BY MYGWORK
We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone across the myGwork community for joining us on our journey to create more inclusive and diverse workplaces. LGBTQIA+ people everywhere deserve to live safely and freely in a world without discrimination, and myGwork has been at the forefront of pushing this forward for the last six years – with our whole team passionately believing that the only way to do so is to uplift and empower those most marginalised in our community.
We are honoured to have this opportunity to celebrate the amazing LGBTQIA+ women we have the privilege of knowing, working alongside and admiring. This is a list of changemakers across communities and industries committed to creating a kinder, more equal world.We know that it is impossible to be what you cannot see and the vital power of visibility in sparking conversations and unlocking opportunities.These are just some of the women creating tangible change for a better world, and we hope you join us in appreciating their success and the progress this signifies.
Today and every day, we stand with LGBTQIA+ women.We stand unwavering in our support for trans women, women of colour, working-class women, and all those who have ever felt that the systems in our world were not built for their success.At myGwork, we know our work has only just begun in ensuring the workplace is somewhere that everyone can succeed, and we are dedicated to achieving this globally.
Lastly, we hope you will join our collaborative community, whether you are just joining our journey now or have been here since the very beginning. We have a variety of workshops, panels, events and more, and we invite you to learn alongside us and support LGBTQIA+ equality.
Adrien and Pierre Gaubert
Co-founders, myGwork
Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Women
Rebecca Dandridge, Gilead Sciences Inc.
Robyn Ellis, Booking.com
Joanie Evans, Gay Games
Cristina Gaviria Beltrán, myGwork
Mira Kraleva-Greener, Rapport
Safia Ann Kukaswadia, Burberry
Krystal Lake, CBK
Jamie Langley, Parexel
Dominika Navratilova, myGwork
LaRissa O’Neal, Allied Electronics & Automation
Emma Palethorpe, St. James’s Place Wealth Management
Jessica Parry, Reed Smith
Michi Raymond, myGwork
Zoë Schulz, myGwork
Sasha Scott, Inclusive Group
Jane Steed, Capgemini
Diamond Stylz, Black Transwomen Inc
Michele Van Den Borre, AB Inbev
Tamsin Wallace, Enterprise
Charley Woodward, VMware
Jill Wuyts, Sanofi
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Rebecca Dandridge
Director of public affairs for HIV, Gilead Sciences Inc
Rebecca Dandridge has a master’s in arts and began her career as a theatre design lecturer at the prestigious Royal Holloway University before moving into the pharmaceutical industry working as a creative communications and public affairs specialist. She has over 15 years of experience leading teams in delivering internal and external communications, working with the patient community to bring about positive change.Alongside her current role as director of public affairs for HIV, Rebecca co-leads the Gilead PRIDE Alliance, working across Europe and Canada to champion an inclusive and accepting work environment where diversity is celebrated and LGBTQIA+ employees and allies can be their authentic selves. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her wife and two children.
Robyn Ellis
Global manager of leadership and delivery, Booking.com
Based in Manchester, Robyn Ellis is the global manager of leadership and delivery at Booking.com. She previously worked for a charity, supporting schools dealing with challenging circumstances. She then started at Booking. com, and over the past four years, has grown to work on a global scale. Last year, Booking.com launched Travel Proud, an initiative Robyn is particularly proud of, with the mission to transform travel for the LGBTQIA+ community, ensuring that everyone, no matter their identity, can revel in the experience of exploring the globe.As a leader whose expertise is in moulding the future of leadership, Robyn has a unique lens into what creates success. For her, this has involved accepting herself, and through this experience, she is better able to understand how she can support those around her to truly flourish.
Joanie Evans
Co-president, Gay Games
Not only was she an influential member of the trailblazing lesbian team, Hackney Women’s Football Club – the first open and out gay team in Europe – but Joanie Evans is also the co-president of the Federation of the Gay Games, dating back to 2014. She’s probably one of the longest-serving co-presidents who has been there for four terms (eight years). She was also the only Black woman on the Federation of the Gay Games board until 2017, and now there are two under her leadership. Her main goal, both on the football pitch and in the Gay Games, is to create an open and inclusive playing field for all, particularly for women, regardless of how they identify.
Cristina Gaviria Beltrán
Creative lead, myGwork
Cristina Gaviria Beltrán is myGwork’s creative lead artist. In her role, she oversees the visual aspects of the company. She is also dedicated to questioning non-binary visions of sexuality and intimacy in a society which often still seeks to undermine them. She celebrates the liberty of her self-exploration and experimentation and being able to work at a place like myGwork, which acts upon this in all it offers in the corporate world. Her job involves not only a practical approach to visual language, but it is also modelling the behaviour she hopes to see and taking practical steps to act upon concerns and lead transformation.
Mira Kraleva-Greener
Customer service team leader, Rapport
Mira Kraleva-Greener is an experienced customer service professional driven to develop successful teams. Based in London, she is the customer service team leader at Rapport and was recently awarded the Excellent Team Relations Recognition by The WOW! Awards. She has a master’s degree in Applied Phycology, which she completed in Bulgaria, and enjoys cycling, découpage, travelling and reading.
Safia Ann Kukaswadia
Global diversity & inclusion manager, Burberry
Safia Ann Kukaswadia is a diversity and inclusion expert. Her professional experience is complemented by a creative background in the arts and a personal passion for developing and uplifting those around her. Over the last few years, Safia has accelerated her presence as a senior diversity and inclusion specialist and lead. She has worked with brands and leaders across fashion and creative industries, and in collaboration with the British Fashion Council to influence and advise on initiatives and relevant implementation, as well as address key challenges facing minority communities to gain fair representation in the industry.
Krystal Lake
CEO, CBK
The New York-born, London-based DJ, filmmaker and social influencer Krystal Lake wants organisations to take homophobic remarks and labels seriously and do more to promote LGBTQIA+ inclusion. She started her own social media channel to teach “the stuff that schools don’t” on TikTok,YouTube and Snapchat. Her content focuses on Black and LGBTQIA+ people, women and mental health. She educates about LGBTQIA+ topics and issues through her platform and creative material. She says: “I let people know there is nothing wrong with being a part of the rainbow mafia. Most importantly, I teach people how to love themselves. My platform is a safe space, and I let that be known to anyone, whether they’re LGBTQIA+ or an ally.”
Jamie Langley
Senior director, Parexel
Jamie Langley is an experienced operations, people, learning and development leader with a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion, and continued learning and education at the employee, patient and client levels. Before joining Parexel in 2008, she was an oncology nurse and a nurse educator. Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community hasn’t been easy for Jamie, who was closeted at work until she joined Paraxel. She is now actively involved in the company’s LGBTQIA+ network and has helped launch programmes like the safe zone initiative, supporting others to feel comfortable enough to come out at work. As global head of Parexel Academy, she has leveraged her passion for learning, operations expertise and advocacy for more equitable access to clinical trials.
Dominika Navratilova
Marketing executive, myGwork
After Dominika Navratilova graduated from university in Czechia, she decided to go travelling and experience living abroad. One of the things she was longing for was to meet more LGBTQIA+ people and find her place within the community. Many amazing and strong individuals she met shared their stories and knowledge, and enabled her to be around exciting LGBTQIA+ focused projects.The desire to participate in improving the position of the community in the world, together with her passion for business and marketing, brought her to myGwork. She is grateful and proud to be a part of myGwork’s ambitious team and to contribute to workplace equality and beyond.
LaRissa O’Neal
Director of learning & development, Allied Electronics & Automation
LaRissa O’Neal is director of learning and development at Allied Electronics & Automation for the Americas. She is passionate about driving diversity and inclusion and creating more inclusive learning opportunities at the company. LaRissa discovered her passion for training and development when she joined Radio Shack shortly after graduating. She stayed at the firm for 14 years, moving up the business into a leadership role, before moving to a technology start-up. She now continues her passion for diversity, equity and inclusion at Allied. As a multi-ethnic woman, she openly identifies as bisexual and is passionate about LGBTQIA+ inclusion. She is already helping to create greater inclusion at the company in her additional role as chair of Spectrum, the company’s LGBTQIA+ employee resource group.
Emma Palethorpe
Programme manager, St. James’s Place Wealth Management
Emma Palethorpe MBA is a trans woman and an award-winning manager with over 30 years experience delivering change to the financial services sector. She started her career in the 1990s, working in the city and, since 2017, has worked for St.James’s Place. Emma is chair of its LGBTQIA+ network, SJPride, working alongside LGBT Great and myGwork to promote LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Outside of the office, Emma is just as dedicated to helping create a world where LGBTQIA+ people can live freely and safely. She regularly volunteers with GayGlos, a charity that provides support services for Gloucestershire’s LGBTQIA+ community. She is also a member of Queer Voices Gloucestershire, a local LGBTQIA+ choir.
Jessica Parry
Solicitor, Reed Smith
Originally from Canada, Jessica Parry is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales at Reed Smith, advising on a range of transactional and advisory matters in the entertainment and media industry. She’s also heavily involved in diversity and inclusion activities at the firm as a co-chair of Reed Smith’s LGBTQIA+ network, PRISM.Jessica believes in the importance of representation and allyship to help more people be open at work, and that diversity in media is key to this – it was a TV show that made her realise that she couldn’t hide her real identity anymore.Jessica is now helping others struggling with their LGBTQIA+ identity through the work she is doing at PRISM.
Michi Raymond
Director of global business development, myGwork
Michi Raymond is passionate about two things: music and D&I (diversity and inclusion). She balances life as a musician – opening for the likes of Miley Cyrus and Meghan Trainor – with a flourishing career in business. During her MBA programme at IE Business School, she was president of the LGBTQIA+ student group and director of the annual conference, LGBT+@Work. In 2020, she earned a masters degree in Global Entertainment & Music Business from Berklee College of Music.As part of her degree, she launched LAVICHI Records, a record label to cultivate and amplify the work of diverse musicians. In her time at myGwork, she has helped grow its network to include more than 300 LGBTQIA+ friendly employers, 100,000 job opportunities and 1,000,000 monthly users.
Zoë Schulz
Head of content, myGwork
Zoë Schulz is a writer and editor dedicated to authentic storytelling and creating engaging original content. She has been part of the myGwork team for over two years, supporting its journey to creating a world where LGBTQIA+ people can flourish both in and outside of the workplace. In her current role as head of content, she is able to uplift and share stories from across the LGBTQIA+ community. Based in Brighton, her writing focuses on activism, LGBTQIA+ equality, human rights and sustainable fashion. She also founded her own gender-neutral, sustainable fashion brand, femme forte, which she has used to raise money for various LGBTQIA+ causes. Before joining myGwork, Zoë worked in the charity sector for leading LGBTQIA+ human rights charities, where she grew her knowledge on equality and creating tangible change across society.
Sasha Scott
Founder and CEO, Inclusive Group
Sasha Scott is the founder and CEO of Inclusive Group and is an expert in diversity, bias, inclusivity and managing psychological health. She understands the commercial drivers behind reducing bias within the workplace and the critical need to promote and sustain inclusive workplace cultures. She now works on multiple Hollywood films as an intimacy coordinator, providing psychological safety to actors and crew. Sasha’s reputation has grown as an international thought-leader in diversity issues and she has worked with many publications and media channels. In 2020 and 2021, Sasha was included in the Global Diversity List and the Top 10 Global Diversity Consultancies.
Jane Steed
Business operations manager, Capgemini
Being part of the Capgemini team since 2005,Jane Steed founded its UK LGBTQIA+ network, OUTfront, in 2009. Now a business operations manager, she has been at the forefront of the group’s progress, both in the UK and across the world. The UK group entered the Top 100 of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index in 2018, at which point Jane stepped down as chair. The UK group now has 350 members in over 22 regions globally. OUTfront is also now focusing on providing more training about the trans and non-binary community and pushing forward visible allyship.
Diamond Stylz
Executive director, Black Transwomen Inc
Protecting Black trans women isn’t a slogan for Diamond Stylz, it’s her life’s work and passion.As a student she successfully sued Indianapolis public schools for the right to wear a gown to prom rather than a tuxedo. She went on to become the first openly trans woman to attend Jackson State University. Her experiences in college echo those of other Black trans women and motivate her work. She worked to become a visible advocate for Black trans women. This includes producing the weekly podcast, Marsha’s Plate, where she and her co-hosts help to unpack Black trans people’s experiences, and helming Black Transwomen Inc, a national non-profit that supports Black trans women in need.
Michele Van Den Borre
Transformation, rewards and method director at AB Inbev
Michele Van Den Borre has been with AB InBev for nearly 15 years. Based in Belgium, she started at the company as an IT business relationship manager. She is now the people, transformation and rewards director for Europe. Her current role is very interactive, which means she’s constantly in contact with people around Europe. AB InBev’s people-focused working environment means she never felt she had to hide her sexuality at work. Coming out at 30, she is happy to lead by example as a visible role model for those across her industry. Michele is married and a foster parent, and this experience has been fundamental in helping her ensure AB InBev’s parenting policies are fully inclusive, and to continue to push for equality across the workplace.
Tamsin Wallace
Senior recoveries specialist at Enterprise
Tamsin Wallace is a senior recoveries specialist at Enterprise. Over the last three and a half years, she has recovered over £1M in costs from at-fault insurers. For Tamsin, Enterprise represented a vibrant, diverse opportunity to expand her skills into new areas. It was here that she was also able to find herself, come out, and grow into the woman she is today. Over the last year, Tamsin has joined Enterprise’s equality, diversity and inclusivity committees, organised a pair of very personal, powerful webinars, and has been published three times in DIVA magazine. Recently moving to scenic Somerset and changing roles to Enterprise’s AIS team,Tamsin now enjoys a calmer home-working life in the countryside with her boyfriend Tom and their terrier, Podrick.
Charley Woodward
Director of EMEA renewals channel, VMware
Charley Woodward, director of EMEA renewals channel at VMware, has worked in the high-end tech industry for nearly 30 years. She started as an engineer but made an early career switch, pivoting into IT tech sales. Since joining VMware in 2006, Charley has worked in various leadership positions. She is responsible for building, implementing and driving the EMEA renewals channel performance. A decade after joining, she decided to come out publicly as a trans woman to her colleagues, who were hugely supportive and encouraged her decision to bring her authentic self to work. Charley is an excellent example of the corporate and individual benefits of creating the right environment to allow people to bring their true, authentic selves to work.
Jill Wuyts
Process technician, Sanofi
Jill Wuyts always felt different, but it took until the age of 25 to discover precisely why.Jill is a trans woman, and after years of trying to live with it, she realised she wanted to take steps to come out as trans and live fully as her authentic self. She’s a process technician at Sanofi and has been with the organisation since 2005. The team were fundamental in supporting her through transitioning at work.Alongside supportive friends, colleagues and family, she lives in Belgium, enjoying hobbies such as aviation, Zumba, running and cycling.
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