The Neurodiversity at Work Conference 2024

Leena Haque, an innovative Senior UX Designer, is a leading figure in pioneering inclusive design and digital creativity. As a published author and exhibited artist, she has been recognized as one of the top 50 neurodivergent women in the UK and has earned a spot on the Shaw Trust Power 100 list. Her current research is dedicated to engaging new audiences, employing her co-founding roles at BBC CAPE and the BBC Enigma Neurodiversity Network to explore innovative strategies for expanding the accessibility and appeal of digital content across diverse groups. As a Global Ambassador for Women in Tech, Leena's advocacy for diversity and inclusion extends her impact beyond traditional tech circles into the realm of digital alternatives, pushing for more inclusive digital experiences. Her work, celebrated in major publications and forums such as The Guardian, The Telegraph, Wired, and the World Economic Forum, exemplifies her commitment to transforming digital spaces to be more inclusive and engaging for everyone.

Alexander is Neurodiversity in Business’s Head of Corporate Membership Services, looking after NiB’s over 800 corporate members, providing a responsive offering that meets the vast and diverse needs of our membership. With a focus on facilitating step-change culture shifts.

Alexander is most excited about the potential offered by NiB’s two-way communication channel in which we gather best practice from across our ecosystem by listening and learning from our key stakeholders, providing vetted and curated examples to drive the neurodiversity agenda in return. He has an extensive background in DEI, with a particular lens of intersectionality on neurodiversity, gender and sexuality, having spent 8 years in this space. Tracing his roots to student representation, Alexander has been an active advocate in the Higher Education sector and now brings his experience to the world of professional services, leading local communities at work around neurodiversity and queerness.

Sean Gilroy stands at the forefront of the BBC's inclusivity efforts, focusing on disability and neurodiversity. As co-founder for the "Creating A Positive Environment" (CAPE) initiative and co-chair of Enigma, the BBC’s neurodiversity network, his work has been transformative. His advocacy and leadership in the design brief of the BBC Cymru Wales office, a model of neurodiversity-centred design, has set new standards for workplace inclusivity. Beyond physical spaces, Sean’s role as the BBC’s Inclusive Design Lead emphasizes his commitment to integrating accessibility and inclusion into every facet of organizational policy, promoting a more inclusive corporate culture. His advocacy extends beyond the BBC through active participation in workshops, articles, and speaking engagements, championing a broader societal shift towards inclusive practices. Sean’s initiatives have significantly impacted both the internal environment at the BBC and the wider community, advocating for the recognition and inclusion of talent from diverse backgrounds.

Ronan is the Policy Research & Training Officer at Disability Positive, a Disabled Peoples Organisation based in the North West of England.  He is responsible for designing and delivering Disability Equality training and undertakes policy research on subjects that are relevant to the daily lives of the people that are members of Disability Positive and use their services.  As a Disabled Person himself, he is able to use both life experience and workplace experience to inform discussions around equality from the perspective of Disabled People. 

Catherine has a background as an engineer and self-recognised as autistic in 2002. They began their career as an autism professional in 2014 with The National Autistic Society,  working with employees and their employers to optimise autistic people's strengths throughout the recruitment, retention and promotion process in the workplace. Catherine was diagnosed as autistic in 2015 and regularly reaches out to the autistic community for their voice in their work, balancing their own lived experience, current research, experience as a consultant and practitioner, and as the parent to a working 23 year-old autistic person.  

Since being diagnosed with dyslexia at university, Chris has been driven to increase support and accessibility to learning, both in education and in the workplace. The experience of completing a cognitive assessment was genuinely transformative for Chris. It gave him a framework to understand how he thinks and learns as an individual. He established Cognassist, a neuro-inclusion solution, to overcome the challenges organisations face when accommodating the thinking differences among their employees, ensuring equal opportunities for everyone.

Pippa Sargent is CEO of The Brain Charity, a national charity based in Liverpool, supporting people with any of over 600+ neurological conditions. The charity also champions neurodiversity through a strengths-based approach.

In a career focused on public health, mental health and wellbeing, Pippa has more than 25 years’ experience working across both public and private sectors and specifically in health, charity and social innovation environments, leading programmes and change campaigns that have improved and saved lives.

Her work has included leading initiatives which have generated better health policy and practices to protect the health of employees, designing strategic engagement activity to ensure people have a say in large-scale community changes and creating award-winning innovative practices to educate on and prevent ill-health, including senior roles in the NHS, local and national government, the third sector and commercial settings.

Pippa is also a Governor at The Walton Centre, a specialist neurosciences hospital serving the North West, from which The Brain Charity was founded 30 years ago.

Emma Weaver is the Deputy CEO of the ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity. Based in Liverpool, The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity is the largest user led organisation of its kind in Europe, offering support to those with neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Tourette’s Syndrome.

Emma works collaboratively with professionals across all age groups and sectors, supporting them to develop their understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions and to develop neurodiverse friendly practices within their sector.