Cardiff, Wales – The highly anticipated Mastering Diversity Conference 2025 announces the full reveal of its nine powerhouse Zones, each designed to interrogate, inspire, and influence the future of equity and inclusion in Wales and beyond. Taking place at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on September 11th, this year’s event promises to deliver more than conversation — it delivers action. These action packed Zone breakout room sessions are scheduled for 10:15 and 13:15 (in between the morning and afternoon opening ceremonies and speeches) providing 3 solid hours of knowledge exchange.
HEADLINE ZONE: Advocating for Equity – Led by Leigh Day
At the heart of the conference sits the Advocating for Equity Zone, powered by Headline Sponsor Leigh Day and led by Julia Reynolds, Clinical Negligence Partner.
“So proud to be headline sponsors at Mastering Diversity conference. Working with Bernie Davies has been a complete joy. She is insightful, supportive and a real advocate for diversity and inclusion. Advocating for equity really summarises our values at Leigh Day – lawyers against injustice,” Julia added.
This dynamic space confronts:
- Health inequity
- Access to justice for migrants
- Disability rights at work and beyond
With powerful contributions from legal experts, lived experience speakers, and high-impact names such as Venestre Cyrill OBE (Pride of Britain Winner), Dr Carlton Brown (Black British Entrepreneurs’ Conference), and Scarlett Allen-Horton (Harper Fox Partners / Lord Sugar’s business partner) — this is a platform for courage, truth, and systemic change.
BUSINESS ZONE: Practice, Progress, Partnership – Sponsored by NatWest Group & Hugh James
Led by NatWest and Hugh James, this zone delivers a compelling programme:
- Segment One: Practice, Progress, Partnership – spotlighting real strategies for inclusive enterprise
- Segment Two: Keynote Speaker – tackling collaboration, human and business cases for DEI
- Segment Three: Panel – Making It Real – stories of real change across sectors
This zone is a rallying point for private, public, and third sector leaders ready to embed lasting change.
STEM ZONE: Powered by OGI – Led by Mike Scott
The STEM Zone is where innovation meets inclusion. Hosted by Mike Scott from OGI, this space celebrates how science, technology, engineering, and maths are building new futures right here in Wales.
From educators to engineers, data scientists to digital creators — this zone connects talent, breaks barriers, and opens doors across communities. The focus: no talent left behind.
YOUTH & EDUCATION ZONE: Led by the Mastering Diversity Youth Board
Driven by the voice of youth, this zone champions:
- Youth Inclusion
- Education & Development
- Digital Inclusion from Youth Perspectives
Young leaders. Bold vision. Real inclusion.
HEALTH ZONE: Led by Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST)
This space humanises health and champions people-first systems:
- The Patient Voice – lived experience front and centre
- From Volunteer to Valued Team Member – championing non-traditional entry paths
- Power in Connection – exploring WAST’s staff networks in action
This is inclusion in healthcare – from grassroots to leadership.
SPORTS ZONE: Led by Rebecca Edwards-Symmons, Commonwealth Games Wales
This zone bursts with activity:
- Team Wales Panel: Showcasing the LeadHERship programme
- Cymru Women’s Sport Panel: Tackling Intersectionality in Women’s Sport
- WCVA Panel: Hosted by Sumaya Khan and Rajma Begum, Celebrating Diversity in Sport
Athletes, advocates, and allies unite to challenge the culture of sport — and redefine who belongs on the pitch, track, and boardroom.
GENDER EQUALITY ZONE: Led by Emma Waddingham, Legal News Wales
This year’s Gender Equality Zone expands the conversation with powerful voices and essential programming:
- SheWho Panel – Founders Gemma Barnett (Blake Morgan), Ceri Maund (PureCyber), Hannah Williams (Alacrity Foundation) and Sarah James (FinTech Wales) share the story of the SheWho movement and offer exclusive announcements about what’s next for their growing women’s network.
- Fireside Chat – With Eve Piffaretti, Head of Wales at Blake Morgan and recently crowned Leader of the Year, this intimate discussion will explore leadership, legacy and lifting up future generations of women.
- Workshop: Leadership Skills for Women – Led by Ria Burrage-Male, founder of KIBO and co-founder of The Captains Clubhouse, this hands-on session dives into the practical tools and mindset shifts women need to lead with confidence.
This zone continues to ignite bold conversation about gender, representation and the urgent changes needed across law, media, finance, tech, and beyond.
REPRESENTATION ZONE: Led by Laura Hughes, Browne Jacobson –
Visibility, Voice, and Leadership in Professional Services
This zone explores the vital role professional services play in modelling diversity, equity and inclusion across industries. With an agenda driven by bold leadership, data-led insight, and sector-wide collaboration, this space asks: what does true representation look like — and who must lead it?
Highlights include:
- Panel: DEI in Professional Services – representatives discuss the evolving face of leadership, hiring, and equity in legal and professional settings
- Keynote by Laura Hughes – Browne Jacobson Partner, Hot 100 Lawyer 2025 & National Law Firm Leader of the Year, Women in Diversity Awards “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.” Laura explores our collective obligation to reflect the change we want to see, even when it feels uncomfortable
- Panel: Representative Bodies Leading Change – a conversation with national industry bodies on their role in progress
- Joint Keynote: CBI & University of South Wales – unveiling groundbreaking research on women in leadership in Wales, born from the CBI Women in Leadership group and now an active development programme co-led by USW and CBI
This zone brings together law, business, education and policy to drive visibility, develop talent, and commit to doing things differently.
Tickets are FREE but access to the two Main Ceremonies (Opening & Afternoon) is capped at 350 attendees. Early booking is essential.
🎟️ Book now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1299196775529?aff=oddtdtcreator
Image of Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama by Irid Escent, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons