TOP 10 - INSPIRATIONAL LEADERS
Apay Obang-Oyway
Apay, Director of Partner Sales at Microsoft UK, leads a team that empowers small-to-corporate businesses with cloud and AI solutions. With a proven track record in the UK and EMEA tech channel and an MBA from the University of Liverpool, Apay was named Cloud Visionary of the Year by the Cloud Industry Forum. Beyond his professional and academic accomplishments, Apay is also a champion of DE&I, through which he drives innovation and growth through diverse perspectives. He supports racial equity in tech as the Microsoft Exec Sponsor of TC4RE and mentors young people from disadvantaged backgrounds as a Board of Trustee of Potential Mentoring.
Donna Herdsman
Donna Herdsman is Head of DE&I Consulting (EMEA) at Korn Ferry. She focuses on supporting clients in the development of inclusive leaders and sustainable inclusive culture.
She has led initiatives that enable people to connect and showcase the value that is their unique self. A senior member of the Black Employee Network, she uses her different experiences, clients (e.g. the government of South Africa) and senior leadership roles (PricewaterhouseCoopers; IBM) to inspire others to know that barriers are made to be overcome. An award winner (Involve Empower; First Woman), Donna has been a judge at the Black British Business Awards for the last 11 years, shining a continual light on the excellence of ethnic talent.
Frama Aboh
Frama joined BNY in 2017 and is Senior VP of Legal Entity Risk and Controls, working for the CEO of the UK entity. Prior to BNY, she worked in senior risk roles within financial services. She is currently the Co Site Head of BNY Edinburgh and co-chairs BNY’s Women Initiative and multicultural networks locally. Frama is passionate about DE&I and her commitment creates impact beyond her daily responsibilities. She is a mentor and as a vocal advocate, leverages her position to engage in dialogue about these issues by participating in internal and external panel events. Her efforts have made her an exemplary role model for ethnic minority talent.
Geoffrey Williams
The driving force behind Burberry’s global DE&I strategy, Geoffrey spearheads transformative initiatives with a focus on business impact. He has implemented a global strategy achieving gender balance across the brand, partnered with the Brit School to introduce young people to the creative business and provided bursaries to start their careers. Beyond strategy, he catalyses change by infusing marketing campaigns with inclusivity and authenticity. His roles on the risk committee and Human Resources Leadership Team (HRLT) underscore his commitment to a corporate culture rooted in integrity and accountability. He ensures the global workforce is equipped to navigate and embrace cultural nuances.
Josh Graham
He is a director in consulting, the founder of Deloitte’s Black Network and has been a driving force for inclusion and cultural change within the organisation, spearheading many of its Black inclusion initiatives. He serves as a role model and mentor to colleagues, using his own progression to uplift and champion others. Under his leadership, the Black Network has successfully created a community and support network for Black employees, as well as delivering firmwide Black History Month celebrations. Despite inclusion not being his day job, he has significantly enhanced the sense of community among Black employees, inspiring broader inclusion programmes.
Naomi Sesay
Naomi has devoted her career to serving as a powerful advocate for DE&I and a trailblazer for social enterprise. She is a keynote speaker who challenges audiences to examine their emotional and cultural intelligence to create an effective, high-performing and truly diverse workforce. Naomi has shared her insights on how to connect, resonate and powerfully lead diverse teams with audiences from Warner Bros., AMC, the Metropolitan Police, Viacom and Harvard Medical School, and has developed and delivered training for organisations including Google NBC Universal, Amazon, Mars UK and Deloitte. She is currently building the very first female-lens smart city in Sierra Leone.
Nimesh Joshi
Nimesh is the Head of News for ITV News West Country. As a trusted leader, with experience at ITV Channel Television and ITV News Central, his approach to making the newsroom a more inclusive workplace is evident in its programme and digital output, representing all viewers, whatever their backgrounds.
He cares passionately about developing the next generation and is a nurturing mentor both within and outside ITV, inspiring his mentees to be the best – many are now well into their management careers.
He also represents ITV News on ITV’s Inclusion and Diversity Council and is a trusted advisor to the Broadcast Journalism Training Council.
Priya Godse
Priya joined Nomura in 2009 and presently leads the Cross-product Solutions Analysis team in the Global Technology Business unit. She is the co-chair of Embrace, Nomura’s employee network, which is focused on deepening the understanding and celebrating the various facets of racial, ethnic and cultural diversity. Priya has been an active member of the Embrace committee since inception and has been the driving force for the various initiatives the network hosts under the pillars of awareness, community, recruitment and retention. Priya is a mum to two beautiful boys, aged 13 and six, and manages her time to give her absolute best to work, home and Embrace.
Raghu Narula
Having worked in many countries, Raghu has a deep appreciation of different cultures and dedicates his time to promoting inclusion. Raghu is a proud senior DE&I sponsor in NatWest and his energy has paved the way for positive change. For example, in the last 12 months the retail bank has experienced a 2.4 per cent increase in colleagues from ethnic minority groups moving into more senior roles.
Raghu has also played a key role in introducing several capability initiatives to develop diverse talent:
- The introduction of a targeted sponsorship initiative that has supported c50 diverse colleagues to increase their self-belief and progress their careers in meaningful ways.
- Supporting a 24-week programme to expand the horizons of junior colleagues from ethnic backgrounds to consider roles that are future-focused.
- Driving completion of ‘Choose to Challenge’ training, ensuring 12,500+ colleagues know about and feel comfortable enough to challenge inappropriate behaviour.
Roland Carandang
Roland is a Managing Director at Protiviti and the executive sponsor for ProCulture, the company’s ethnic minority ERG, which he co-founded in 2020. In 2021, he helped Protiviti become one of the founding members of TC4RE, the Technology Community for Racial Equality. Both communities are focused on helping organisations, who increasingly have the will to build more diverse and inclusive workforces, plus identifying and honing the skills required to achieve this.