2025 MASTERING DIVERSITY AWARDs Sponsors
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS & 2025 winners
STEM
- Outstanding Achievement: Prof Sue Wong CBE — Medical Research & Education
- Gold: Wendy Sadler MBE — Science Made Simple
- Silver: Ffion Medi-Jones — STEM & Skills Officer
- Bronze: Dr Tipswalo Day — Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- Meritorious Award: Professor Haley Gomez MBE — Astrophysics and Dr Claire Jenkins- Intellectual Property Office
- Rising Star: Dr Emma Yhnell — Neuroscience & EDI Leadership
BUSINESS CHAMPION
- Gold: Lesley Williams — Welsh ICE
- Silver: Julie Grabham — JGHR & The Pledge
- Bronze: Sadique Maskeen — Umbrella Faith
- Meritorious Awards: Ammar Akhtar (Finalrentals), Deb Barrow (Barrow HR)
- Rising Star: Ellis Peares — Student Hands
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
- Gold: Prof Sue Wong CBE — Cardiff University
- Gold: Mutale Merrill OBE — BAWSO
PUBLIC SECTOR
- Gold: Mutale Merrill OBE — BAWSO
- Silver: Rae Cornish — Welsh Government
- Bronze: Dave Crews — South Wales Fire & Rescue
- Meritorious Award: Shirley Newbury — Neath Port Talbot Council
- Rising Star: Not awarded
COMMUNITY
- Gold: Ryan Thompson — Pontypridd Male Voice Choir
- Silver: Jenine Abdo — Duncan Lewis Solicitors
- Bronze: Beth Baldwin — The Fabulous Facilitator
- Meritorious Award: Lesley Williams — Welsh ICE
- Rising Star: Osamagbe Izevbigie — OTID
- One to Watch: Amy Hubbuck — Hidden Strength
HEALTH
- Gold: Emma Wootten — Age Connect Torfaen
- Silver: Barbara Chidgey — Daring to Dream
- Bronze: Faith Walker & Ireoluwa — Sickle Cell & Thalassemia Cymru
- Bronze: Emma Jay Hopkins — Wellfinite
- Meritorious Award: Sartha Rajoo — NHS
- Rising Star: Athika Ahmed — Cardiff & Vale UHB
SPORTS
- Gold: Disability Sport Wales
- Silver: Cymru Unleashed — OTID Entertainment / AfroWales
- Bronze: Urdd Gobaith Cymru
- Meritorious Award: Cymru Women’s Sport
- Rising Star: Iona McDougall — Disability Inclusion Advocate
GENDER EQUALITY
- Gold: Nicola Noel — Brainworks Therapy
- Silver: Lesley Williams — Welsh ICE
- Bronze: Dr Joanna Martin — Cardiff University
- Meritorious Award: Beth Baldwin — The Fabulous Facilitator
- Rising Star: Gabriella Pearson — Menstrual Health Project
EDUCATION
- GOLD – Shubnam Aziz, Mount Stuart Primary School
- SILVER – Sharon Pascoe, Fochriw Primary School
- BRONZE – Sharon James-Evans, Cardiff & Vale College
- Meritorious Award – Paula Timms, Kidscape / Children in Wales
- Rising Star – Fabiola Doano, Apoyo Courses Ltd
REPRESENTATION
- Gold: Anna-Louise Bates — Believe Organ Donor Support
- Silver: Osamagbe Izevbigie — OTID
- Bronze: Nicola Noel — Brainworks Therapy
- Meritorious Award: Naheed Ashraf & Azra Syed — Active Lives
- Rising Star: Anna Cooper — Menstrual Health Project
COGNITIVE AND NEURODIVERSITY
- Gold: Dr Kai Thomas — Cardiff University
- Silver: Helen Rees — Neuroble
- Bronze: Ellie Starkwood
- Meritorious Award: Mohammed Islam — Seeds of Hope
Young Person of the Year
Young Person of the Year
Young Person of the Year
Young Person of the Year:
Kobena Amissah — Mastering Diversity Youth Advisory Panel, International Youth Advocate
FOUNDER'S AWARD
Young Person of the Year
Young Person of the Year
Founder’s Award: India Dewfield
AWARD CATEGORIES, SPONSORS & FINALISTS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Headline & Award Sponsor: Leigh Day
DIVERSITY IN BUSINESS champion
Award Sponsors: Hugh James & Natwest Group
STEM CHAMPION
GENDER EQUALITY CHAMPION
Award Sponsor: Ogi
GENDER EQUALITY CHAMPION
Diversity in REPRESENTATION CHAMPION
GENDER EQUALITY CHAMPION
Award Sponsor: Legal News Wales
DIVERSITY IN SPORTS CHAMPION
Diversity in REPRESENTATION CHAMPION
Diversity in REPRESENTATION CHAMPION
Award Sponsor: Commonwealth Games Team Wales
Diversity in REPRESENTATION CHAMPION
Diversity in REPRESENTATION CHAMPION
Diversity in REPRESENTATION CHAMPION
Award Sponsor: Browne Jacobson
Cognitive & neurodiversity champion
Cognitive & neurodiversity champion
Cognitive & neurodiversity champion
COMMUNITY CHAMPION
Cognitive & neurodiversity champion
Cognitive & neurodiversity champion
DIVERSITY IN EDUCATION CHAMPION
Cognitive & neurodiversity champion
Diversity in Public Sector Champion
Diversity in Public Sector Champion
Diversity in Public Sector Champion
Diversity in Public Sector Champion
Diversity in HEALTH CHAMPION
Diversity in Public Sector Champion
Diversity in HEALTH CHAMPION
Award Sponsor: Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust
THE Mastering Diversity & Inclusion AWARDS 2025
Mastering Diversity: We Go Together Or Not At All!
Sincerest gratitude to the Hon Vaughan Gething MS, for sponsoring this year's Awards. The Hon Minister has always been a supporter of our work from the inception, and it was our privilege to be hosted by him on November 18th!
Hosted at Senedd Cymru in Cardiff Bay, these free awards celebrated the champions, leaders, and inspiring individuals for their work in driving equitable and inclusive communities, workplaces, and services in Wales.
MASTERING DIVERSITY CIC HAS BEEN AWARDED
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We are proud to have won Awards ourselves and are pleased to be able to facilitate worthy Awards to our own Mastering Diversity Champions. The awards are split into categories inspired by key themes from the 2025 Mastering Diversity conference and include two special personal recognition awards.
Speakers & Awards Host
Hon Vaughan gething ms FORMER FIRST MINISTER
Senedd Constituency Member
Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party
Welsh Labour Group
Cardiff South and Penarth
Awards CEREMONY HOST: Presenter, Reporter, Broadcast Journalist. MOLLY STEPHENS
keynote speaker: PHILIP lof
Philip works in the Welsh Government Brussels Office, where he leads on Climate, Energy, Environment, and Future Generations policy. Deeply committed to representing Wales on the international stage, Philip plays a key role in strengthening Wales’ relationships with the EU and priority regions.
As the Welsh Government’s Future Generations Champion, Philip also sits on the Welsh Government board, advocating for the Well-being of Future Generations Act to be embedded in top-level decision-making. A passionate advocate for sustainable development, he champions collaboration between regions and nations to share best practice and build more resilient, forward-looking communities.
Philip is a member of the expert panel for Academi Wales, contributing to leadership development across the public sector. He is also the former Chair of the board of Trustees of COS, a sensory loss charity in North Wales, and remains a strong advocate for inclusion and support for the sensory loss community in the workplace.
Born in Sweden and raised in North Wales from the age of three, Philip proudly identifies as an adopted Welshman.
Entertainment: gavin sheppard
Gavin is a dynamic singer-entertainer and entrepreneur, recently launching his own estate agency, Sheppard & Bear. Having grown up with little and facing both personal challenges and health setbacks, Gavin has turned adversity into determination, using every trial and tribulation as fuel to prove the world wrong. His journey has not only shaped his career but also inspired his role as an advocate, supporting others to overcome their own obstacles. Today, Gavin continues to follow his passions with resilience, positivity, and a drive to always be the best version of himself.
BERNIE DAVIES: Awards founder, Tedx Speaker NED, EDI Advisor & Author
Mastering Diversity Awards Founder, former lawyer and multi-award-winning EDI Expert, Bernie Davies has herself received 4 prestigious EDI Awards, including EMWWAA Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in EDI.
On United Nations Human Rights Day, 2022, the Universal Peace Federation awarded Bernie the prestigious Title of Ambassador for Peace at their headquarters, Lancaster Gate London for her work in Diversity Equity and Inclusion.
Bernie understands the importance of being recognised for hard work and as a result made it her mission to fill the gap for Awards exclusive to Diversity and Inclusion work in Wales.
2025 MARKETING & MEDIA PARTNERS
Sincerest Gratitude to Cardiff Life Magazine and WCS Agency