Creating Cultures of Belonging

I want to help organisations with the trickiest parts of inclusion. Building on my years in the corporate sector as well as my comedy performance career, I want to make learning joyful, and more importantly, inclusion something everyone feels confident with.

COURAGE

I work with integrity, and am proud to challenge myself and others.

Hi, I'm Ali, pronouns they/them.

Little did I know that years of performing improv comedy had been preparing me for a career in inclusion and leadership. The skills of listening properly, staying curious, reading a room and helping people feel comfortable enough to contribute, are just as useful on stage as off it.

These days, I help organisations become places where people can do their best work. Sometimes that means talking about inclusion, sometimes leadership, sometimes culture, and quite often it means helping people have conversations they've been putting off.

I haven’t always been involved directly with inclusion; my background is in communications and learning, and I've always been interested in how people understand ideas, what changes behaviour and why some conversations lead to real change while others don't. You could argue that comms are all about inclusion, perhaps! Over time, though, I found myself drawn more and more to the human side of organisations: how people work together, what gets in the way and what helps people feel able to bring their whole selves to work.

“I don't believe inclusion is something you can fix with a policy document or a one-off training session. The interesting work happens in the conversations, decisions and everyday behaviours that shape a workplace culture.”

Over the last decade, I've worked with organisations ranging from charities and universities to multinational businesses, helping them think differently about inclusion, leadership and culture. Every organisation has its own context, challenges and ambitions, so I don't arrive with with simple answers. I ask questions, listen carefully and work with people to find approaches that actually fit.

Alongside my facilitation work, I've trained as a coach, which has allowed me to support people in a more one-to-one way. I love the energy of a group conversation, but coaching offers something different: space to slow down, explore what's really going on and help people work through the things that might be holding them back.

Away from work, I'm very much drawn to performance and storytelling. I've spent years performing improv comedy, including teaching and performing with AndAlso Improv. An experience that has shaped how I work with people as much as any formal training. Listening, adapting and trusting the moment are skills that have stayed with me, whether I'm on stage, facilitating a workshop or coaching someone through a challenge.

A few highlights

• Giving a TEDx talk, Gender as a Performance

• Speaking at NeuroCurious about my experience of living with OCD

• Being recognised by OUTstanding and the Financial Times as one of the UK's Top 30 LGBT+ Future Leaders in 2016

• Graduating from the University of Sussex with a First Class BSc in Business and International Development

• Receiving recognition for my improv comedy work, including Comedy Event of the Year at the Ultimate Planet Awards (2014), L Fest Arts Event at L Fest (2014), and Best Performance Group at the ShoutOut Radio Listeners Awards (2015)