What’s Your Story?

December 13th 2024

Etc. Venues, 200 Aldersgate St Paul’s, Barbican, London EC1A 4HD

This is no ordinary conference. Come along with your colleagues, friends and family and join me Yetunde Hofmann and a community of awesome storytellers from all walks of life, backgrounds, and experiences. They are leaders willing to share their stories of life and experiences from a place of who they are, not what they do or have.

Meet our 2024 Storytellers

  • Anike has spent 20+ years in marketing leadership roles working for Fortune 50 companies including American Express, Apple and Teladoc Health Inc. the global leader in virtual healthcare. Most recently, Anike headed up US Entertainment & Retail partnerships at American Express based in NYC. Prior to her career in Marketing, Anike worked as a Management Consultant for Pricewaterhouse for 5 years.

    In 2022, Anike made the decision to leave the corporate world to embark on a portfolio career leveraging different areas of her expertise and honoring her passions. She serves as a freelance marketing consultant advising and working with start-ups, small businesses and major companies. In parallel, Anike is building upon her 20+ years of leadership and mentorship experience to certify as an Executive Coach. Anike’s coaching passion is to support women at different stages of their career journey.

    Anike has a Business Economics degree from Leicester Universit, an MBA jointly from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and INSEAD, and a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Oxford.

    Anike has been a “closet writer” for years recently completing her debut novel, ODUDUWA CRESCENT. She has been signed by a Literary Agency in New York City who will begin pitching her book to publishers.

    Anike is proudly bi-racial of Nigerian and English heritage. Together with her husband and two daughters, she will be moving home to the UK this summer. In her spare time, she is a keen Peloton cyclist and just completed her first half-marathon to raise funds for brain cancer research.

  • Kate Evans is EMEA Chief People Officer for Norton Rose Fulbright and is based in London. She brings a wealth of experience to our EMEA People and Culture team from various senior roles in professional services organisations, such as KPMG, and other sectors.

    Kate is a purpose driven international people executive, passionate about people and organisation development. She has spent more than 20 years working at and with the C-suite, supporting major brands across a range of sectors. She is known for her broad business knowledge, commercial acumen and clear focus on delivering results, whilst creating the optimum high-performance climate.

    She was Group and UK People Director for Talent and Capability at Tesco. She also held a number of roles at KPMG including Head of HR and Head of Learning, Talent and Leadership for KPMG Europe, Middle East and Africa, and prior to that Head of People, Performance and Culture for KPMG Central and Eastern Europe. She also spent 5 years at Deloitte as a HR Manager and consultant

    She has lived, worked and studied in 8 different European countries and has worked on the ground in countries across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas.

    Kate has a BA Hons in French and Politics from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. She also has an MSc from Bath University, and studied at the Institut D’Etudes Politques, Grenoble. She also studied in Ireland and Slovenia and more recently undertook a coaching qualification at Ashridge Business School.

    Last but definitely not least, she is a proud wife to Brendan and Mum to Aoife, and wants to bring about a more inclusive and equitable society, through the work she does in the business world, so that her daughter’s and nieces’ generation can thrive without barriers.


  • Rob Anarfi is the Group Chief Risk Officer at Beazley plc, a position he has held since 2021. Before that, he was Group Head of Compliance for six years, after originally joining the group in 2012 as Head of Internal Audit. Rob has held senior governance roles at the Financial Conduct Authority, Aviva, Zurich Financial Services, and Allianz. He qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC. He is an Executive Board Director of Beazley Furlonge Ltd, the group’s Wholesale platform operating from Lloyd’s of London; and Beazley Insurance dac, the group’s European insurance platform operating from Dublin, Ireland.

    Rob is the founder and executive sponsor of BeazleyRACE, the group's employee network focused on race, culture, and ethnicity. He helped the Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee set and communicate the public race and ethnicity targets, which Beazley has been progressing with to ensure better racial inclusivity and diversity at all levels. He is a recognised and award-winning market leader on matters of inclusion and diversity. Rob co-founded and is Co-Chair of a cross-industry initiative, Race Action Through Leadership (RATL). RATL brings a diverse group of senior insurance professionals together to help improve the representation of black, Asian, mixed and other minority ethnic professionals at all levels of the insurance industry.

    He sits on the Lloyd’s Enforcement Board and is an Executive Board Director of the London Market Association.

  • Steve is a Chartered Accountant who trained in the City prior to a 25 year career as Finance Director of Electrosonic, an international audio visual engineering business. He has an MSc in Charity Finance and Accounting from City University, and worked at a mental health charity prior to joining Crimestoppers in 2021.  At Crimestoppers he is responsible for the Finance and HR functions.

    As a regular attendee at What’s Your Story he has benefited from the insights shared by others. As someone who loves to communicate by using simple stories to share ideas and sometimes complex issues he is thoroughly looking forward to this year’s event and hopes that you will gain something from his story.

  • 36 years in the City from a blue button in the London stock exchange in the early 80’s through to a MD at JPMorgan asset management heading up UK Defined Contribution and LGIM heading up UK DC client solutions. Wrote articles, spoke at conferences and did interviews/ podcasts… 

    Increasingly interested in how people view retirement and ageing and this has continued in my own retirement, exploring Life Purpose (https://www.thepurposexchange.com) and power in ageing ( https://www.life-stage.org) as well as being vice chair of trustees of a Men’s mentoring charity for young men in or at risk of being in the criminal justice system. 

    I’m also an artist, painting natural abstracts and photographing Nature in all its glory( https://www.simonchinnery.com ) Had a number of shows in London and have sold internationally. Also a poet, a practicing Buddhist and lover of wild places. 

    Currently managing a lymphatic cancer with gratitude and wonder and writing a cancer diary full of my dreams, reflections and challenges. 

    I’m 64 and live in st Leonard’s on the South Coast with my incredible Wife and a lovely Burmese cat called Jessica. 


  • Liz started her career at EY where she worked for 23 years, becoming a partner and taking on leadership roles for the last 10 years. She then moved to Kelda Group (Yorkshire Water) where she was CFO for 10 years and then CEO for 3. She retired from full time work in 2022 and had developed a Non-Executive Director portfolio covering FT250, AIM, Government, Private Equity and the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW).

    Lia has also chaired the (then) Prince of Wales Accounting for Sustainability CFO network, the ICAEW Sustainability Committee and the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission.

    All of the above experiences have led Liz to believe strongly in responsibility in decision-making, good governance, the maturity of boards and board decision-making, organisational purpose and culture.


  • Hannah Awonuga recently joined Knight Frank as the Group Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. As Group Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion her role focuses on developing a strategic roadmap with the overall purpose of providing a superior experience for Knight Frank’s people. She will provide strategic direction to the Group Executive and UK Boards, Business Balance leads and formulate and execute a DE&I strategy to facilitate the adoption of industry-wide best practices in DE&I, as well as develop a set of metrics that will drive this agenda across the Group.

    Hannah Awonuga is also a multi-award-winning DEI thought leader and speaker; over the past two years, she won 2021 WeAreTheCity rising star award, was named amongst the 2021/2022 most inspirational D&I (Diversity and Inclusion) professionals by D&I leaders and was listed in the 2021 Top 25 most influential DEI practitioners by HR Magazine.

    Previous to Hannah’s move to Knight Frank she was the Global DEI Director at Barclays. Hannah had been working in banking since she was 17yrs old, and for the past 18yrs has spent time leading remote teams in the retail bank, business and corporate bank before transitioning into Diversity and Inclusion. Hannah attributes her achievements in banking to her humble beginnings, caused to live independently since the age of 15, socioeconomic inclusion is a topic very close and personal to her. Hannah was also appointed as a non-executive director for the UK government membership body Progress Together which has been set up to increase socioeconomic diversity at senior leadership level across the UK financial services.

    Hannah Awonuga has built her professional brand with an extensive LinkedIn network of over 55,000 followers, She is a passionate and knowledgeable speaker and facilitator who is experienced in strategy development, inclusive leadership and keynote addresses, facilitates senior executive safe space conversations and frequently joins international panel discussions with industry leaders.

  • Tim’s purpose is to nurture deeply human possibility, a purpose shaped by his upbringing, his experience of leadership in different environments, and his personal journey.

    Tim spent 28 years at Unilever, joining as a graduate and spending time working in the US, as the Vice President of HR for the UK & Ireland, and lastly as Chief Learning Officer and Head of Wellbeing. In this role, Tim and his team developed Unilever’s Discover Your Purpose Workshop which almost 60,000 people completed and which through randomised control trials proved the performance and productivity impact of purpose, as well as the benefits to team work and happiness. They also pioneered the “inner and outer game” approach to leadership models and development, which has been adopted by other organisations around the world.  Lastly, Tim embedded a holistic approach to wellbeing, focussing on physical, mental, emotional and purposeful wellbeing, with a strategy framed by a focus on support, prevention, leadership and culture.

    Whilst working in senior roles, Tim began to realise that a car accident in his early 20s was connected to his experience of recurrent nightmares, anxiety and emotional volatility, and began a journey to recover from post traumatic stress. Tim made a short film at the request of the Royal Foundation’s Head Together campaign, and was part of the inaugural Inside Out Leader Board encouraging senior leaders to smash the stigma of mental health.

    Since the end of 2021, Tim has worked with a wide range of organisations to help them, their leaders, and their teams get fit for the 21st Century.  Tim’s work includes helping organisations define the leadership they need to thrive and perform, and building leadership strategies and interventions to bring that to life. He works with senior leaders to prepare them for C-suite roles, as well as with senior teams on their effectiveness. Tim is a partner in the boutique leadership development company, inchigo, and lives in London with his family.

     


  • Rachid 'Ben' Bengougam is the former Senior Vice President, Human Resources, EMEA, Hilton. Based in the UK, he is responsible for leading the Human Resources function across the region, which includes over 80,000 team members in 69 countries & territories. With more than 35 years’ experience in human resources leadership, Ben has worked in a range of high-profile positions, including Group HR Director at the Dixons Group and HR Director at leading Middle Eastern franchise operator MH Alshaya.

    In his tenure, Ben and his team successfully developed and executed a series of award-winning people strategies to address challenges including talent acquisition and team member engagement and retention, as well as launching innovative and skills development and employability programmes for young people. Under his stewardship, Hilton has also gained consistent recognition from Great Places to Work, in which Hilton ranks among the top 10 in 12 countries across EMEA, including #1 rankings in the UK Italy and Turkey.

    A passionate developer of talent, Ben and his team launched Careers@Hilton, a global initiative designed to engage and inspire a new generation of hospitality professionals. He is also responsible for implementing new initiatives to encourage the development of diverse talent across the business, including Coaching on Call, a leadership coaching service aimed specifically at female Team Members in the early years of their career. More recently he has been instrumental is setting up the EMEA Diversity Council with representation from Hilton's Team Member Resources Groups including Ethnic, Pride, Women, Abilities and Generations leaders. 

  • Aji Bawo is a distinguished technology professional with over 18 years of experience in the dynamic realm of retail technology. Her journey in the tech world began as a database developer and has culminated in her current role as the Head of Product at Tesco Technology, where she leads a team of over 20 exceptionally talented product teams. Aji is renowned for her expertise in the retail sector, managing a portfolio exceeding £10 million with finesse and innovation.

    Aji's dedication to championing diversity and inclusion in the tech industry is evident through her unwavering support for working women. She is deeply committed to empowering women to succeed and lead in technology, serving as a mentor and coach to numerous women in the industry. Aji's advocacy for gender equality has earned her recognition in various articles and forums, solidifying her position as a trailblazer and role model.

    Aji holds a first-class honours degree in Computer Science and a master’s in advanced computing from King's College, University of London. Her academic achievements reflect her commitment to excellence and continuous learning in the ever-evolving field of technology.

    Outside of her professional endeavours, Aji is a devoted wife and busy mother of four. Despite her demanding schedule, she is deeply passionate about supporting underprivileged children in learning mathematics, striving to make a meaningful impact in their lives. Aji also finds joy and rejuvenation in her love for Zumba, embracing fitness and dance as essential aspects of her vibrant lifestyle.


  • My name is Nonye Otuonye , I am the second of five children of my parents, I was born in North West London in Hampstead to be precise, I went to my home country Nigeria when I was aged seven and returned to the UK when I was twenty five, I did most of my studying in the UK.I was born during the Nigerian Biafra war , most Igbo families in the UK at the time gave their children only Igbo names even when they were christened in the Church this was I think their way of holding on to their Igbo identity at the time.

    My Mother was a Nurse, and my Father was a personnel Officer (which is called Human Resources these days) with one of the Nigerian oil companies in the capital Lagos. I had a happy childhood. I am a mother and Family woman. When I returned to the United Kingdom, I found myself working in the Health and Social Care Industry, eventually branched out to the training side of the industry which took me to the Leadership and Management training space, where I grew and still growing my training community and podcast show called Breadcrumbs Training Community and Breadcrumbs Training Podcast. I realized a need to coach and mentor aspiring trainers and facilitators with resources that they can use to build their own practice.

    I enjoy serving in the Church , spending time with family and friends , reading , writing content for my podcast and my training sessions.


  • Okechukwu Chima normally referred to as Chima joined HSBC in 2007 as a mortgage manager in the wealth management business and quickly rose up the ranks to become a Premier Client Manager looking after High Network Clients. He then switched to the Risk & Compliance function in 2017 with a focus on governance. It was during this stint in Risk & Compliance that Chima found his passion for all things Diversity & Inclusion.

    He was part of the pioneer D&I team in the Risk and Compliance function and rose to become the Head in 2020. Chima then moved over to HSBC Europe to become the Head of D&I.

    Chima has a flair for presenting to audiences both large and small having been involved in TV and entertainment before working in banking hence he has used his entertainment talent to deliver D&I themed presentations across the bank and outside. He is also a well sought after panellist in D&I discussions but inside and outside the bank. He also represented HSBC in external communications  for e.g. Black History Month communications in 2020 shown via online channels and Channel 4.

    Chima is heavily involved in mentoring both in HSBC and outside as he is a Senior Mentor in Bromley Council mentoring young people in the borough and up and coming mentors.

    Chima is married with 5 kids and loves travelling, music and football.

✺ Our storytellers ✺

Share personal stories that contributed to a day of inspiration, encouragement, empowerment, and JOY 

Through their stories, they shared personal perspectives in response to questions like these:

Are you stuck?

Are you wondering what your life’s purpose is?

Do you feel like life is passing you by?

Are you wondering how to let go?

Are you looking for help in overcoming a challenge?

Can I get over the apology I never had?

Are you lonely?

Be reassured. These are questions that many people have asked themselves and indeed our storytellers too. It is the reason why we are grateful for the opportunity to listen to them, and also to learn, share and be inspired by what we hear from them and from others like us in the room.

You will have the quality time to reconnect with who you are and with others on the one thing we have in common and that unites us: We all are human. No matter our backgrounds, our race, our gender, our status or what our history is.

 Join us for a day of inspiration, learning and sharing.   

You’ll make new friends, connections and leave with a refreshed feeling of hope as you look forward to closing the current year and starting the next with a spring in your step.