Sharna Matson, WUN advocate & Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Cadent Gas, is joined by Rachel Hughes, a multilingual consultant and facilitator who combines her operational background in IT with a passion for diversity and inclusion. Together they discuss biases, the role that bias and unconscious bias in play within society and the workplace, how we can all form new habits to shift our unconscious to conscious…and provide key take-aways for all listeners to be conscious of.

Rachel Hughes is a high energy, multilingual consultant and facilitator who combines her operational background in IT with a passion for diversity and inclusion.

Professional background

Rachel spent nearly 20 years as a senior delivery executive within IBM’s services division, before focusing on her passion for people and leadership development in 2015. Drawing on her extensive line management experience, Rachel loves to work with clients on personal growth, leadership, inclusion and diversity. She is comfortable working within different cultural environments having spent time living and working in other European and Middle Eastern countries, and facilitating workshops in Africa and the US.

Rachel is happy working both face to face or virtually at all levels – whether that is the board of a FTSE100 organisation, or a group of brand new apprentices. Her strong operational background and understanding of organisational pressures helps her to empathise strongly with those leaders who may be approaching a workshop or topic in a more cynical frame of mind. She understands the need to balance business results with good people management and leadership.

Rachel is passionate about diversity and enabling people to be the best they can be. She confesses to mentoring way too many aspiring leaders. Rachel has also worked as an interim UK Diversity and Inclusion manager for a FTSE100 company, set up employee networks, and developed global diversity strategies and board papers for clients. She is a Trustee of the National Museum of Wales, a public appointment which allows her to consider issues of participation and inclusion within the cultural sector.

Rachel’s style is high energy, friendly, and as inclusive as possible. Some of her many clients include Airbus, National Grid, Cadent Gas, BBC, KPMG, Maersk, Microsoft, Airbus, Yorkshire Building Society, RBS, Cadent Gas, EDIT Development, Public Health Wales and Glyndwr University.

Rachel is based in North East Wales. She holds an MBA from Henley Management College as well as a 1^st Class BA Hons in French and Italian from Royal Holloway University of London. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management. Rachel is married with 2 daughters.

BIO – Shorter version

Rachel Hughes is a leadership development consultant and facilitator who combines her operational background in IT with a passion for diversity and inclusion. Drawing on extensive line management experience, Rachel loves to work with clients on inclusion and diversity. Her strong operational background gained during 20 years in IBM services division help her to understand organisational realities and the pressures facing leaders. Based in North East Wales, Rachel is also a Trustee of the National Museum of Wales, a public appointment which allows her to consider issues of participation and inclusion within the cultural sector. She holds an MBA from Henley Management College as well as a 1^st Class BA Hons in French and Italian from Royal Holloway University of London. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and is married with 2 daughters.

For more information, feel free to contact Rachel on [email protected] or find her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelhughesturner