WorkPride 2026 day three recap: storytelling, business travel and HR's role in belonging

Day Three of WorkPride 2026 explored what belonging looks like through change, crisis, policy, and lived experience. Sessions centred on storytelling and resilience, practical policies, the realities of travel and transition, and the role of HR and emerging trends.

Day 3 Inspirational Keynote: Belonging Through Change

Day Three of WorkPride 2026 opened with a keynote conversation on allyship and leadership from RS Group’s Chief People Officer and Global Spectrum Chair, Steve Izquierdo. Framing inclusion as core to both his personal leadership purpose and RS Group’s employee vision, Steve described how stepping into executive sponsorship of the company’s LGBTQ+ ERG has deepened his understanding of the community’s day‑to‑day realities and raised the stakes of his role as an ally.

Reflecting on his own learning curve, Steve admitted he once saw allyship as largely symbolic - showing up to a few events and lending his title - before realising how much more is required. Now he emphasises self‑education, truly listening to lived experiences, using influence to remove barriers, and being visible and vocal even when it feels risky, especially outside the company.

“Ultimately for me, it's around being consistent and it's not just being an ally at certain times or when there's a particular event or a particular activity. It's something you need to always do and you need to consistently do.”

LGBTQ+ Belonging in Crisis

The next panel examined what happens to inclusion when organisations and societies are under pressure. Panelists explored how crises expose shallow DEI commitments, what real safety and belonging look like, and how leaders can communicate and act without leaving LGBTQ+ people behind.

Lee Israel of Colt Technology Services drew on a major incident that affected every employee in his company and effectively pushed ERGs into the background. For him, the lesson was to plan for continuity of community, not just continuity of operations.

One of the things we actually try and pride ourselves in doing is making sure that everybody doesn't feel like they have to tip toe in any room. We make sure everybody feels safe in the organization."

From Santander, network chair TJ Richards stressed that belonging is not a policy but a felt sense of safety and visibility that comes under direct threat in crisis. They warned that when queer people start shrinking back, it’s a signal leaders must not ignore.

“When a crisis hits… it becomes a very simple question of, do you feel safe enough to be visible in your space? If you start to see people pulling back from that visibility, that's a red flag that we have work to do in making people feel safe.”

Consultant and long‑time ally Dr. Kryss Shane challenged organisations to stop outsourcing both risk and education to those already under fire. She urged allies to use their relative safety loudly and proactively, rather than centring their own belonging.

"Stop expecting people already at risk to put themselves more at risk so you don't have to put yourself at risk… If you are not in the blank category, get educated, and then you need to be the loudest one in the room.”

Equity strategist Yassine Senghor highlighted how quickly some companies abandoned DEI at the first sign of political backlash, revealing that the work had never been truly embedded. They argued for intersectional, lived‑experience‑driven policies that people actually know how to use.

“It became very abundantly clear that for those organizations inclusion work maybe wasn't really ever very real to them… It was this add on… not seen as what it actually is, as a core element of how your organization functions best.”

Zach Ford of Crowe LLP focused on values and everyday conversations as anchors in turbulent times. Rather than treating values as “hand‑wavy,” he uses them to challenge leaders and build more human internal communication rooted in care.

"We said these are our values… How do we make a decision that reflects that for our people and make sure that our people feel seen?… Go and talk to people and see how they're doing. The work's about them. It's not about me.”

Storytelling as a Tool for Belonging

In this session, panelists spoke about vulnerability, consent, and the practical ways organisations can weave storytelling into everyday culture without turning marginalised people into unpaid educators.

Lewis Bell from Booking.com shared how being assaulted in Manchester and choosing to tell his team about it - initially just to explain a visible black eye -unexpectedly deepened trust and sparked hard but necessary conversations. What made it work, he said, was being allowed to own both the message and the boundaries.

“I wasn't trying to educate them on anything in particular… I was just being honest of what I needed them to know. And I think that honesty made it land really well.”

From children’s mental health charity Place2Be, communicator and fundraiser Adam Tipping described stories as something people “crave every day,” from tube ads to TV dramas, because they let us quietly step into each other’s worlds. He urged employers to give people the platform and agency to tell their own truths.

“Nothing about us, without us… Don't tell people’s stories for them. Give people platforms and opportunities to have their stories. Everyone deserves to have their story told and heard.”

In film and television, storytelling is the work itself, and inclusion and wellbeing practitioner Valeria Bullo from Sony Pictures emphasised the responsibility that comes with that power. For her, authenticity means involving people with lived experience all the way from writers’ rooms to post‑production, so audiences can recognise themselves honestly onscreen.

“When people see themselves reflected truthfully on screen, it can be incredibly powerful and allows people to feel less alone… It challenges stereotypes.”

Ray Rhodes, Head of Inclusion and Diversity at RX Global, highlighted how personal narratives can reach colleagues who might bristle at formal DEI language or feel something is being “forced” on them. When a respected leader shares their own journey, especially coming out of internalised homophobia and the closet, it can soften preconceived views in a way policies alone can’t.

“They made that connection with me. They liked me. They respected me as a leader… and for me to be someone representing that community as well, I think they were more willing to sit and to listen and open their hearts, open their minds, and hear my story.”

Business Travel as LGBTIQA+

The next panel looked at what happens when professional travel intersects with criminalisation, culture, and quiet everyday risks for LGBTQ+ employees. Panelists from aviation, hospitality and tourism described constant quiet calculations, the duty of care employers owe, and how allies and policies can turn travel from a hidden hazard into something safer and more inclusive.

From Cape Town, IGLTA membership manager Martina Barth highlighted how much invisible work goes into every trip for queer professionals, especially when others assume heterosexuality.

"Safety isn't a constant. It's something that we continuously assess depending on where we are in the world. Safety isn't just about physical security, but also about psychological safety. Feeling comfortable being authentic without constantly assessing risk.”

Joshua Kennedy, Director of People and Culture at Coast Hotels, spoke about the mental load of those constant assessments and how often organisations leave LGBTQ+ staff to carry it alone. He argued that travel risk planning must be led by employers, not pushed onto individuals.

“Employees should definitely not be doing this alone… Too often employees are told they're going to be traveling for work and left with the work of having to figure out how to do it safely. It needs to be our companies.”

Representing Aviation Pride UK and the UK Civil Aviation Authority, Grant Walker described both the protection of being kept off certain routes and the practical power of visible allyship in high‑stakes environments like the flight deck.

"A small visual sign, be it like a lanyard or even a little Pride flag, just changes that tone and that feeling. Something so small can go a long way to create that psychologically safe atmosphere in the operational world.”

In his role with Spanish LGBTQ+ agency Diversity Global Projects, marketer Giuseppe Giulio stressed that safety and inclusion must extend beyond “usual suspect” cities to smaller destinations and all identities, not just gay men and lesbians.

“When we talk about business travel right now, we need to talk about a segment, a business. It's about a destination, it's about an experience, it's about hospitality, it's about safety. We just need to pioneer LGBTQ+ tourism, not just for the famous destinations.”

Policy for Inclusive Belonging

Next up, panelists asked what it takes for HR policies to move beyond paperwork and genuinely shape daily life for LGBTQ+ employees. Professionals dug into the gap between written protections and lived reality, the role of culture and power, and how to design policies that are bold, boring, and broad enough to matter.

From India, HR leader Aparna Vattikuti of Parexel highlighted how implementation gaps, hierarchy, and fear can undermine even the best‑written policies. Without accountability, measurement, and psychological safety, staff will still hide who they are.

“Many times, policies are often written for the protection of employees. But eventually it is the organization's culture that determines the kind of access people do get to it.”

Wise’s Vladimir Vorobev, who relocated from Russia to Estonia as a gay refugee, described how policies land differently across global hubs and why lived experience has to shape them. At Wise, inclusion is built into the company’s mission and updated through constant “pulse checks,” local trainers, and support such as relocation and gender‑affirming healthcare.

“A workplace allows you to share your identity and actually to continue to develop it... we basically form our communities at work.”

DEI manager Zach Ford from Crowe LLP focused on who writes policies and how often they’re revisited. He warned against generic templates or AI‑generated text that never engages the people affected, and urged companies to see policy as iterative, co‑created with employees.

“Policies are not set in stone… What changes is you go from the baseline best practice that you started with to what policy works for your company, given that your company is your people.”

Drawing on two decades in public and nonprofit HR, Bren Kutch of the Center for International Environmental Law argued for policies that are “bold, boring, and broad.” Bold where possible (e.g. relocation, gender‑affirming leave), quietly integrated into everyday processes, and designed intersectionally to reach those most marginalised.

“We need to get the thoughts of the people who are the most impacted… AI cannot be making these decisions. It needs to be collective.”

In-house counsel Wesley Bizzell of Altria framed inclusive policies in three buckets—protect, cultivate, and empower—and stressed that benefits beyond the office walls often have the deepest impact. He cited shifting their surrogacy coverage from exclusionary medical criteria to equal access for all couples, then embedding that change in core health benefits.

“It behooves the company to focus not just on creating that inclusive culture within the four walls of the company, but making sure that the benefits they provide help their employees thrive outside of the company's four walls as well.”

The Future of LGBTQ+ Belonging

This panel tackled how inclusion must evolve in a world of AI, shifting expectations, and growing backlash. Rather than treating belonging as a side project, the speakers argued it has to be built into how work is designed, led and experienced every day.

From RS Group, talent and organisational effectiveness director LaRissa O’Neal said younger employees are no longer asking for permission to show up as themselves – they simply expect to. That raises the bar well beyond one‑off initiatives and Pride posts.

"The question is no longer, do we have inclusion programs? It's now about, do we have a workplace that allows people to exist fully as themselves?”

Colt Technology Services’ Michaela Rego, who works in tech and is openly neurodivergent, warned against over‑relying on tools while under‑investing in people. AI can support accessibility and learning, but it can’t replace human care or authentic power‑sharing.

“You can't automate belonging. You can't automate human authenticity… If it doesn't materially improve that minority, it's not inclusion, it's branding.”

Creative director Sara Soares from VML celebrated the rise in openness and allyship, but cautioned that “authenticity” itself risks becoming another corporate veneer if it disappears the moment things get hard. She urged queer leaders to remember where they came from, use their seats to open doors for others, and distinguish genuine change from performative optics.

“I do worry if authenticity is also becoming a commodity… When the going gets tough, it's always the first thing to be questioned.”

Stonewall chief executive Simon Blake argued that the fundamentals of good work and good management are still the bedrock of belonging, regardless of new technologies or labels. Pay, security, growth, joy and decent everyday relationships matter just as much as policies and ERGs – and most of that is shaped by peers as much as by CEOs.

“I don’t want you to be a dictionary… I just need you to be really present. Culture is defined and set by leadership but actually lived and upheld and created by the peers and everyone that's around you.”

HR's Role in Belonging

Up next, a team of panelists examined how HR can move beyond policies and programmes to shape day‑to‑day experiences that make LGBTQ+ employees feel seen, safe and connected. Speakers stressed that HR can’t “own” belonging alone, but can design the frameworks, data and accountability that make it everyone’s job.

From Organon, Director of Workplace Culture and Belonging Tameka Green said the biggest influence she’s seen from HR is whether people believe their voices matter and are acted on. Surveys and feedback only build trust when they lead to visible change.

“Belonging isn't really created through programs or initiatives… When feedback goes into a black hole, that's when trust really erodes very quickly.”

Reach ATS marketing lead Hector Bustillos argued HR should be the architect of belonging, not its sole owner. He highlighted how often inclusion gets “sent to HR” instead of being built into hiring, onboarding and everyday practices.

“Belonging is not only created by HR… The risk is that inclusion becomes something people send to HR rather than a practice of everyone within the company.”

Canada Life HR leader Becky Male focused on how trust and confidentiality underpin whether LGBTQ+ staff feel safe disclosing sensitive information. She described HR as “guardians of culture,” responsible for handling data with care and modelling curiosity and respect.

“It’s almost a privilege in HR, the roles that we hold… creating conditions where people feel confident to be the person they want to be at work.”

Joshua Kennedy, Director of People and Culture at Coast Hotels, reframed culture change as a business problem leaders must co‑own, not an HR initiative delivered to them. He said buy‑in improves when inclusion is clearly linked to outcomes executives already care about.

“If culture change is positioned as an HR initiative, you've already lost the leadership buy‑in… When leaders see that connection, culture stops being a nice-to-have and becomes part of how our business runs.”

Deutsche Bank organisational development specialist Phil McKee emphasised that data must go beyond dashboards to drive tough conversations and systemic fixes. Collecting information without action breeds cynicism; tying meaningful metrics to leaders’ scorecards and pay is what sustains progress.

“Data creates transparency and accountability… Employees don't really judge us on the data we collect, it's actually the change that we implement.”

Veterans at Work: Service, Identity and Inclusion

The final panel of Day 3 explored what it means to transition from military life into civilian workplaces, and how organisations can support veterans – including LGBTQ+ veterans – beyond symbolic recognition. Panelists challenged common stereotypes, highlighted the loss of structure and community many veterans feel, and shared practical steps employers can take to turn appreciation into real belonging.

Former British Army officer Paul Welling of RPC Law contrasted serving under an outright ban on homosexuality with the inclusive culture he found when he joined British Airways, and later in law. That shift showed him how powerful explicit support and allyship can be in helping veterans live openly.

“I’m not ashamed to say I’m a gay father, a gay grandfather, and married to a man… Organisations need to demonstrate that they value veterans and they also value different communities, such as people from the LGBTQ+ community.”

US Navy veteran Drew Stone, now an HPE technical consultant and chair of HPE’s Global Pride BRG, drew a clear line between fitting in and belonging. In the pre–Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell era he felt compelled to hide who he was to “fit,” something that still leaves a mark years later.

“Your value comes from your contributions and character, not from how effectively you can mask who you are… Make sure that folks feel that they belong, that they feel safe, and they don’t have to hide who they truly are.”

BAE Systems consultant and ForcesNet co‑lead Heather Paluch highlighted both the practical and emotional hurdles of leaving what is “a way of life, not just a job.” She emphasised the importance of translation, mentoring and cross‑ERG collaboration for veterans who are also LGBTQ+.

“Often people like the idea of working from home… but actually it’s a really stark contrast when you’re used to being around colleagues all the time. Having someone who’s been there, done that, that you can lean into is really key.”

Gary Wilson, Mental Health and Armed Forces Coordinator at RS Group, challenged the persistent myth that veterans are inherently damaged or aggressive. He described how RS created distinct but connected communities for veterans and for mental health, and why hiring managers need to see beyond stereotypes.

"The misconception is that when they’re coming in to interview, ‘I’ll just employ a veteran because they’ll be aggressive’… In reality, we actually think things through more. We’re trained to break problems down into smaller pieces and deal with that small problem.”

Recently transitioned US Army infantry veteran Brandon Fagan, now Military Talent Program Manager at ABB, spoke about the double adjustment of losing both a mission and a “tribe.” He’s responded by building a structured transition and mentoring programme that removes some of the guesswork for newer veterans.

“All you need is that one conversation to connect about basic training or a deployment.”

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