To expand your talent pool and diversify your tech teams, you must first adopt an inclusive mindset and company culture, removing any barriers to entry.
This will help you attract and retain the best tech professionals and encourage people who may be underrepresented in the sector to start their career in tech.
Come along to Reed’s Tech on the Tyne event and hear from our panel of experts on the benefits behind embracing a diverse workforce.
During this free face-to-face event at NUCASTLE in Newcastle upon Tyne, we’ll explore how to go about embracing diversity and how businesses can be more accommodating when bringing in new talent.
Our panellists will discuss the following topics:
Gender diversity
Race and culture
Neurodiversity
Early careers
This event is being held in association with Newcastle Strategic Solutions and TechNExt.
Our panellists
Kevin Dainty, Client Relationship Manager, Reed
Kevin is the Client Relationship Manager for Reed’s technology division, responsible for working with Reed’s customers to help them achieve their business objectives, utilising Reed’s portfolio of talent attraction solutions to support them in building diverse and inclusive teams.
As well as offering practical advice on inclusive hiring practices, Kevin is also the founder of Reed’s Women in Technology Community. Established in 2019, this 2,500 member-strong community was created to support women in tech and transformation to achieve their goals, ambitions, and through partnership with employers, create better pathways into tech – increasing the representation of women and other diverse groups across this industry.
Kirsten Edmondson, Transformation and Digital Delivery Consultant
Kirsten combines her passion for digital transformation with a unique knowledge about neurodiversity in the workplace. With a track record of driving business value, she leads high-performing agile teams, navigates complex technology projects, and prioritises user experiences.
Kirsten’s commitment to fostering an inclusive culture sets her apart, making her a catalyst for positive change in the tech industry.
Taya Reynolds, Digital and Development Director, Newcastle Strategic Solutions
Taya is an experienced digital and technology leader with over 14 years of experience in multiple businesses, predominantly in the financial services sector. Taya specialises in digital transformation, digital product and software development.
Taya was recently appointed to the Newcastle University School of Computing’s Advisory Board and chaired Newcastle Building Society’s first Race Network.
Taya is passionate about mentoring, supporting colleagues through their career journeys, and driving awareness for DE&I topics to make a positive impact to individuals, creating workplaces and teams that foster diversity of thought.
Manila McLean, Non-Executive Director, docStribute
Manila has 25 years' experience across multiple financial services organisations leading digital and tech teams. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of docStribute and Board Member of Dynamo North East.
Manila is passionate about DE&I and encouraging more females into tech. She built a diverse digital and tech team of circa 250 people at Newcastle Building Society with a gender-balanced senior leadership team who were passionate about DE&I and chaired or sponsored DE&I networks across the organisation such as neurodiversity, race, LGBTQ+ and menopause.
Manila champions girls into STEM through having sponsored coding clubs in schools and working with STEM charities to educate and promote interest. She is also an active mentor on the Reed Women in Technology Mentoring programme.
Jess Duff, Cyber Security Coordinator, Newcastle Strategic Solutions
Jess works in the Newcastle Strategic Solutions cyber security team.
Jess is a champion for early talent, and has been awarded the prestigious Mike Wade Award for her work promoting apprenticeships in the North East. She is also North East Apprentice Ambassador Network Chair.
Lily Guinn, Software Developer, Newcastle Strategic Solutions
Lily is a Software Developer in the Newcastle Strategic Solutions mobile app team. Most recently, she has worked on delivering the transition from Xamarin.Forms to .NET MAUI.
Lily is passionate about inclusivity in tech and was named in the 2024 Northern Power Women Future List for her dedication to creating a more inclusive workplace. She has also been awarded the ‘Fostering inclusion, diversity and positive change at work and in our communities’ strategy award by the Newcastle Building Society Group.
