Speaker Series

Pride isn't just a calendar moment, it's a lens through which we can look honestly at how safe, seen and supported people feel at work. For LGBTQ+ colleagues, the workplace can be a place where they finally get to be themselves or one more environment where they can't. That difference shapes wellbeing, performance and belonging in ways that affect all of us. This session explores what inclusive leadership looks like specifically through an LGBTQ+ lens, not as a position you hold, but as a practice you build, one act at a time.

Tash Koster-Thomas (she/her) is a Black queer woman, Inclusion & Diversity consultant, presenter and LGBTQ+ activist. She works with public and private sector clients, including Mercedes Formula 1, Disney, Google and Unilever, to build more inclusive and equitable cultures through discovery, strategy, education and coaching.

• 1How to recognise your own biases and listen respectfully across difference.
• 2Using inclusive language and everyday behaviours that signal safety to LGBTQ+ colleagues.
• 3How to move from passive support to active allyship, educating yourself and challenging discrimination.

Psychological safety is one of the key drivers of high-performing, inclusive teams: places where people feel able to speak up, share ideas and challenge perspectives without fear. Drawing on neuroscience, Dr T explains what psychological safety really is, why it matters for belonging, and how to build it. Using his "4 Step Staircase Model", he helps you assess where your team is today and leave with a practical plan to strengthen safety, inclusion and communication.

Dr Tharaka (known as "Dr T") is a high-performance expert and psychiatrist, three-time TEDx speaker and podcaster who recently appeared on Channel 4's "Can I Improve My Memory?". Creator of the "Mind, Action, Profit" Blueprint, he blends medical expertise with a motivational style to help audiences worldwide improve wellbeing, focus, leadership and teamwork.

• 1What psychological safety is, and the neuroscience behind why it matters for belonging.
• 2How to assess your team's current safety levels using the 4 Step Staircase Model.
• 3A practical plan to strengthen psychological safety, inclusion and communication.