Ciel Newton

I am Ciel (pronounced - CL), the TransFIRe EDI Project Manager in the team lead by Prof Sue Black. I have previously worked in the aviation industry, diplomatic service, and volunteer for a diversity leadership charity and IPAG Kent. I recently completed my studies at the University of Kent, where I was a mentor, reverse mentor and an EDI advocate who championed, supported, and advocated for marginalised stakeholders, social mobility, and age-inclusion. I also engage in mental health and domestic abuse advocacy. I have a passion for diversity, inclusion, equity, belonging and a keen interest in sustainability. I am delighted to be working with Sue, Jo, Mike, and the wider EDI Working Group, towards narrowing and eliminating the diversity, equity and inclusion gaps in the Foundation Industries. Along with the team, I hope to engage, inspire, and empower Foundation Industry partners to eliminate these gaps, and to [...]

By |2022-12-06T09:46:37+00:00September 12th, 2022|

Jo Stansfield

I’m Jo, and I’m an engineer turned business psychologist, specialising in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.  I am founder and director of a social enterprise, Inclusioneering Ltd, helping organisations in the tech and engineering industries with EDI.  Within TransFIRe, I am delighted to be working as Senior EDI Project Manager on our EDI strategy and its implementation.  It’s a massively exciting space to be working in, as academics and industry partners come together to solve the biggest challenges of our generation, to reach the Net Zero 2050 goals. The UK Foundation industries together produce 28 million tonnes of raw material – cement, metals, glass, paper, ceramics, and chemicals – which are the foundation to all the stuff we see constructed and produced all around us.  But together these industries currently contribute 10% of the total CO2 emissions from UK homes and businesses.  We need to find sustainable ways [...]

By |2022-12-06T09:47:18+00:00September 12th, 2022|

Mike Thakoordin

Hi there, I’m Mike, and I work as both as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate with Durham University on the TransFIRe project and as a freelance consultant. I am a professional engineer who has gone on to develop an interest in inclusion and wellbeing. Within this project, I work in the EDI team under Professor Sue Black on a 2.5 days per week basis. Outside of this I am the founder and director of Working Well Matters Ltd which provides training and consultancy in all aspects of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and in many areas of Wellbeing such as Mental Health; Suicide First Aid, and Neurodiversity. I also provide input to organisations’ ISO Management Systems (health, safety, quality, environmental) to achieve success beyond just compliance. I work with organisations to bring about such success in the areas of people, planet and profit. I have just started with TransFIRe (July [...]

By |2022-12-06T09:49:28+00:00September 12th, 2022|

Prof Sue Black

My name is Sue Black, I’m a Professor of Computer Science and Technology Evangelist in the Department of Computer Science at Durham University and leading on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for the TransFIRe project. TransFIRe is all about transforming the Foundation Industries: metal, ceramics, paper, cement, glass and chemicals, working across these industries to address the challenges brought about by climate change and the need for long term sustainability. I’m delighted to have a great team working with me: Jo Stansfield – Senior Project Manager Ciel Bishop – Project Manager Mike Thakoordin – PDRA That’s me on the left and Jo on the right in the pic below on one of our visits, this one to Hanson Ketton cement works. Ciel and Mike have joined the team since then, there will be pics of all us on a visit soon. Even though we have only just started working [...]

By |2022-12-06T09:50:01+00:00March 24th, 2021|