The Northern Ireland Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the Workplace Conference 2025
Hilton Belfast, Northern Ireland 5 November 2025, 9:00am - 4:00pm
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8:30am
Delegate Registration
9:45am
Chair’s Welcome Address
9:55am
Opening Keynote: Challenges Facing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives in 2025
- EDI Priorities in 2025 – understanding the impact of recent events
- Going beyond the employer’s basic EDI responsibilities
- How do we move EDI forward in the UK?
Colin Caughey, Director of Public Policy, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
10:15am
Navigating Resistance: Sustaining EDI in a Challenging Climate
- Understanding the roots of EDI resistance
- Responding to “EDI fatigue” with clarity, transparency, and evidence-based messaging
- Strategies for sustaining momentum and staff engagement in challenging cultural climates
Michelle Morris, Senior Human Resources Manager, Northern Health and Social Care Trust
10:35am
Psychological Safety at Work: Building Inclusive Cultures Where All Voices Are Heard
- Creating an environment of trust where staff feel safe to raise concerns, challenge ideas, and admit mistakes without fear of blame or exclusion
- How does identity impact the feeling of psychological safety?
- Addressing disparities through inclusive leadership at all levels
Emma Patterson-Bennett, Portfolio Manager - Inclusion & Belonging, BBC NI
10:55am
Questions and Answers Session
11:10am
Break and Networking
11:40am
Data, Bias and Belonging: How Evidence-Based Innovation Can Drive Inclusive Policy and Practice
- Explore how data science and actuarial methods can uncover systemic bias in education and workplace structures.
- Discuss the role of predictive analytics and AI in building equitable, inclusive systems — from student support to HR decision-making.
- Present real-world insights from research and practice on using data ethically to enhance belonging and reduce disparities.
- Offer frameworks for integrating science and EDI to inform future policy and inclusive innovation strategies.
Daniel Sanusi, Researcher, Advocate, and Data Scientist
12:00pm
Recognising and Addressing Bias and Microaggressions in the Workplace
- Understanding the different forms of bias and microaggressions, as well as their origins
- How do microaggressions impact employee wellbeing, trust, and retention?
- The role of staff and leaders in tackling microaggressions in a constructive way
Virginia Mendez, Author and Public Speaker
12:20pm
Supporting LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in the Workplace
- What specific barriers do LGBTQIA+ employees face in Northern Ireland’s workplaces?
- Addressing common misconceptions about trans and non-binary identities in the workplace
- How do we address microaggressions, unconscious bias, and “rainbow-washing”?
Cara McCann, Director, HEReNI
12:40pm
Questions And Answers Session
12:55pm
Lunch And Networking
1:55pm
Approaching The Reasonable Adjustments Conversation
- Understanding the definition of ‘reasonable adjustments’ and what they mean in the context of EDI
- Is a diagnosis, or a disclosure of a diagnosis necessary to implement reasonable adjustments?
- Practical advice on navigating the reasonable adjustments conversation
Andrea Brown, CEO, Disability Action NI
2:15pm
Panel Discussion: Navigating Challenging EDI Narratives – Tools to Powerful EDI Advocacy
- Exploring the recent EDI backlash narratives dominating the conversations
- Has the perception of EDI initiatives changed in the UK as a result?
- How can organisations respond in a tactful but firm manner, to provide reassurance to their employees?
- Tools to challenge harmful narratives in a constructive manner, for powerful EDI advocacy
2:45pm
Questions And Answers Session
2:55pm
Break and Networking
3:25pm
Beyond Labels – How To make EDI work for All
- Recognising intersectionality and the complexity of identity
- Why focusing on labels can limit the impact – and how embracing identity complexities helps inform truly inclusive practices
- Designing policies and practices that respond to diverse and intersecting experiences
Dr Gráinne Kelly, Senior Lecturer in Organisation, Work and Leadership at Queen’s Business School, Queen’s University Belfast
3:45pm
Building Leadership Capacity for Sustainable EDI Impact
- Defining skills and capabilities of inclusive leadership
- How to embed EDI into leadership development
- Supporting leaders to manage resistance, difficult conversations, and competing priorities around EDI
4:05pm
Questions And Answers Session
4:15pm
Chair’s Summary And Close