Vanessa
An expert in strategic HR, EDI, Leadership, and Business Transformation, and a founder and CEO of two trailblazing organisations that seek to support organisations in embedding measurable sustainable change. Vanessa shares how disrupting the status quo and challenging mindsets and behaviours allows for transformational change in business and life.
Disruptive Entrepreneur
& Motivational Speaker
Passionate, disruptive, proudly neurodivergent, with Vanessa you get expertise combined with authenticity and lived experience. A thought leader, mindset shifter, philanthropist, and font of all knowledge on HR, EDI, and business and leadership transformation. Always engaging, her delivery is enlightening, motivating, whilst keeping things friendly and fun.
Frustrated with the bias and inequities that existed in the workplace, Vanessa decided to build two companies, to effect change and support organisations that are serious about creating more equitable and truly inclusive workplaces. With her multiple layers of identity, Vanessa brings a unique perspective. She is keenly focused on intersectional impacts and driven by a wish to inspire leadership and disrupt the usual ways of thinking.
This innovative and unique way of thinking is the bedrock of her personal mission to empower individuals and organisations to shift mindsets and transform behaviours. She enables people and organisations to achieve their greatest purpose which will eradicate barriers for self or others to create environments and feelings of belonging in equitable spaces for all.
“You have to be willing to disrupt your usual way of thinking to see change take place.” ~ Vanessa
Vanessa has a strong social purpose and outside of her daily work is proud to sit as Chair of the Nominations, Remuneration & Governance (NRG) committee and as a Trustee on the board of UnLtd - The Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, and as a Trustee for the African Diaspora Economic Inclusion Foundation (ADEIF).
She believes in the power of mentoring, actively sharing her knowledge via voluntary consultancy networks including The Cat's Mother network for young and aspiring female creatives, and is also a dedicated leader in the Girl Guides.
Vanessa holds degrees in HR and is a Fellow of the CIPD. She regularly contributes to panel discussions, conferences and formal presentations on EDI, HR, Women's empowerment and leadership.
Signature speaker topics:
- Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
- Intersectionality in an evolving world
- Leadership development
- Behaviour transformation
- Setting yourself up for success
- Motivational speeches
- Women's empowerment
- People and Culture
Vanessa’s company Inclusive Recruiting is a full service equity, diversity and inclusion consultancy, providing all-round EDI support across all areas of an organisation. Alongside this, Vanessa’s boutique company A little bit of HR delivers on-demand HR services to businesses and charitable organisations.
"I learn something every time I hear you speak. I know that our 1,700 People managers who hear you during these events will feel the same."
Greg Reed, CEO 
"Vanessa is one of the most engaging speakers I’ve ever witnessed. Her tone, content and personal stories really bring inclusion and diversity to life. Vanessa has the ability to engage everyone and help drive us towards building a more inclusive culture."
Louise Roberts 
"Vanessa is cheeky, feisty, compassionate. There's just something about her that’s incredibly honest and also incredibly strong. I can't not but love her!
About three years ago we were looking to partner with somebody who is an expert in equality and diversity and learn from them. When I met Vanessa for the first time, I was blown away by her passion. She 100% knows her stuff and talks straight but also with compassion. She speaks to each person as an individual, approaching inclusivity by first acknowledging that things like racism, discrimination, inequality still exist and yet she does not blame you. Instead she takes it in its widest sense, recognising that yes they exist and then shows how inclusivity should clearly be our only way of being. That really came across. She makes you think like that and approach it in that way too. The inclusion training and consultancy piece Vanessa delivered for us helped us to change the way that we recruited people.
The impact of working with her has been that she made me question my own thought process and to ask if I had just accepted things as being the norm. She made me question those things and want to change them. She also influenced other people so that I didn't have to. There is something about her that people really respond to. They feel seen by her. She doesn't let you hide. She will call it out if you try to and will challenge you but she will do it in a way that's compassionate but straight. I've never met anybody like her!
I really value Vanessa and the work she has done for us."
Karen Bradley, Public Sector Consultant
"It has been an absolute pleasure working with Vanessa, and I am confident that any interaction an organisation has with her will be positively challenging, impactful and progressive.
Vanessa played a pivotal role as a key partner in delivering our inclusive recruitment program. Working closely with Vanessa has been an absolute pleasure, as her dedication, expertise, and passion for creating an inclusive and diverse workforce have been truly remarkable. Throughout the entire process, Vanessa demonstrated exceptional leadership and a deep understanding of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Her expertise in crafting and implementing strategies to attract and hire a diverse range of candidates was invaluable.
What sets Vanessa apart is her ability to foster collaboration and build strong partnerships. She worked closely with our hiring managers, HR team, and Talent Acquisition to develop initiatives that not only increased our pipeline of diverse candidates but also created an inclusive and welcoming environment for all applicants. Vanessa also provided training and resources to our hiring teams to ensure they had the tools and knowledge to assess candidates on their skills and potential rather than relying on unconscious biases.
Thanks to Vanessa's tireless efforts, our recruitment program has become a model for inclusivity and diversity across Macmillan. I cannot recommend Vanessa highly enough. Her dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment to creating an inclusive recruitment program have been instrumental in transforming our workforce.
Vanessa is a true champion of diversity and inclusion, and her contributions have made a lasting impact on our organisation."
Danielle Fitzsimmons-Elliott 
“Vanessa’s style is authentic, supportive and open; she challenges participants to open their minds and self-evaluate their own behaviours and actions to drive a real change forward towards inclusion."
Rachel Scheel 
“Vanessa is an individual. Absolutely. Creative, passionate, fun and focused."
Clare Bailey 
“So many positive professional dimensions come so naturally to Vanessa including communicating at all levels, motivating anyone around her whatever they are focused on, having great foresight, relishing any challenge, working strategically, collaborating on any project, great leadership, and finally great judgment.”
Kathryn James 
“Creating my own joy, paving my own way and never allowing anyone else to define my narrative or existence. Dream big, bigger than you think is possible – scare yourself, I do…”
~ Vanessa
