What’s Your Story?

December 12th 2025

8 Fenchurch Place London
EC3M 4PB

This is no ordinary conference. Come along with your colleagues, friends and family and join me Yetunde Hofmann and a community of awesome storytellers from all walks of life, backgrounds, and experiences. They are leaders willing to share their stories of life and experiences from a place of who they are, not what they do or have.

Our 2025 Storytellers


  • Tracey Arnold is a seasoned Health & Safety professional with over 25 years of experience in the field. Born and raised in Surrey, she began her career as an analytical chemist, working with renowned companies such as Mars Confectionery, Boehringer Ingelheim, and McVities. Her scientific background laid a strong foundation for what would become a dynamic and impactful journey in Health & Safety.

    In the early 2000s, Tracey transitioned into Health & Safety—a field where she would not only find her calling but also make her mark. Over the years, she has worked tirelessly to develop her expertise, navigating the challenges of a traditionally male-dominated industry with resilience and determination.

    Today, Tracey serves as a Senior Health & Safety Risk Consultant at Sutton Winson, a respected UK-based insurance broker recently acquired by Acrisure, a leading American financial technology and insurance company. Acrisure has been expanding into the UK market through the strategic acquisition of smaller brokers, bringing a global perspective to local expertise. Tracey continues to thrive in this evolving environment, advising clients on complex risk management strategies, ensuring compliance, and fostering safer working environments across diverse sectors.

    But Tracey’s role goes far beyond regulations and risk assessments. She often finds herself acting as a listener, coach, and informal counsellor—supporting clients not just through Health & Safety challenges, but through personal and professional struggles as well. Her empathetic approach and ability to connect on a human level have become just as valuable as her technical expertise.

    A firm believer that “what doesn’t break you makes you stronger,” Tracey’s career is a testament to perseverance, adaptability, and a deep commitment to growth.

    She now lives in Hampshire with her husband, two cats, one rabbit—and three motorbikes—balancing her professional life with a love for animals and the open road.


  • Tara is a HR professional with over 25 years’ experience, gained in public and third-sector organisations, including the Metropolitan Police and the NHS. Known for her passion for people and purpose, Tara has built a reputation as a leader committed to personal growth and authenticity. Most recently working as Director of People and OD at Moat Homes, her work has resulted in listings in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work.   

    Tara’s career has been dedicated to improving performance and developing cultures, to shape inclusive workplaces where people thrive. Committed to authenticity, Tara has created safe spaces for colleagues, particularly working women, to come together, to bring their whole self to work. Tara received recognition in the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Diversity and Inclusion awards, for her work with Carers and colleagues affected by the Menopause. 

    The first in her family to go to university, Tara holds two master’s degrees, in Human Resource Management and Employment Law and Practice. She is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and a qualified Executive Coach and Mentor. 

    Tara’s journey of navigating adversity is rooted in resilience and a passion for exploration – of herself and the world. She credits her development to a commitment to lifelong learning, a love of travel and an ability to laugh, even in life’s toughest moments. Her journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and resilience. 

    Tara connects deeply with others, bringing warmth, wisdom and humour to each interaction, drawing from her own experiences to support others in finding meaning, courage and fun — wherever they are on their journey. 

    Tara is proud of being a Londoner, with Irish heritage. She lives in Tottenham with her husband, they love having friends and family in their home, sharing food, stories and fun. She is currently a carer for her father.


  • I have experience of working in Finance for over 25 years. In my career I have had several different roles for various organisations. I am passionate about working with data, analytics, and technology. Just think about how these things help you out in everyday life. From recommendations on Netflix to predictions on journey details via your Map Application on the phone. Great solutions are ‘needed’ not ‘wanted’ by customers. To provide great solutions you need great people. Whilst I am passionate about data, analytics and technology, the secret to success for any team I have managed, or company I have worked for relates directly to people. To provide excellent customer solutions you need a workforce that represents society and feels safe to be their authentic selves. In its simplest form it is about being clear with people on what is expected, being kind and supportive, and providing the platforms so they can succeed. This is when a team truly hits Top Gear!

    Outside of work (as you may expect) I love spending time with family and friends. I have been married for 24 years, have 3 children and 1 dog! My purpose: to leave lasting and tangible legacies with family and friends (I include work colleagues as friends).


  • Claire is the Head of Organisational Capability and Development at Rolls-Royce SMR and is committed to shaping the future of the industry. A qualified coach, agile accredited and a Growth Mindset practitioner with a successful track record of leading agile working teams driving strategies that enhance workforce

    capability, leadership development, and organisational effectiveness. With a passion for fostering inclusive cultures, Claire is a dedicated ally for accessibility and inclusion, ensuring that opportunities are equitable, and barriers are removed for all.

    An award-winning strategic leader in talent development and organisational transformation, Claire has a track record of delivering innovative solutions that empower individuals and teams to thrive in a dynamic and high-performance environment.

    Alongside her professional role at RRSMR Claire is mum to twin teen girls and owner of her own coaching practice. Claire Lives in Surrey with her partner, her girls and the dog!


  • Nikki Squelch is an experience people leader with a strong background in innovating the engagement of volunteers. With over 25 years’ experience in leadership roles at charities like Alzheimer’s Society, Scope, Age UK and National Childbirth Trust she has established systems and process that mobilize thousands of people around a common purpose. Notably, she was instrumental in creating Dementia Friends. At NHS England she delivered new methods to support managers across health and care to ‘stay well to lead well’, reaching over 30,000 managers in 18 months. Nikki is the Deputy CEO of CityHR. She also works as an independent people engagement consultant where her passion for creating workplaces where all people can thrive extends across many sectors. She is also a Celebrant and finds joy in officiating weddings and welcome to the world ceremonies.

    Nikki has had a varied career that has included working in a multidisciplinary team at Charing Cross Hospital, as a specialist (Renal) Social Worker, where she also set up their first rapid response service in A&E. As a dedicated life-long learner she graduated from the Guild of HR Professionals Leadership Programme in 2019. As a committed volunteer and volunteering leader, during COVID19 she became an NHS Responder volunteer, a Trustee of Attend, a national charity that supports and expands the roles volunteers play in creating healthy communities. She also chairs the Human Resource Professionals Charitable Trust. 

    Nikki is a single parent ‘by design’ and loves travelling with her neurodiverse son.


  • Mark Hambelton is a Principal Solution Engineer at Salesforce, where he works with strategic enterprise clients to solve complex business challenges through data-driven solutions, innovation, and empathy-led design. With over two decades in the tech industry, Mark combines deep technical expertise with a passion for client success—helping organisations unlock value at scale.

    Outside the world of SaaS and enterprise platforms, Mark is the creative force behind LDN Photography and MAAN Studios —an award-winning studio based in a converted railway arch in Streatham. For over ten years, he has used his lens to tell human stories through fashion, portraiture, street photography and event photography. The studio has been recognised for both its creative imagery and its charitable outreach work, making photography accessible to all sectors of the local community. It is also available for local creatives under the MAAN Studios brand: which provides an affordable and inclusive space to support the area's growing creative community.

    Mark lives in South West London with his partner Ann-Marie, who co-owns and manages their photography studio. Together, they’ve built a welcoming space for clients, creatives, and collaborators to explore identity and artistry through imagery.

    Mark’s lived experience as a Black (mixed heritage Nigerian and white British), neurodivergent professional informs both his technical and creative journeys. He is an advocate for inclusion in the workplace and beyond, believing that difference is not a deficit—but a powerful source of insight and innovation.

    At “What’s Your Story,” Mark shares how embracing multiple identities and passions—engineer, artist, advocate—can help us rewrite the stories we tell ourselves and others, and lead with authenticity in every space we occupy.

    Fun fact: MAAN Studios is named after Mark and Ann-Marie.


  • The person I am today is an amalgam of success, failure, love, sadness, joy and exasperation.

    I was born in Leeds and perhaps that makes me a typical Yorkshireman? In life and work I've been blessed to be able to travel extensively but they say, 'you can take the man out of Yorkshire but cannot take Yorkshire out of the man'. I have 2 fantastic grown-up kids, and I live by the seaside in Southport with my artist partner Katy.

     My career has been entirely in the speciality chemicals sector. Starting as a commercial assistant in 1989 with a small UK Distributor to Sales Director Global Accounts with Croda International (FTSE 100 company) until 2024. I’m now leading the exploration of new markets with a start-up company called Econic Technologies, at the vanguard of Carbon Dioxide utilisation. Finally directing my experience and energy into my passion for sustainable chemistry. I love collaboration and creating energetic commercial teams. At the heart of my approach is care, respect, honesty, and a liberal dose of calm. I'm proud of my competence and comfortable when I lack it (which is a lot!).

    The moments in my professional life that give me the most pride come from the achievements of others, and from digging into my personal resilience when times are tough.   

    It's going to be a privilege to hear everyone's stories.


  • Bentley Beachar is the visionary founder of VestorGrow, a community dedicated to empowering young adults through personal and professional development, focusing on three core areas: mental well-being, career growth, and financial literacy, ensuring that young people are well-informed and equipped to make better decisions for their futures. Bentley’s journey is deeply rooted in his own experiences and the lessons he learned from the challenges he faced in his youth. Recognising the importance of guidance and expert mentorship, he created VestorGrow with a long-term mission of building a social networking environment that empowers, educates and guides youth beyond traditional social platforms, providing distraction-free spaces for genuine growth.

    In addition to VestorGrow, Bentley is also the founder of Glorified Testimonies, a heartfelt project aimed at sharing powerful stories and testimonies that glorify faith and uplift others. This initiative takes these inspiring narratives outside of traditional church settings and shares them on social platforms, broadening their reach and impact. Through both initiatives, Bentley is dedicated to creating spaces where people can find inspiration, clarity, and the tools they need to overcome and succeed. Bentley’s work is a testament to his passion for empowering the next generation and his dedication to making a positive impact in the world.'


  • Alan Higgins is a dynamic and award-winning leader, known for his strategic vision in shaping inclusive, high-performing organizations. With over two decade of experience at HSBC, Alan has spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), organizational development, and employee engagement—driving measurable impact at both local and global levels.

    As a trusted advisor to C-suite executives, Alan has influenced transformative change, such as advising HSBC’s Group CEO on data-led people strategies that led to the bank publicly disclosing its ethnicity commitments. His innovative approach included designing HSBC’s Inclusion Self-Assessment Tool, later adopted by the World Economic Forum at Davos, and helped to create globally scaled leadership programs like "In Their Shoes," which reached over 12,000 employees globally and earned external accolades.

    A passionate advocate for equity, Alan has pioneered practical solutions—from embedding pronoun fields in corporate directories to launching reverse and reciprocal mentoring programs—that fostered belonging. His work extends beyond corporate walls as a mentor and was a steering committee member for employee resource groups like Embrace UK and the Black Leaders Action and Advisory Council (BLAAC). Recognized as a Top 10 Inspirational Leader at the 2020 Investing in Ethnicity Awards, Alan combines data-driven insights with human-centric leadership to turn policy into meaningful action.

    Beyond his professional achievements, Alan is an international roller-skate teacher and DJ, bringing creativity and energy to everything he does. Whether in a corporate setting or on a roller-skating rink, Alan inspires individuals with actionable strategies for building cultures where talent thrives.


  • Vivianis an innovative and strategic thought leader whose professional journey began in law at Linklaters LLP. There, she enjoyed many career-defining moments, including working as part of the dynamic legal team advising administrators following the Lehman Brothers collapse during the 2008 financial crisis. In 2018, she joined HSBC’s Global Banking & Markets, specialising in negotiation of Structured Finance and Conventional Debt transactions.

    With a unique blend of skills rooted in people-first values, Vivian strategically, led HSBC’s first Black Heritage Sponsorship Programme which resulted in a marked increase to diverse representation at senior leadership. She also leads the HSBC-Brampton Manor relationship which has so far, attracted 200+ diverse talent through graduate pipeline programmes.

    As a love-based leaders, Vivian is chair to several HSBC’s people forums, particularly, Co-Chair to the EmpowHER Programme, a self-motivated female development programme that continues to receive well-regarded recognition from HSBC’s OpCo and Non-Executive Board.

    An outstanding advocate for the rights of others, Vivian is a UN Participant to the 68th Commission on the Status of Women and is the recipient of a number of nominations and awards, including The Female Lead© nominee, the 2021 EVCOM Gold Award for Diversity and Inclusion and Silver award for Social Welfare (for work that encourages social awareness, raising social issues to vital prominence).

    Outside her work life, Vivian is a doting mother to her 3 children and wife to Robert, and enjoys travelling with her family. She is an avid Christian and a huge fan of spreading love and kindness to a world that so desperately needs it.


  • Ramona Hazan, founder of Ramona’s Kitchen, grew up in a Mediterranean family where food was about celebration with colourful, aromatic dishes passed around during the hubbub of eating. Unable to find the same familiar, comforting foods in the UK she decided to bring the Levantine textures and flavours to the UK market herself. Ramona has a passion for food but her continual dedication and persistence to deliver a brand that stands out from the crowd and that people LOVE has resulted in listings in most major supermarkets in the UK. 

    What first started 20 years ago in Ramona’s small home kitchen (with an even smaller blender) has now grown to the business you see today in a much larger kitchen (with many, many blenders) specialising in Houmous & Falafel based on her family’s traditional recipes with a contemporary twist.

    Today, RAMONA’S Heavenly Houmous is the UK’s No 1 Houmous brand, winning many prestigious awards and driving new shoppers to the category.


  • Ram Gidoomal CBE is an experienced businessman and entrepreneur and has worked for over 30 years at board and senior management levels in the private, public, political and voluntary sectors, in roles such as Chair, Chief Executive,  Board Member, Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Chair, Remuneration and Nominations Committee Chair.

    He currently chairs the ESG Advisory Board Committee for SHEIN, is a trustee of DC COOK Publishing and Integrity Music, Honorary Vice President of the Leprosy Mission and the Institute of Business Ethics. 

    He was UK Group CEO and Vice Chairman of the Inlaks Group, a niche global marketing and manufacturing company which employed 7000 people in15 countries, He was Chairman of Allia Ltd which from a start up to date has raised over one billion pounds in social impact bounds. He was founder chairman of the Christmas Cracker Trust that mobilised over 50,000 teenagers to raise over £5 million over 7 years for good causes across the globe. He is chairman of Cotton Connect Ltd which trains farmers to grow organic cotton in many countries including India, China, Bangladesh, Turkey, Egypt for blue chip customers like C&A, Primark, Amazon.

    He is the author of several books including The UK Maharajahs, The British and how to deal with them - Doing Business with Britian's Ethnic Communities, How would Jesus Vote? and his memoirs MY SILK ROAD - The Adventures and Struggles of a British Asian Refugee

    Recognitions for his many contributions include Honorary Doctorates from three UK universities, Fellowship from his Alma Mater Imperial College where he served as a Council and Board Member. He was included in the first list of Highflyers 50 (the fifty most eminent people of Indian origin living and working outside India) and has been awarded the title "CBE" in 1998 by Her Late Majesty the Queen.

✺ Our storytellers ✺

Share personal stories that contributed to a day of inspiration, encouragement, empowerment, and JOY 

Through their stories, they shared personal perspectives in response to questions like these:

Are you stuck?

Are you wondering what your life’s purpose is?

Do you feel like life is passing you by?

Are you wondering how to let go?

Are you looking for help in overcoming a challenge?

Can I get over the apology I never had?

Are you lonely?

Be reassured. These are questions that many people have asked themselves and indeed our storytellers too. It is the reason why we are grateful for the opportunity to listen to them, and also to learn, share and be inspired by what we hear from them and from others like us in the room.

You will have the quality time to reconnect with who you are and with others on the one thing we have in common and that unites us: We all are human. No matter our backgrounds, our race, our gender, our status or what our history is.

 Join us for a day of inspiration, learning and sharing.   

You’ll make new friends, connections and leave with a refreshed feeling of hope as you look forward to closing the current year and starting the next with a spring in your step.