Creating Psychologically Safe Workplaces

Heather Lacey is a multi-award winning disabled activist, D&I writer and speaker. As a young woman embarking upon life at university, Heather became heavily involved in disability advocacy online and began to share her lived experience of disability as a way to spread awareness of the barriers faced by disabled people in the UK. Her writing – though candid and oftentimes hard-hitting – illuminates yet celebrates the disabled experience and her lived experience of cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia and neurodiversity and the myriad of symptoms she lives with day-to-day.

Heather has worked with a plethora of organisations and charities including Scope, BBC, HuffPost, Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative and AccessAble.

Heather is actively involved in promoting disability rights in the workplace and chairs pro-manchester’s EDI sub-committee for Disability, Mental Health and Neuro Diversity. Heather is also co-chair of the Ability Network at Eversheds Sutherland internationally, an ERG for disabled colleagues, carers and allies, and has promoted and contributed to the firm’s D&I strategy. Heather has featured on the Northern Power Women Future List, been recognised as one of the most influential disabled people in the UK on the Shaw Trust Disability Power List, listed as one of University of Hull and Team GB’s ‘Extraordinary People’, and has been named on the Manchester Evening News’s The Rising Star list: The finest young female lawyers and barristers in Greater Manchester.

Kirsty is a seasoned professional with over 18 years in the construction industry, currently serving as the Global Head of CRM at Gleeds. Beyond her impressive career, Kirsty is a leader in construction and a passionate advocate for mental health awareness.

Kirsty’s non-traditional career journey showcases her tenacity and determination in forging her own path. She brings a unique perspective to the business world.

Her commitment extends to empowering voices in the business landscape. Kirsty is on a mission to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health, leveraging her personal experiences to foster open conversations within the industry and beyond.

Jamie works for BNY as a Specialist in the Global Asset Safety Team in Manchester and has worked for the company for over 15 years in various roles. He is currently a global co-lead for the Neurodiversity Pillar of HEART – BNY’s Diverse Abilities EBRG.

Since he was a young child Jamie has lived with Asperger’s Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder). He is eager to share his experience and perspective as he believes this will help raise awareness and help to continue the ongoing eradication of the stigma associated with different neurotypes.

Jamie was born in New Zealand and first travelled to the UK in 2004 where he met his future wife and decided to settle.

Jake is a solicitor in the Employment department at Kuits, a leading, full-service commercial law firm based in Manchester city centre.

Jake advises on all aspects of employment law, providing strategic advice to a range of clients across diverse business sectors, working with business of all sizes from SMEs to national organisations. Jake has a wealth of experience providing strategic, practical advice to businesses on employment and HR issues, in addition to advising both employees and employers in Employment Tribunals with a focus on discrimination and harassment claims.

Whilst Jake has expertise in the full spectrum of employment law matters, he has a particular interest in disability discrimination and neurodiversity.

Martina Witter is a Director of Award Winning Rapha Therapy & Training Services, Accredited
Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, Mindset coach ,Health and Wellbeing Consultant, Author , Podcast Host ( Rivers to Resilience), Blogger ,Resilience Trainer , Founder of Black Mental Wealth and Cofounder of Black Women in Business and Professionals Network.

Martina has over 20 years experience working within the wellbeing and mental health field helping diverse individuals ( children & Adults) to develop a strong mindset that allows them to turn bottlenecks into breakthroughs, increase performance and productivity in organizations. Due to her contributions to the field, she has been featured in HuffPost, Thrive Global ,Metro, The Voice, and BBC Radio Manchester.

Martina delivers transformational, dynamic and experiential training whilst also having a passion to see individuals thrive holistically in life through being revived, restored and refocused . Martina delivers Coaching and psychological therapy in innovative and accessible ways including online (video & instant messaging) and via telephone. Martina draws upon her life experiences including bereavements, rejection and stress to connect and empathize with her clients whilst sharing how she has successfully navigated adversity and utilized this for transformation and growth .

Catherine Henney is a Legal Director at Eversheds Sutherland, and heads up the Health & Safety team in Manchester. She has a Masters in Health & Safety and Environmental Law, and regularly advises corporate clients in relation to health and safety compliance, as well as crisis and risk management. She frequently works with leadership teams to look at their safety strategies and culture, and represents clients across all sectors when they are investigated and/or prosecuted by HSE and other regulatory bodies
She regularly advises clients on how to manage health and safety proactively within their organisation, including dealing with issues surrounding wellbeing, mental health, and psychological safety.