Liz Ward

Liz Ward lead the Workplace, Empowerment and Community Engagement teams at Stonewall. These teams deliver an incredible body of work, ranging from the Diversity Champions programme and the Workplace Equality Index to world-class workshops, sector-leading sport strategies and working with grassroots organisations to mobilise and build a movement that’s so needed right now. She ensure that wherever thry are – at work, in their community, or on the pitch – LGBTQ+ people are free to be, free to exist, and celebrated at every turn.

The teams she leads do the hard work of transformational change. Providing those moments of realisation, unlearning and connection that enable workplaces, communities and, ultimately, society, to become more inclusive. She also work with the Trans Inclusion team, who is at the forefront of the fight against transphobia – they create programmes, initiatives and policy briefings that help turn the tide on hate.

Before joining Stonewall, she established a contextual safeguarding approach to serious youth violence, designing programmes and initiatives that support communities as opposed to policing them. She also launched eight youth-led campaigns ranging from Decolonising the Curriculum to police brutality, housing and racial justice. Some highlights include Halo, which pushed schools and workplaces to adopt the UK’s first ant-racist dress code, and is now in 50 schools and 150 workplaces. Choked Up – which highlights the devastating effects of air pollution on communities of colour – is another campaign she was really proud of. The campaigners are currently working with a broad range of climate groups to lobby for a new Clean Air Act and have been invited to speak about their experiences with the Biden Administration.