Thinkers360 has named me one of the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Diversity and Inclusion for 2026. I finished in the top 3.
I am honoured. I want to be honest with you about why.
The recognition is about the work, not the title
A ranking does not change the state of inclusion in any workplace. People do. So when I saw the result, my first thought was not about my name on a list. It was about the daily choices that put it there.
I think about a client who worried her team stayed silent in meetings. We worked together for three months. We changed one thing at a time. She started asking quieter colleagues for their view before the loud voices took over. Within weeks, two team members shared ideas that reshaped a stalled project. That is inclusion in practice. Small, repeatable, real.
This recognition belongs to that kind of work. It belongs to every leader who chose action over intention.
Standing beside leaders who build change
The other names on this list matter to me.
These are people who do more than speak. They test ideas, publish research, and challenge systems that keep the same people in power. Being counted among them raises my own standard. It reminds me that thought leadership means nothing without proof.
You can see this in the field itself. Companies spent around 8 billion dollars on diversity efforts in 2017, yet representation moved slowly. Money alone did not fix the problem. What worked was a shift from tolerance to real inclusion, then to belonging. The leaders on this list understand that difference. So do I.
Three lessons I keep returning to
Here is what I have learned, and what you can apply this week.
Inclusion is a skill, not a slogan. You practise it the way you practise any skill. Ask one person for their input before you decide. Notice who never speaks, and open the door for them.
Cultural Intelligence turns intention into action. CQ has four parts: drive, knowledge, strategy, and action. Start with drive. When I moved to a new country, my comfort in speaking with people from other cultures grew because I chose to engage. Your motivation shapes your ability. Build it on purpose.
Belonging is built moment by moment. One client ran a two-hour session on how a team agreed its ways of working. That single conversation made a preclinical safety team feel seen, and the project ran faster. You do not need a huge budget. You need deliberate moments.
Thank you to my clients
To the clients who trusted me, thank you. You let me help you build braver and kinder workplaces. This result is yours as much as mine. You did the harder part. You changed how you lead.
You showed me what happens when a leader stops waiting for permission and starts making inclusion the norm.
An invitation to future clients
If you want to take inclusion further, I want to work with you.
I do not offer a one-size-fits-all toolkit. I help you read your own context, then design practical steps that fit your people and your purpose. We look at how you make decisions, how you share information, and where exclusion hides. Then we build a system that lasts.
The next level of inclusion is not louder. It is more skilled, more consistent, and more human.
Here is one question to sit with today. What is one small action you will take this week to help someone feel they belong?
Answer it. Then do it. That is where real change starts, and that is the work I am proud to keep doing with you.
