Belfast
Workplace
Conference

Matthew Cavan (he/they)

Actor, singer, drag artist and activist

Matthew is an actor, singer, drag artist and activist from Belfast. Matthew’s alter ego, Miss Cherrie Ontop, is one of Belfast's best known cabaret performers.

At the age of 20, Matthew’s life was turned upside down after receiving their HIV diagnosis. This set Matthew on the road to activism, standing up for the community they found themselves part of.

Matthew has been the subject a number of online hate campaigns due to being open about living with HIV and also being a drag artist who reads books to children at Drag Story time events.

Not one to be silent, Matthew has stood up time and again in the face of adversity. Matthew feels very honoured to be asked to be a keynote speaker at the workplace conference.

Laura Lavery (she/her)

Co-chair, Working With Pride

Laura Lavery is a local LGBTQ+ leader and activist, and Community & Engagement Lead for PA Consulting.

She co-chairs the Working With Pride network, supporting LGBTQ+ networks across Belfast and wider NI, and regularly leads on local I&D and workplace culture conversations.

She has over 10 years' experience leading people networks and now helps drive the wider I&D strategy within PA.

Scott Cuthbertson (he/him)

Director, The Rainbow Project

Scott took over as Director of the Rainbow Project in June 2023 joining from the Equality Network, a Scottish LGBTQ+ charity, where he was Development Manager. His background is in community and international development.

He has been involved in campaigning for many of the laws that progressed LGBTQ+ equality from Equal Marriage; hate crime laws; adoption rights; and historic pardons. He campaigned on the issues of LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport, and improving rural and island LGBTQ+ visibility.

Internationally, he was a member of the management committee for the Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN) which works to progress LGBTQ+ rights in the Commonwealth, as well as chairing the UK Alliance for Global Equality (UKAGE).

In his spare time he likes to travel (over 60 countries to date); swim; and watch sci-fi shows.

Bobbi Pickard (she/they)

CEO, Trans In The City

Multi award winning Bobbi Pickard (she/they) is a Diversity Equity and Inclusion professional with many years senior operational and programme management experience in the banking, trading, technology and energy sectors.

She is CEO of Trans in the City, an organisation she founded in response to seeing a lack of co-operative working between global corporates to help the trans and non-binary community, and has transformed it into a global organisation with over 350 major organisations collaborating on furthering trans awareness across the world.

Bobbi is a Patron of FFLAG, a very proud golden champion of Stonewall Housing, an EDI Associate of the Wellcome Trust, a delegate to the United Nations commission on the status of women and a Diversity Role Model.

Anette Whelan (she/her)

Co-chair, Working With Pride

Annette has over 16 years’ information security experience in the global finance sector. She has led LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) both locally and globally and is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within the workplace.

Outside of her day job, Annette is co-chair of the Working With Pride (WWP) network. WWP is a network of corporate Pride networks within Northern Ireland. WWP launched in July 2014 to help increase visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff within member organisations. WWP is a fully inclusive network for workplace LGBTQIA+ network leads and their allies.

Jemma Simpson (she/her)

CEO, Diverse Talent.ai

Jemma Simpson is the Founder and CEO of DiverseTalent.ai, an inclusive hiring platform eliminating bias and promoting inclusivity.

An experienced HR & DEI consultant with a sprinkle of software engineering, her mission is to empower both job seekers and employers to build a more inclusive workplace.

Beyond her professional life, Jemma actively engages in training sessions for organizational leaders, advocates for LGBTQIA+ causes, and extends support to initiatives assisting underrepresented entrepreneurs.

Emiliano Del Vecchio (he/him)

Senior Mid-Market Industry Manager, Google

Emiliano Del Vecchio is a Senior Mid-Market Industry Manager and Culture lead @ PRIDE Steering Committee at Google.

Matthew Case (he/him)

Head of Brand, Whitbread; Chair of their LGBTQIA+ Network, GLOW

Matthew is a Head of Brand at Whitbread and is the Chair of their LGBTQIA+ Network, GLOW. As well as these roles, he sits on multiple steering committees, across D&I, Wellbeing & ESG, including enAble the disability network, and is Chair for Whitbread’s partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, the UKs largest corporate partnership.

With 20+ years’ experience in Operations, Central Ops and brand strategy, he has a passion for ensuring businesses take meaningful steps towards inclusion practices and has been recognised for developing impactful change that supports everyone within an organisation, from policy to employee lifecycle and beyond.

Karen McShane (she/her)

Chair, The Rainbow Project Board of Trustees

Karen is a Chartered Civil Engineer and business owner in Northern Ireland.

She is the National President of her professional institution and is a member of their EDI Panel. She is a board member for the Rainbow Project and was the 2023 recipient of the PA McLaughlin award from Pride as well as the winner of a mighty women award for her work.

Karen Duffy (she/her)

Senior Specialist, PA Consulting

Karen Duffy is a Senior Specialist within PA Consulting in Belfast. Karen is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ equity, with a focus on improving inclusion and representation in the workplace and beyond.

As the global co-chair of PA Consulting’s Pride network, Karen leads initiatives that promote diversity, support LGBTQ+ employees, and foster a culture of acceptance and belonging.

With a strong commitment to advocacy, Karen is driven to advance equality and champion the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.

Aidan Toal (he/him)

Co-Chair of Northern Ireland Civil Service LGBTQ+ Staff Network

Aidan Toal has served as the Co-Chair of the Northern Ireland Civil Service LGBTQ+ Staff Network for over two years. In this role, Aidan has supported the launch of several key initiatives, including diversity and inclusion training packages, community support groups and a reverse mentoring programme.

Aidan also features in the organisation’s LGBTQ+ role models guide along with other civil servants who are committed to driving cultural change and amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ colleagues.

Michael Loughan (he/him)

Solutions Engineer, Liberty IT

Michael is a Solutions Engineer at Liberty IT, which leverages technology to address complex challenges and implement solutions for their parent company, Liberty Mutual Insurance.

In addition to his technical role, Michael is also co-chair of Liberty's Pride employee resource group, demonstrating his passion for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the organisation.

Michael actively collaborates to implement policies and initiatives that foster equal opportunities and representation.