Emilie Fellingham

Skills

Strategic systems thinking
Analysing how structures, power, incentives and culture interact to produce inequality.


Structural inequality diagnosis
Identifying root causes rather than treating representation as the problem.


Fairness‑led inclusion strategy design
Embedding equity and access directly into organisational strategy, governance and delivery.

Equality and human rights law in organisational practice
Deep applied expertise in the Equality Act 2010, discrimination law and dignity at work.


Employment rights and workplace protections
Including emerging developments under the Employment Rights Act and worker safeguards.


Relationship management and strategic stakeholder engagement
Building deep trust, credibility and long‑term partnerships across complex ecosystems.

Reasonable adjustment and anticipatory duty frameworks
For staff, freelancers, audiences/ customers and participants.


Built‑environment accessibility regulation and inclusive design
Building Regulations, Part M, BS 8300 and outcome‑focused access design.


Digital accessibility beyond WCAG
EN 301 549, usability‑led interpretation, information access and cognitive accessibility.


International accessibility legislation
Practical application of accessibility legislation (including ADA and EAA), translating regulatory requirements into usable systems, guidance and risk‑managed decisions across jurisdictions.


Human‑rights‑based approach to access and safeguarding
Dignity, autonomy, participation and protection across operational contexts.


Strategic design and organisational architecture
Designing frameworks, governance models and systems that enable inclusion to function.


Horizon scanning and futures intelligence
Tracking social, legal, technological and cultural shifts to inform strategic decision‑making.


Scenario planning for inclusion, access and workforce futures
Developing credible future scenarios to stress‑test strategy and mitigate risk.


Behavioural and cultural change design
Translating policy and values into measurable, lived behaviour.


Justice‑informed organisational culture diagnosis
Assessing who is promoted, protected, silenced or excluded — and why.


Evidence‑based inclusion and HR practice
Applying robust research, data and lived experience without performativity.


Anti‑racist organisational change
Including decentring whiteness and confronting majority‑bias systems.


Anti‑ableist practice using the social model of disability


Neuroinclusion and cognitive accessibility
Leadership, environment, policy and communication.


Psychological safety with accountability
Creating safe cultures that still expect ethical, inclusive behaviour.


Inclusive recruitment, progression and talent systems


Accessible communication and writing expertise
Plain language, alt text, image description and sensory‑aware content.


Visual and systems communication for strategy
Making complexity legible through diagrams, maps and frameworks.


Ethical AI governance and technology justice
Licensing‑first, system‑specific AI use in creative and people systems.


Cross‑sector and sector‑wide inclusion leadership
Influencing practice beyond one organisation through collaboration and standards.

About

15+ years leading culture, inclusion and engagement strategies across finance, retail, education, charities and the UK creative industries, embedding inclusion as infrastructure rather than standalone initiatives, shaping how fairness, trust and leadership are experienced at scale.

>Strategy, Culture & Organisational Impact

*Led multi‑year Culture & Inclusion strategies through periods of major change, embedding inclusive behaviours into leadership practice, performance frameworks and everyday decision‑making.
*Co‑authored and delivered a 5‑year People & Culture strategy, resulting in inclusion becoming the highest‑scoring area of organisational culture.
*Embedded inclusion into resourcing, learning, performance, progression and reward, ensuring consistency and accountability rather than reliance on goodwill.

>Leadership, Delivery & Change

*Managed many teams including a geographically dispersed team of 10 with 120 indirect reports, coaching four direct reports into leadership roles.
*Led teams through restructures, system migrations and large‑scale change programmes while maintaining delivery, wellbeing and trust.
*Designed and delivered leadership development programmes including cross‑group coaching, mentoring and shadowing.

>Data, Insight & Accountability

*In my current role, delivered £1.15m annual savings and a 690% return on investment through inclusion‑led interventions.
*Strong advocate of Evidence‑Based HR (EBHR), designing culture and engagement surveys , pulse checks and lifecycle feedback to measure fairness, trust and predictability, not just sentiment.
*Have overseen collection, validation and reporting of workforce and diversity data, translating insight into clear, prioritised action plans for senior leaders.
*Regular reporting and assurance to Executive teams, Boards, funders and regulators.

>Occupational Health, Wellbeing & Legal

*IOSH‑qualified in Managing Occupational Health & Wellbeing and member of the Association of Occupational Health & Wellbeing Professionals, bringing strong professional grounding to wellbeing strategy and risk management.
*Extensive experience partnering with Occupational Health and safeguarding teams, leading organisation‑wide wellbeing approaches during periods of heightened pressure, including geopolitical instability and organisational change.
*Specialist expertise in neurodiversity, access and workplace adjustments, including supporting colleagues in SEND settings, integrating new EAP providers, and extending wellbeing and benefits provision to freelancers.
*Established supervision and reflective practice for HR partners and Network leaders, and led safeguarding and wellbeing arrangements for lone, remote and distributed workers, balancing duty of care, legal compliance and practical delivery.
*Worked extensively with legal and operational leaders to translate inclusion principles into practical tools that enable fair decisions under pressure.
*Developed guidance and frameworks that balanced mission delivery, risk management and inclusive practice in high‑profile, values‑driven organisations.

>Innovation & Practical Problem‑Solving

*Pioneered the UK’s first BSL‑speaking bank branch, designed directly from community insight.
*Led experiential learning and inclusion programmes for 10,000+ people, focused on habit change and practical decision‑making.
*Introduced and embedded strengths‑based cultures across three organisations.
Designed a staff network/ERG model over 9 years, recognised by Inclusive Employers as best practice, operating as leadership pipelines and innovation hubs.
*Led inclusive digital strategies, co‑created accessibility tools adopted internationally, and won innovation awards.

>Governance, Policy & Futures Thinking

*Current member of Creative UK’s Inclusion Advisory Board for three years, and many other international advisory boards over my career, specialising in neuroinclusion and ensuring inclusion runs from policy through to practice.
*I'm proud to be a European Commission Apply AI Alliance Member supporting to shape AI policy across the EU.
*Appointed to Creative UK’s Expert Panel on AI & CreaTech Adoption, working alongside CTOs to bring a human rights, ethics and anti‑discrimination lens to responsible AI use.
*Active across networks, think tanks and advisory groups, with a strong focus on early risk identification, system design and long‑term organisational resilience.

>How I Work

*Work in close partnership with HR/People, Finance, Legal, Comms, Technology and operational teams, aligning expectations early so inclusion is planned for, not retrofitted.
*A trusted, calm and credible influence at all levels, grounded in fairness, accountability and continuous improvement.