• What’s next for DEI: Insights from Thought Leaders
    Oct 7 2025

    The Equality Conversation podcast with bestselling author Joy Burnford explores what we can all do to champion gender equality at work and is dedicated to the retention and progression of female talent in organisations. Each episode offers inspiration, stories and practical solutions from experts, leaders and senior business women from around the world. Achieving gender balance at work isn’t about fixing the women, it’s about changing the system. So, if you’re looking for insights, guidance or advice on how to enable women to thrive in your organisation, grab a cuppa, go for a walk, or escape for a while and join us for today’s conversation.

    Welcome to today’s special episode, where we explore the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion with four leading voices in HR and DEI. Together, we’ll tackle the big questions: How are companies keeping inclusion on the agenda? What language and strategies are most effective? And how can we create workplaces where everyone belongs?

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    29 mins
  • Women in Leadership: Strategies from FTSE 350 organisations leading the way with Edward Haigh
    Aug 6 2025

    The Equality Conversation podcast with bestselling author Joy Burnford explores what we can all do to champion gender equality at work and is dedicated to the retention and progression of female talent in organisations. Each episode offers inspiration, stories and practical solutions from experts, leaders and senior business women from around the world. Achieving gender balance at work isn’t about fixing the women, it’s about changing the system. So, if you’re looking for insights, guidance or advice on how to enable women to thrive in your organisation, grab a cuppa, go for a walk, or escape for a while and join us for today’s conversation.

    In this episode, Joy Burnford interviews Edward Haigh. Ed is Head of Research at Encompass Equality, and is an accomplished and purpose driven business leader with 25 years of international experience across a wide range of industries, including consumer electronics, music, social media and professional services. Ed joins Joy today to share insights and key findings from Encompass Equality’s latest research ‘Women in Leadership: Strategies from FTSE 350 organisations leading the way’.

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    26 mins
  • Beyond the Game: Leading with Inclusion with Lucy Pearson, Chair at Lord’s Taverners
    Jul 16 2025

    The Equality Conversation podcast with bestselling author Joy Burnford explores what we can all do to champion gender equality at work and is dedicated to the retention and progression of female talent in organisations. Each episode offers inspiration, stories and practical solutions from experts, leaders and senior business women from around the world. Achieving gender balance at work isn’t about fixing the women, it’s about changing the system. So, if you’re looking for insights, guidance or advice on how to enable women to thrive in your organisation, grab a cuppa, go for a walk, or escape for a while and join us for today’s conversation.

    In this episode, Joy Burnford interviews Lucy Pearson, Chair of Lord’s Taverners cricket charity. She played cricket for England from 1996 to 2005, and was previously the Head of Cheadle Hulme School where she was the first woman to hold that position in its 150-year history. She also worked as Director of FA Education at The Football Association before taking up the role of Chair at Lord’s Taverners. Lucy joins Joy to share her insights on women in sport, the power of inclusive leadership, and being a female leader in a male-dominated environment.

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    25 mins
  • Embracing Change: Women in Leadership in a Disruptive Era with Kathryn Britten, Partner & Managing Director at AlixPartners
    Jun 18 2025

    The Equality Conversation podcast with bestselling author Joy Burnford explores what we can all do to champion gender equality at work and is dedicated to the retention and progression of female talent in organisations. Each episode offers inspiration, stories and practical solutions from experts, leaders and senior business women from around the world. Achieving gender balance at work isn’t about fixing the women, it’s about changing the system. So, if you’re looking for insights, guidance or advice on how to enable women to thrive in your organisation, grab a cuppa, go for a walk, or escape for a while and join us for today’s conversation.

    In this episode, Joy Burnford interviews Kathryn Britten. Kathryn is Partner and Managing Director of global consulting firm, AlixPartners. Kathryn joins Joy to talk about her career journey in a male-dominated industry, how men and women leaders lead differently when faced with disruption, and her experience of what works well when it comes to the progression and retention of women in the workplace.

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    29 mins
  • The benefits and drawbacks of women's leadership initiatives with Rachel Higham
    Apr 23 2025

    The Equality Conversation podcast with bestselling author Joy Burnford explores what we can all do to champion gender equality at work and is dedicated to the retention and progression of female talent in organisations. Each episode offers inspiration, stories and practical solutions from experts, leaders and senior business women from around the world. Achieving gender balance at work isn’t about fixing the women, it’s about changing the system. So, if you’re looking for insights, guidance or advice on how to enable women to thrive in your organisation, grab a cuppa, go for a walk, or escape for a while and join us for today’s conversation.

    It is a pleasure to welcome Rachel Higham as my guest today. Rachel is Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Marks & Spencer and has previously held technology leadership roles at companies including WPP, BT and Vodafone. She is also a Board Member at Macmillan Cancer Support. Rachel joins me today to talk about her commitment to building more diverse and inclusive working environments, and helping women to achieve their full potential.

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    24 mins
  • From newsroom to Boardroom: via tech, trust and integrity with Kerensa Jennings
    Mar 12 2025

    The Equality Conversation podcast with bestselling author Joy Burnford explores what we can all do to champion gender equality at work and is dedicated to the retention and progression of female talent in organisations. Each episode offers inspiration, stories and practical solutions from experts, leaders and senior business women from around the world. Achieving gender balance at work isn’t about fixing the women, it’s about changing the system. So, if you’re looking for insights, guidance or advice on how to enable women to thrive in your organisation, grab a cuppa, go for a walk, or escape for a while and join us for today’s conversation.

    It is a pleasure to welcome Kerensa Jennings as my guest today. Kerensa is a business leader, non-executive director, and adviser, a Professor of Media, Strategy, and Communications, and CEO at Inglenook Global. She has previously held senior roles at the BBC, the Royal Household, and BT. She’s also written a bestselling psychological thriller, ‘Seas of Snow.’ She joins me today to share tips and advice on promoting gender equality within organisations, drawn from her incredible career.

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    25 mins
  • Empowering progress: The critical role of line managers in retaining women with Fiona Dawson
    Feb 12 2025

    The Equality Conversation podcast with bestselling author Joy Burnford explores what we can all do to champion gender equality at work and is dedicated to the retention and progression of female talent in organisations. Each episode offers inspiration, stories and practical solutions from experts, leaders and senior business women from around the world. Achieving gender balance at work isn’t about fixing the women, it’s about changing the system. So, if you’re looking for insights, guidance or advice on how to enable women to thrive in your organisation, grab a cuppa, go for a walk, or escape for a while and join us for today’s conversation.

    It is a pleasure to welcome Fiona Dawson as my guest today. Fiona spent 33 years at Mars, holding many leadership roles across the business, before retiring in 2021 to focus on building her non-executive career. She is a non-executive director at LEGO, Marks and Spencer and Kerry Foods as well as President of the Chartered Management Institute and a trustee to the Social Mobility Foundation. She was also awarded a CBE in 2021 for services to women and the economy so I’m really looking forward to this conversation and am sure we’ll learn a lot from her today!

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    28 mins
  • The Authority Gap: Lessons for organisations with Mary Ann Sieghart
    Jan 15 2025

    The Equality Conversation podcast with bestselling author Joy Burnford explores what we can all do to champion gender equality at work and is dedicated to the retention and progression of female talent in organisations. Each episode offers inspiration, stories and practical solutions from experts, leaders and senior business women from around the world. Achieving gender balance at work isn’t about fixing the women, it’s about changing the system. So, if you’re looking for insights, guidance or advice on how to enable women to thrive in your organisation, grab a cuppa, go for a walk, or escape for a while and join us for today’s conversation.

    It is a pleasure to welcome Mary Ann Sieghart as my guest today. Mary Ann is a journalist, public speaker, consultant, non-executive director, broadcaster and author of the best-selling book, 'The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it'.

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    30 mins