, early career, the network and his progression throughout EY. He’s a great authentic role model.

Follow the EY Sikh Network on Twitter @EYSikhNetwork

Michael Keegan, Fujitsu Michael is the Chairman of Fujitsu UK & Ireland. He is a huge supporter of all four-inclusion networks at Fujitsu - Cultural Diversity, Women at Fujitsu, SEED (Support & Engage Employees with a Disability) and Shine LGBT+. Creating a culture where everyone can be themselves and key diversity celebration days are communicated to staff, and network group and staff achievements are shared and celebrated, he writes a regular blog that he shares with colleagues. These are hosted online and are accessible to anyone, anywhere. This visible support and endorsement encourages engagement, increases understanding from line managers and makes staff feel valued, as well as supporting the networks develop.

Follow Michael on Twitter @michaelkeegan14

Brigadier Peter Cameron, Royal Marines As an LGBT Champion for the Royal Navy COMPASS network he has spent time with members and stakeholders of the network to really understand the network, challenges and the work still to do. He took well to reverse mentoring and constantly asked questions and for advice. He has attended a number of external senior leader networking events, where he had a chance to learn more as a straight ally from various other organisations. He has used his rank and position to encourage senior leadership to ‘step out’ and attend the Stonewall workplace conference, and by doing so was educating and influencing and recruiting more positive allies. This has resulted in high-level support for LGBT events such as Portsmouth Pride and Pride in London.

Follow the COMPASS network on Twitter @RNCompass

Alison Lowe, Touchstone Alison is the Chief Executive at health and wellbeing charity Touchstone. Pink Pals is their staff LGBT allies programme and Alison is their LGBT Champion. The charity is number 19 in the Stonewall 2015 Workplace Equality Index, rising from their position of 91 a year earlier. She was named as Stonewall’s 2015 Senior Champion in recognition of her role promoting LGBT equality both in the organisation and in the community. She has used a variety of platforms to promote sexual orientation equality. She has opened Pride in Leeds and has actively campaigned for equality in Leeds City Council where she is serving as a Councillor.

Follow Alison on Twitter @alison4labour

Jo Thompson, York St John University Jo is the Head of Human Resources at the University and is a founding member of their LGBT Staff Network. Her passion, energy and enthusiasm for the work of the network never diminishes. As an ally she is at the forefront of network activities. She is a welcome presence at all the network events and is usually one of the helpers, organisers or contributors, bringing her own energy and flair to any proceedings and ensuring that the needs of all stakeholders are met. Through her pioneering work with the network she has been able to take that experience and apply it to other, similar, networks within the University that have been established.

Follow the LGBT Staff Network on Twitter @ysjulgbtstaff

parliOUT

Houses of Parliament Houses of Parliament

ParliOUT: The Workplace Equality Network in support of LGBTIQ people in Parliament. Our aim is to make LGBTIQ role models within Parliament more visible and accessible; to raise awareness of LGBTIQ issues; and to provide a welcoming social forum and support network.

Contact details: website: www.parliament.uk/parliout @parliout email: parliout@parliament.uk www.parliament.uk/jobs 40

Investor in Network Groups BNY Mellon  As a global company with offices, employees and clients around the world, they operate across cultures and serve a broadly diverse client base. Their employee population is equally diverse. To help them succeed, they’ve worked hard to cultivate a culture that seeks out and welcomes diversity in all its dimensions. By presenting opportunities for people to network with others with whom they have shared experiences, they seek to help all of their employees around the globe feel welcomed and included. They are proud to sponsor five cross-company network groups that recognise the value of their diverse and global workforce. These are PRISM - Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), WIN - Gender, IMPACT - Ethnicity and culture, HEART - Disability and wellbeing and VET-NET - Returning military.

Follow BNY Mellon on Twitter @BNYMellonCareer

Brown Brothers Harriman As a privately held financial institution, Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) has always been committed to open and inclusive dialogue. Over the last few years, BBH employees have created various networks to help collaborate, share ideas, and discuss issues of common interest. In 2010 these networks became formalised under the BBH Affinity Network Community, or BANC. Their mission is to promote a culture of inclusion, creating the environment and infrastructure for development of all.

Find out more about Brown Brothers Harriman at www.bbh.com

EY  The firm sponsors over twenty network groups including Unity and the Dyslexia Network. The inclusive networks support their members in many ways, including connecting people across the business and empowering them to achieve their full potential. They are one of eight organisations to be recognised by Stonewall as being a Star Performer - after many years of consistent high performance. They were named one of the 2015 Top 10 Employers for Working Families in recognition of their focus on flexible working, family friendliness and the great work of the EY Parents’ Network. Listed as one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2015, the firm were also double winners in the 2014 Business Disability Forum awards which recognise companies leading the way on disability in the workplace.

Follow EY on Twitter @EY_CareersUK

Lloyds Banking Group  Their commitment to diversity and inclusion starts at the top of the organisation. The Group Executives sponsor their diversity programme, taking the lead on initiatives that improve both the quality of their customer service and the working environment for their colleagues. All four of their network groups, Breakthrough, Rainbow, GEM and Access, are #INAwards2015 finalists. 55% of recruits onto their 2014 apprenticeship schemes were female. During 2014, they ran Career Development Programmes for 250 colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds. They achieved a ‘Gold Standard’ against the Business Disability Forum’s Disability Standard in 2014. In the 2015 annual Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, they were named the Top Private Sector employer and ranked 3rd place overall.

Follow Lloyds Banking Group on Twitter @LBGtalent

PwC The firm is home to thirteen network groups including The Jewish Network and DAWN (Disability, Ability & Wellbeing Network). Each network has specific objectives tailored to its membership and all share the aim of providing a sense of community, inspiring and supporting diverse talent and raising awareness of diversity. They feature in the 2015 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index Top 100 and their LGBT+ network, GLEE@PwC, are recognised as a Highly Commended Network Group. For a record 12th year running PwC were voted the UK’s Top Graduate Employer in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2015 survey. They were listed as one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women in 2015. They have been an accredited UK Living Wage Employer since the schemes introduction.

Follow PwC on Twitter @PwC_UK_Careers

The University of Manchester  Staff can join various networks representing different groups with different needs. As well as allowing particular groups to meet, discuss issues and share experiences, the networks ensure that all groups and communities are represented at their bi-annual Equality and Diversity Forum. Staff groups with representative networks include, Black and ethnic minority staff, Disabled staff, LGBT staff, International staff and Women in science and IT. They feature in the 2015 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index Top 100, have been awarded the Disability Two Ticks Symbol by Job Centre Plus and were one of the first universities in the UK to have received recognition from the Equality Challenge Unit for excellence in advancing racial equality in higher education.

Follow The University of Manchester on Twitter @OfficialUoM

Our #INAwards2015 performers Ri Ri’s Dance Academy Manchester based Ri Ri’s Dance Academy have won many awards and are proud to be Guinness World Record breakers. Founder Ria Meera Munshi choreographed the dance routine that broke the Bollywood Guinness World Record for the highest number of people simultaneously dancing to a Bollywood song. Ria taught this routine live to 1406 inexperienced dancers in Manchester in 2011. They received their first business award in 2013 when Ria won the E3 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Find out more at www.ririsdanceacademy.co.uk

Steeldrumbands Francis and the team bring a real taste of the Caribbean wherever they play. As well as performing at events and weddings, the Manchester based group deliver unique team building workshops. They use their style of Caribbean music to help encourage teams to move with the same rhythm and give those attending the opportunity to perform a piece of music on the steel drums. They are a fun way to encourage individuals within a team to work together to succeed at an unfamiliar challenge. The necessity to collaborate to accomplish a common goal helps to build effective working relationships within any group.

Find out more at www.steeldrumbands.co.uk

Maria Kelly A regular performer at diversity events and celebrations across the North West of England, Leeds based Maria has built up a loyal following of supporters. She performs a regular set at Velvet bar in Manchester as part of their Sunday Sessions night. She wows her audiences with her unique renditions of popular songs, including Hallelujah and Wings. She’s been a singer since she can remember and has sung with some fantastic live swing bands, including the West Yorkshire Police Band. She’s also an accomplished dancer and has performed in productions including The Wiz.

Find out more at www.facebook.com/mariakellymusic

Credits A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the inaugural Inclusive Networks Awards. See you again in 2016! Event created and produced by Inclusive Networks Event Manager : Darren Batey Programme Design : Mark Eastwood | www.markeastwood.co.uk Programme Editor : Thomas Anderson AV : Band on the Wall | www.bandonthewall.org Welcome Drinks : Barefoot Wine | www.barefootwine.co.uk Photo Booth Hire : Event Booths | www.eventbooths.co.uk

For more information about Inclusive Networks and our 2016 Awards, please contact: Thomas Anderson | thomas@inclusivenetworksuk.co.uk | 07702130348 www.inclusivenetworks.co.uk

Congratulations

to everyone involved with the

Inclusive Networks Awards 2015 Cardiff University aims to establish an inclusive culture free from discrimination and based upon the values of dignity, courtesy and respect. Every person has a right to be treated in accordance with these values.

www.cardiff.ac.uk

HYRWYDDWR AMRYWIAETH DIVERSITY CHAMPION

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