What’s in a word? How language shapes inclusion and belonging

Obehi Alofoje is a psychologist, behavioural change specialist, and Managing Director of Aurora, a leadership and organisational effectiveness consultancy. She works with senior leaders and HR teams to strengthen leadership, psychological safety, and organisational culture, helping organisations build trust and achieve sustainable performance. She has worked with organisations including Allianz, BBC, Browne Jacobson, Co-op, NHS, Shoosmiths, TomTom, UA92 and Coventry City Council, delivering leadership development, organisational diagnostics, executive coaching, and facilitated programmes. Obehi is also the co-host of the award-winning podcast The Wellbeing Rebellion, exploring leadership, trust, workplace culture, and organisational effectiveness. A self-confessed flat white enthusiast and proud hearing aid wearer, Obehi brings both professional expertise and lived experience to conversations about leadership, inclusion and accessibility.

Laura is a Partner in the Employment department, and specialises in all aspects of employment law acting for a wide range of public and private sector employers.   Laura takes pride in working as business partner to her HR clients, and really getting to know the ins and outs of each business and its commercial goals as an employer. Laura regularly acts for respondents in complex and valuable tribunal claims. Laura advises on all employee relations matters including disciplinary and grievance issues, sickness absence, capability issues, restructures and redundancies and employment contracts.

Tom Henderson-Griffiths is a Manchester based HR professional, and a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD. With almost 20 years of experience from sectors including; Banking, Leisure, Retail, FMCG, Energy, Waste and IT, he eventually found is home working in consultancy. For the last 2 and a half years, Tom has worked closely with another pro-manchester member Alastair Swindlehurst with his company EZHR.

EZHR provides HR services to companies of all shapes and sizes ranging from those too small to have their own HR team, to those with big HR teams that need extra skills or pairs of hands. Tom‘s often been described as firm but fair, passionate, and determined. Outside of his consulting activities Tom proudly works as a successful drag artist on the UK Cabaret and Comedy Circuits, his performing name is Aunty Ginger and he welcomes all to look him up…though he’s suggested you do this on a personal device rather than a work computer (fair warning for adult humour)! Tom is looking forward to working with pro-manchester and is happy to share his experiences, battle scars of being LGBTQ, Neurodivergent and an Artist at the same time as a serious HR professional.

Helen Whitehead is a Lecturer in Environment and Sustainability at the University of Salford, where she teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Alongside her academic role, Helen is a passionate advocate for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and serves as an EDI lead within the university. Her work focuses on creating more inclusive educational environments and improving access, participation and success for all students. A key example of this is her development of a Hidden Curriculum resource, designed to support students in their transition to university and made available to all incoming undergraduates. Helen’s research also explores the experiences of neurodivergent students, particularly in relation to assessment practices, to identify barriers and drive meaningful institutional change. Beyond the University of Salford, Helen holds EDI leadership roles within several national and international professional networks, collectively representing thousands of members.