Work & Impact

During a period of heightened regulatory scrutiny, I served as EMEA D&I Project Manager (Vice President equivalent) at Credit Suisse, supporting a 12,000-employee region across 22 countries. Reporting to the EMEA Head of D&I — who in turn reported to the UK CEO — I led regional employee networks strategy and operated as the de facto operational lead for EMEA D&I delivery.

Employee networks were positioned as frontline culture vehicles, yet qualitative focus groups revealed a structural misalignment: network leaders were expected to drive inclusion outcomes while receiving limited formal recognition, and in some cases felt pressure to deprioritise network leadership in favour of core performance metrics. This undermined both sustainability and regulatory credibility.

I developed a governance proposal combining anonymised qualitative insights with benchmarking against peer institutions and corporate innovators. The analysis demonstrated that Credit Suisse lagged competitors in formally recognising inclusion leadership. Following review through the UK Culture Board, network chairs were formally permitted to allocate up to 10% of their role to network leadership, with expectations embedded into performance review processes and promotion discussions. The reform was piloted in the UK with the intention of broader regional rollout.

Alongside recognition reform, I strengthened divisional accountability for EDI strategy delivery across EMEA. At the outset, only 3 of 10 divisions and functions had submitted actionable EDI plans, despite remuneration being formally linked to people objectives. I designed and produced red–amber–green board reporting dashboards to surface progress gaps and introduced a reframed maturity model emphasising relative improvement rather than comparison to more established areas. In parallel, I synthesised qualitative analysis of early adopter strategies into a practical “menu” of actions to reduce friction and accelerate adoption. Within six months, submission rates increased from 30% to 80%.

This work required navigating varied cultural contexts across jurisdictions, including more conservative regions where inclusion conversations required careful calibration. It demonstrates my approach to regulatory-aligned culture reform: diagnosing structural barriers, aligning incentive frameworks with strategic intent, and introducing governance mechanisms that translate ambition into measurable organisational change in complex, multi-country environments.

In December 2024, the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) published its first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Guidelines — a practical, non-binding framework designed to support inclusive practice across international arbitration proceedings.

As the LCIA’s EDI Officer, I led the development of the Guidelines in close collaboration with the Director General, Registrar and senior arbitration practitioners across jurisdictions. The work combined structured consultation, agile delivery and careful change management to translate institutional ambition into guidance that could be credibly adopted within live arbitral practice.

The Guidelines were developed through a time-bound consultation sprint involving rotating groups of practitioners contributing to research, drafting and iteration, followed by a sector consultation with heads of international arbitration practices. As the LCIA Board noted, “These Guidelines, which are mindful of cultural differences, are an important step in evolving international arbitration as a global dispute resolution mechanism.”

The project demonstrates my approach to complex inclusion work: convening diverse stakeholders, working within governance and reputational constraints, and delivering tangible outputs that support long-term institutional change.

As part of the LCIA’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiative, I designed and delivered a structured event mentorship model aimed at widening participation and strengthening professional engagement within the arbitration community.

The programme was piloted at the YIAG Tylney Hall Symposia — flagship events attracting senior arbitrators and practitioners, with a dedicated stream for younger arbitration professionals under 40. The model paired early-career associates and internationally qualified practitioners transitioning into the UK market with more experienced young partners and senior associates, creating structured mentor–mentee triads designed to bridge professional hierarchies and national contexts.

The intervention combined pre-event orientation guidance, facilitated introductions and post-event feedback sessions to ensure participation translated into meaningful contribution rather than passive attendance. Particular emphasis was placed on widening national representation alongside gender diversity, while maintaining the professional standards expected at senior-level events.

Subsequent iterations expanded collaboration with leading arbitration programmes at universities including Queen Mary, LSE, King’s College London, Cambridge and Stockholm University, alongside practitioner networks. Across multiple pilots involving over two dozen mentors and mentees, participant feedback was formally gathered through focus groups and surveys, with strong satisfaction ratings and reported increases in confidence and active engagement during the symposium.

Following review and endorsement by the Director General and Board, the model was incorporated into the LCIA’s formal EDI offering and extended to additional institutional events.

This work demonstrates my approach to leadership and practice culture: designing structured, professionally credible interventions that widen access, support international talent integration and strengthen participation across generations within the arbitration community.