Anne has over 20 years’ experience of working in the field of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the public, higher education and charity sectors. She currently works for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation/Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRF/JRHT) as the Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Her passion and drive to help organisations become more inclusive and address inequalities stems from her professional experience as well as her lived experience as a disabled (visually impaired), black woman. Anne understands what it is to face systemic inequalities as a woman, a black person, and the compounding factors of living with visible and invisible disabilities.

Anne’s resilience, determination and tenacity has enabled her to continually make a difference in the organisations she has worked for, in spite of her own personal challenges.  She is experienced in influencing senior leaders, developing and embedding diversity strategies and a range of diversity frameworks. She supported JRF/JRHT to become a Stonewall top 100 inclusive employer in 2019 and a Disability Confident employer in 2020.

Anne has also successfully supported organisations to use the positive actions measures within the Equality Act to address the under-representation of women, BAME and disabled people.  Currently she is working the JRF/JRHT leadership team and Trustees to develop a Race Action Plan and to become an anti-racist organisation.

Anne has substantial experience of developing staff networks, community networks, diversity champions and training programmes that are linked to the strategic diversity objectives.   She believes that Allies can make an invaluable contribution in supporting minority groups, to bring about organisational cultures that value difference and support everyone to be themselves at work.

Anne holds an MBA, MED and is a Chartered MCIPD