Catherine Garrod

The Founder of Compelling Culture, Former Head of Inclusion & People Involvement Manager for Sky

Catherine Garrod is renowned for making inclusion accessible with her innovative advice and pragmatic guidance in today’s ever-evolving world. As the Founder of Compelling Culture, she emphasises the importance of integrating inclusive thinking into every team's decision-making processes, rather than relying solely on top-down changes. Catherine’s diverse career spans various industries including behavioural healthcare, childcare, media, utilities, FMCG, and telecoms, giving her a deep understanding of the complexities involved in driving sustainable business changes. As an experienced keynote speaker, she helps organisations remain relevant by promoting conscious inclusion and addressing topics like the fear of making mistakes, inclusive leadership, microaggressions, and the nuances of operating inclusively. Catherine’s guiding principle is that "unless you're consciously including people, you're almost certainly unconsciously excluding people," making her a pivotal figure in the diversity and inclusion landscape.

Catherine’s expertise in fostering positive workplace cultures began early in her career as Nursery Manager at Childbase Partnership, where she built a welcoming and relaxed environment, earning her nursery the title of Nursery of the Year and achieving remarkably low staff turnover. Her journey continued with roles in Executive and MBA Resourcing, and as an Organisation Development Consultant at PepsiCo, where she honed her skills in learning, development, and recognition, becoming a specialist in global people processes. These experiences laid the foundation for her later success in driving engagement and inclusion within organisations.

In her roles at UK Power Networks and The Cambian Group, Catherine focused on employee engagement and inclusion. At Sky, she was promoted from People Involvement Manager to Head of Inclusion, leading Sky to be recognised as the most inclusive employer in the UK. Under her leadership, Sky topped the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers list, with 80% of teams enhancing their diversity both on and off the screen. Catherine also played a key role in launching Blue Sky domestic abuse support and enhancing paternity leave policies to promote gender equality. Her recent book, "Conscious Inclusion: How to 'Do' EDI One Decision at a Time," complements her role as a Guest Lecturer at the Executive MBA Programme at Cambridge Judge Business School.

Currently, through her company Compelling Culture, Catherine collaborates with corporate clients to enhance engagement, build inclusive cultures, and improve diversity. Her work includes delivering board inclusion workshops and company-wide inclusion diagnostic plans for clients like Bupa and Dentsu. Catherine’s belief that connected employees deliver their best work drives her commitment to creating inclusive workplace cultures that embrace everyone’s identities. Known for her ability to bring inclusion to life in practical, everyday contexts, Catherine’s compelling workshops and keynote speeches inspire simple habits for everyday inclusion, making her a highly sought-after speaker for International Women’s Day and beyond.

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