Spotlight: Meet our D&I Leads

Shortly after I left university in Perth, Western Australia, where I studied neuroscience and linguistics, I moved to London. My professional path has taken me from working with LGBT+ young Londoners at the Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons’ Trust at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to chairing the board of the Muscle Help Foundation (MHF) charity as they reached their 20-year anniversary. These experiences, which are rooted in community and deeply connected to my own lived experience, have reinforced my belief in the power of collaboration and inclusion to drive meaningful change.

Having studied linguistics, I’m particularly passionate about inclusive language and communication. I am interested in the power of language to uplift and include as well as to put down and exclude. I read a lot and like books that consider language change and the relationship between language and identity. This interest means that I am knowledgeable about the use of inclusive language as it relates to effective policy development and implementation.

Through my work and volunteer experience with various charitable and voluntary sector organisations, I have gained extensive knowledge of inclusive cultures and DEI initiatives within this context. As a result, I have a good understanding of working with low resources and tight budgets. My personal lived experience has taught me a great deal about the importance of intersectional thinking in designing an inclusive workplace culture, and I am confident in supporting organisations in adopting this approach.

I enjoy getting stuck into a policy or guidance document to make it more accessible and to ensure that it effectively communicates without feeling boring or overwhelming. I find regularly that organisations get caught up in making policies sound professional and, as a result, do not engage employees, and the policy gets left on a shelf. Working with employees to make sure that their needs are considered goes a long way in making a policy something that they will use to guide them.

I really enjoy delivering webinars. I find the challenge of making some of the most difficult conversations engaging and accessible a powerful motivator, and I’m always delighted to see members’ feedback responding positively to these events. As an outgoing and very social person I always look forward to consultancy calls as an opportunity to learn more about our members and to do my best with whatever challenge or question they throw my way.

My passion for D&I stems from a belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their background or identity. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given, and I’m committed to using my skills and experiences to support organisations to create workplaces where everyone feels valued and respected. 

Outside of work, I am obsessed with food. I am always cooking and tasting new dishes. I think that food is a great way to learn more about cultures that we are unfamiliar with, and I don’t know of a better way of building and deepening relationships than by eating together! 

Making mistakes is an inevitable and important part of learning. Often, we become too worried about saying the wrong thing, so we say nothing. So long as we are clear about how to address a mistake, we cannot let perfect become the enemy of good. 

This blog post was written by D&I Lead Hugh O’Keeffe. It was posted on 04 March 2025.