Stories of IDAHOBIT

With IDAHOBIT approaching, we take this crucial opportunity to unite through collective challenges, storytelling, and lived experiences, by showcasing an array of inspirational speakers who will be sharing their stories as we aim to break down barriers.

IDAHOBIT was created in 2004 to draw the attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexuals, transgender, intersex people and all other people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics. May 17 is now celebrated in more than 130 countries. 

Auto Trader is the UK’s largest automotive marketplace for buying and selling vehicles and is a passionate advocate of the diversity agenda. The company invests in their employees and work tirelessly to ensure their diverse teams are supported, that they feel included and inspired. As part of their ongoing diversity strategy, Auto Trader has partnered with Inclusive Companies to lead in the movement for pioneering change and will continue to take action not just on IDAHOBIT, but all year round.

Peter Tatchell
Human Rights Campaigner & Director | Peter Tatchell Foundation

Peter Tatchell has campaigned for LGBT+ freedom for half a century, since the age of 17 in 1969. A pioneer of the London Gay Liberation Front from 1971 and a founding member of the LGBT+ direct action group OutRage! in 1990, he’s outed homophobic bishops, exposed the Nazi war criminal SS Dr Carl Vaernet, and ambushed anti-gay Prime Ministers and sports stars. His human rights activism resulted in him being beaten badly by President Mugabe’s bodyguards in Brussels in 2001 and by Russian neo-Nazis in Moscow in 2007. He is Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation: www.PeterTatchellFoundation.org @PeterTatchell

Christina Riley
Managing Director | LGBT Construct Limited  & EDI Construct Ltd

Christina Riley is the  Managing Director of LGBT Construct Limited  & EDI Construct Ltd.  She is a leading voice on LGBTIQ+ inclusion in  Engineering & in the Construction sector. Christina is a founding member of the Building Equality Network, an alliance of over 50 tier one construction engineering companies and consultants. She is also a steering committee member of InterEngineering – who look at empowering LGBTQ engineers of all sectors. Christina runs the LGBTconstruct global forum on social media and has just been recognised over in the USA by the leading Engineering magazine ENR for her global work on diversity and inclusion in Engineering.  Christina transitioned back in 2014 at Balfour Beatty following the launch of their LGBT & Allies Network & has gone on to be a public speaker on inclusion at companies like Rolls Royce, Walt Disney Company and Institute of Engineering & Technology. Christina was awarded Corporate Rising Star at the 2017 British LGBT Awards. More recently Christina has been recognised in the Involve OUTstanding lists supported by Yahoo Finance. Christina hosts the main stage at London Build Expo , held at Olympia ,on subjects including diversity , inclusion and  Women In Construction. Christina is also on the diversity and inclusion advisory group for the Chartered Institute of Building. In 2019 , Christina co-founded the first industry disability network, Construct-Ability for the  construction sector which is being supported by the CIOB.

Laks Mann
College of Policing

Laks Mann is a Creative Strategist and an award-winning Diversity and Inclusion Champion with a career spanning the corporate, charitable, and public sectors.

Laks currently works with the College of Policing building its first-ever National Talent Development Strategy.  Laks previously qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC before joining JLL and Deutsche Bank, later moving to the charity sector to work in sustainability, before embarking on a career in policing.

Laks is a Mayor of London appointed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor to City Hall, a Trustee and LGBTQ+ Lead for South Asian Heritage Month, a Trustee for global wellbeing charity caba, and is the Founder of Gaysians UK.

Laks is a British LGBT+ Awards 2024 Finalist, was named in the inaugural Diversity Power List 2022/23 honouring the UK’s Top 50 D&I changemakers, and is the Winner of the LGBT+ Positive Role Model 2020 Award at the prestigious National Diversity Awards.  Laks was a Finalist at the Rainbow Honours 2022 and the British Diversity Awards 2020, and was also listed in the Top 30 BAME Leaders of 2020 by the University of Oxford and House of Commons.

Finn Warman
Artistic Director and CEO | Andro and Eve

Finn is the Artistic Director and CEO of Sheffield based queer arts organisation, Andro and Eve. Andro and Eve provide talent development and performance opportunities for queer artists, and spaces for the LGBTQ+ community to come together. Finn has worked as an artist, designer and producer in the cultural and education sector for 15 years. Specialising in large – scale participatory arts projects, they have a wealth of experience in partnership working, leadership and talent development.

Melissa Grant
IT Service Management Professional, Public Speaker & Musician

Melissa has built her career as a visionary and service management professional with extensive client services and operational development experience within highly competitive markets such as regulated financial services, media, mining & metals and architecture. She enjoys building trust and networks across fragmented business units and uses her experience of coming from the front line of IT Service Desks all the way through to C-Suite technology advisory to build a reputation as a collaborative communicator continually focused on promoting synergies across global units to drive positive change while utilising technology, innovation and relationship management as a key enabler. 

Previous roles include Client Engagement Director at Prudential, IT Service Manager EMEA for NBC Universal and Executive Technology Services Manager at Daily Mail & General Trust.