Navigating DEI in 2026: Business benefits over box-ticking
DEI, diversity, inclusion, diversity and inclusion, EDI,
On Wednesday 10 June, the CIPR Diversity and Inclusion Network (DIN) will host an online expert speaker panel for CIPR members entitled Navigating DEI in 2026: Business benefits over box-ticking.
Moderated by Avril Lee, Chair of the Taylor Bennett Foundation and the CIPR DIN, the panel of experts in communications and DEI will discuss how business leaders can create a culture of inclusivity and belonging through the lens of profitability and sustainable growth.
Panellists:
• Uwern Jong - Editor-in-Chief of OutThere and Founder of Icons of Inclusion
• Priya Aggarwal-Shah, Founder and Director of PREACH Inclusion®
• Mac Alonge, CEO and Founder of The Equal Group
Topics that will be discussed include innovation, problem-solving, talent acquisition/ retention, crisis preparedness, and client engagement. The hour-long session will conclude with a Q&A session for member guidance and interaction.
We would be delighted if you can dial in to join us for an enlightening and interactive discussion.
About the panel
Uwern Jong
Uwern Jong is Editor-in-Chief of OutThere magazine, which he founded with Martin Perry in 2010. Uwern is an inclusive tourism advocate, passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion in the travel industry. He is Campaign magazine’s Editorial Leader of the Year 2020 and multi-award winning travel journalist/editor.
He also created and founded/co-founded: South East Asia’s first ever LGBTQ+ travel symposium, The LGBT+ Travel Symposium; Swedish destination marketing organisation, Stockholm LGBT; Swedish diversity and inclusion communications agency, Diversity Marketing International; and Icons of Inclusion, an educational and networking event to foster greater diversity in luxury travel
Priya Aggarwal-Shah
Priya Aggarwal-Shah is the Founder and Director of PREACH Inclusion® (Promoting Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage), an organisation dedicated to advancing intersectional inclusion in the Built Environment.
Priya has championed numerous campaigns including Race Equality Week, #MyNameIs, South Asian Heritage Month, and International Women’s Day.
Priya is also an Associate of Shape Strategy, collaborating with their network of strategists to embed intersectional inclusion and cultural awareness into organisational transformation. She also sits on the London Property Alliance DE&I Board and is an Advisory Panel Member for the Regent Street, Haymarket, and Piccadilly Circus Public Realm programme.
Mac Alonge
Mac Alonge is Founder and CEO of EDI consultancy The Equal Group. He is an experienced strategic and regulatory consultant with over a decade in the energy and utilities sector. Mac is also a member of the Lloyds Bank Black Business Advisory Committee and was previously a board trustee for Town Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham.
He leads the company’s vision to create measurable, lasting progress in equality, diversity and inclusion. The Equal Group’s work has won an award for inclusion programme of the year at the Engineering Talent Awards 2021.
Avril Lee
Avril Lee is an independent communications consultant, chair of the CIPR DIN, and chair of the Taylor Bennet Foundation. She is also sits on the DEI Advisory Board of Our Future Health.
Avril has held senior leadership positions at some of the UK’s most respected communications agencies and has more than 25 years’ experience in health communications.
She is a long-standing advocate for equity and inclusion. Her contributions to the comms industry have been recognised with several major accolades, including the CIPR’s Sir Stephen Tallents' Medal, an Honorary Fellowship, and the inaugural BME PR Pros Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Contact: Hannah Carpenter
Email: [email protected]