SUMMIT CONTRIBUTORS Ben Whittaker Deputy Chief Executive, University of West London Students Union Ben is the Deputy Chief Executive at University of West London Students Union where he oversees the union s membership services department. Ben is a former Vice President Welfare of the National Union of Students and a former sabbatical officer at Derby University Students Union. Ben has previously worked at Leonard Cheshire Disability and is Vice Chair of Action for Southern Africa, a charity that campaigns for peace, democracy and ending poverty in southern Africa, born out of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Throughout Ben s career, both in and outside of the student movement, he has led on equality and diversity at all levels of leadership. As part of this work Ben serves on the National Lad Culture Strategy Team and is currently involved in the Race Matters advisory group.
Dan Robertson Diversity and Inclusion Director, enei Jacqui Clements Chief Executive, Warwick Students Union Dan Robertson is currently Diversity and Inclusion Director at the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion. He is highly respected as a subject matter expert on workplace diversity and inclusion management, unconscious bias and inclusive leadership. Dan has a particular interest and expertise in the science and application of unconscious bias and leadership decision-making, as well as the role of organisational culture in shaping leadership behaviours and team cultures. He has also supported a wide range of businesses on their diversity and inclusion journeys and has delivered workshops to global organisations based in London, Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Beijing, Frankfurt, Munich, Brussels, Zurich, Moscow, Dubai, New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai and Bali. Jacqui has held her post as Chief Executive of Warwick Students Union for seven years. A Chartered Fellow of the CIPD with over 25 years of experience in human resources and organisational development in both private and voluntary sectors, Jacqui has a particular interest in the field of equality and diversity. She recently completed a research project for her dissertation as part of her MSc in Voluntary Sector Management looking at the extent to which the student movement could learn from its experiences in increasing the number of women in senior staff leadership roles in order to increase the number of Black senior staff in SU s. In addition to her passion for learning and development, she is the vice chair of governors at a local sixth form college. For the past five years, she has been a panel member for the Coventry City Apprentice of the Year Awards and mentors aspiring voluntary sector leaders.
Kat Stark Chief Executive, University of West London Students Union Omar Khan Director, Runnymede Kat is the Chief Executive at the University of West London Students Union where she leads the direction of the union and ensures it delivers for students. Kat has worked in the student movement for some time, having worked at Middlesex University Students Union, LSE Students Union and University of the Arts London Students Union. Kat is also a former National Women s Officer at the National Union of Students and a former President at Warwick Students Union. Throughout her time in the student movement Kat has driven forward work in equality, liberation and diversity. In her spare time Kat is the co-founder and Musical Director of a trans-inclusive all-woman London based pop choir. Lips Choir has supported Women Asylum Seekers Together for many years supporting women asylum seekers in the UK. Prior to his role as Runnymede s Director Omar was Runnymede s Head of Policy and led the financial inclusion programme. Omar sits on the Department for Work and Pensions Ethnic Minority Employment Stakeholder Group, is a Governor at the University of East London and a 2012 Clore Social Leadership Fellow. He also has a range of advisory positions including chair of the Ethnicity Strand Advisory Group to Understanding Society and chair of the advisory group of the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity at the University of Manchester. Omar has also published many articles and reports on political theory and British political history for Runnymede over the past eight years and has spoken on topics including multiculturalism, integration, socio-economic disadvantage, and positive action. Omar completed his DPhil in Political Theory from the University of Oxford, a Masters in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Masters in South Asian Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies.
Sandra Kerr OBE Race Equality Director, Business in the Community Tina Mason Associate Director, Diversity and Inclusiveness, Ernst & Young As the Business in the Community s Race Equality Director Sandra works together with the race advisory board to set the agenda for race and employment in the UK. Before joining Business in the Community Sandra worked in the Cabinet Office advising on diversity and inclusion. In January 2012, Sandra was awarded an OBE in the Queen s New Year s honours list for services to Black and Minority Ethnic people. In October 2012, Sandra was appointed Chair of the Ethnic Minority Employment Stakeholder Group (EMESG) sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions, advising on issues related to the disadvantages some people from ethnic minority backgrounds face in the labour market. She also chairs the Trustee Board of Elevation Networks, an award-winning youth employment charity that seeks to develop leadership potential and increase employability. In April 2015 Sandra s campaigning work was recognized when she won the Women: Inspiration and Enterprise (WIE) Equality Award. Tina trained and qualified as a chartered accountant before moving within EY to other roles, including in training and development and in knowledge management. She has worked in diversity and inclusion for more than ten years and leads EY s award winning Career Watch programme, a programme which targets ethnic minority and women managers and pairs them with a senior leader with the aim of building a sponsorship relationship. Tina is interested in inclusive leadership as a mechanism to involve the whole organisation in the culture change necessary to make a difference. She believes it s when everyone in an organisation is involved in change that we can make it happen. She has two teenage daughters and works flexibly between her home in West Sussex and EY s London offices.
Youcef Hassaine Diversity Adviser, Business in the Community Youcef is a highly experienced HR professional with several years of experience working with employees, ranging from senior executives to junior grades. Youcef is an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personal Development with expertise in employee relations, employment law and performance improvement. Prior to working at Business in the Community, Youcef worked for PwC as a HR Advisor, where his responsibilities included delivering people manager coaching sessions on diversity, delivering difficult messages, performance improvement and health and well-being. Other responsibilities included project managing the salary review and moderation process, as well as facilitating focus groups with the aim of improving employee engagement at PwC.