Prof. Debbie Foster is ‘Professor of Employment Relations and Diversity’ at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University.  Debbie was Co-Chair of the Welsh Governments’ Disability Rights Taskforce (2021-5) alongside Jane Hutt MS, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Chief Whipp and Trefnydd. The Taskforce was innovative and highlighted the importance of the Social Model of Disability, lived experience and working co-productively with disabled people to identify policy challenges and solutions.  Welsh Government published a 10 year ‘Disabled People’s Rights Plan for Wales’ in December 2025.  Named as one of 100 ‘Changemakers’ by the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales and, in the Shaw Trusts Disability Power 100 list in 2023,  Debbie has been asked to Co-Chair a new ‘External Advisory Board’ that is being established by Welsh Government to oversee the Plan’s implementation.

Joe Powell is the Chief Executive Officer for All Wales People First, a National Umbrella body of self-advocacy groups for people with learning disabilities across Wales. All Wales People First believes that self-advocacy is the best form of advocacy and the ultimate preventative service, and that self-advocacy is key to achieving equality and citizenship for people with learning disabilities in Wales. Before this role, Joe lived in autism specific care services for eleven years before fighting to live the very different life he lives now.

Dr Natasha Hirst is a deaf photojournalist. She is the chair of Disability Arts Cymru and a former president of the National Union of Journalists. She is originally from a science background, with a PhD in physical chemistry. Natasha was a co-researcher with Prof Debbie Foster on the ground-breaking ‘Legally Disabled’ project which explored the experiences of disabled people in the legal profession. Natasha continues to work on co-produced projects as a researcher and photographer and regularly writes about diversity and inclusion issues. She also served as a working group chair on the Welsh Government Disability Rights Taskforce.

Amie Field is the Interim Director of Customer Strategy and Service Development at Careers Wales. With nearly 20 years of experience in the careers sector, Amie began as an employability coach and has since held a variety of roles spanning both service delivery and infrastructure.

Over the past eight years, Amie has taken on a range of management roles across Careers Wales, most recently serving as Head of Services to Young People. These experiences have equipped her with a deep understanding of customer needs, data-driven service improvement, and strategic leadership.

In her current interim director role, Amie leads the development and delivery of customer strategy and service innovation, ensuring that Careers Wales continues to provide high-quality, impartial support to young people and adults across Wales.

Tansaim Hussain‑Gul is a Customer Resolution Agent at Centrica British Gas, working within Digital and Social Media Customer Services. Alongside her professional role, she is an active trade union representative, serving as Assistant Branch Secretary, Disability and Women’s Officer for UNISON Cymru Energy, She is a Co Chair of the National Disability Committee, where she advocates for fair treatment, inclusion, and employee wellbeing in all the sectors.

Tansaim brings frontline experience of customer engagement, digital accessibility, and workplace inclusion, with a particular interest in disability inclusion, reasonable adjustments, and embedding inclusive practices within large organisations. She is passionate about challenging stigma, amplifying employee voice, and supporting practical change that creates more equitable and accessible workplaces across Wales.

Rhianydd Williams is the Equality and Policy Officer at the Wales TUC. Rhianydd leads on workplace equality campaigns such as:
• Menopause in the workplace
• Invisible Disability and the workplace
• Autism and the workplace
• Sexual harassment and the workplace
• LGBTQ+ Action plan.
Rhianydd was seconded to the Welsh Government in 2021 to work on the Wales Anti Racism Action Plan and she sits on the Disability Task Force.
Prior to working at the Wales TUC, Rhianydd has worked for a number Senedd Members, Stonewall Cymru and the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills. She has also sat on the board of Women Adding Value to the Economy (WAVE) and the Wales Social Partners Unit (WSPU).

Catherine has a background in engineering and self-recognised as autistic in 2002. They began their autism career in 2014 with The National Autistic Society,  delivering employability courses and providing 1:1 workplace support for autistic employees before specialising in working with employers and delivering quality employment consultancy and training. Catherine was diagnosed as autistic in 2015, and since 2021 has also been designing and delivering training and resources for parents and carers, healthcare and mental health professionals and NHS Mental Health Trusts, Careers Professionals and the Autism Education Trust.

Catherine regularly reaches out to the autistic community for their voice in Catherine’s work, balancing evidence based, best-practice approaches and their own lived experience of being autistic, as an autism professional, and the parent to an adult autistic person.

Darwin Gray’s Managing Partner and Head of Employment Fflur Jones advises on all aspects of employment law, with a particular expertise and interest in discrimination law. She thrives on bringing and defending complex Employment Tribunal claims. Her advice also ranges from unfair dismissals and redundancy consultations to whistleblowing matters. She often advises on thorny internal disciplinary and grievance issues, including conducting detailed investigations into such issues. A regular contributor to national radio and TV programmes, Fflur is also described by clients as an ‘engaging’, ‘clear’ and ‘informative’ trainer, and delivers courses bilingually on a wide range of employment law topics.

Karen started AP Cymru (a registered charity) in 2009, not long after her youngest son received his autism diagnosis at just 22 months old. ​In 2006 her eldest son received his diagnosis and finally, in 2018 Karen received her own diagnosis aged 43. Karen is proud of the neuroinclusive work environment that she has created, ​all of the team are neurodiverse, with the majority autistic, ADHD & dyslexic.

The aim of the Charity is to replace the stigma around neurodiversity and promote a positive perception.  All services are created & tailored around the needs of the children, young people and their families.​ There are more than 1,400 children and their families currently registered for the charities services with referals being received from CAMHS, Social Services, GPs and hospitals, Schools and Local Education Authorities plus other third sector organisations.

Karen and her team have created, developed and delivered their accredited neurodiversity training to Adult Mental Health services at NHS, MIND Cymru, Cardiff University, PRIDE Cymru, Cardiff Airport and many more…

Mike Hobbs leads the Specialist Resource Base (SRB) at Monmouth Comprehensive School. The SRB is an specialist pupil-centred provision that is integrated into the wider school; it is significantly over-subscribed every year. An Estyn case study entitled An integrated approach to specialist provision was published in July 2023 to share the SRB’s sector-leading practice.  Recent SRB developments have included curriculum development, pedagogical innovation, and the creation of a new assessment and progression framework.

Elle Elliott is a passionate People and Culture professional, committed to creating inclusive, engaging and high-performing workplaces. With a background that spans multi-sector and global roles in People Strategy, Employee Engagement, Learning and Organisational Development, and Culture Change, Elle excels at using her creative and authentic self to bring about real people-centric interventions that support business goals.

Known for nurturing relationships that are built on trust, collaboration and credibility, Elle partners with leaders to inspire and advocate a people-first mindset in supporting inclusion and belonging in every aspect of the employee experience.

Outside of work, Elle enjoys wild swimming, roller-skating and creative writing, all of which forge a mindful and balanced approach to her work.