Stephen Waring

Senior Impact

Stephen has demonstrated a consistent commitment to supporting LGBT people throughout his career in central and local Government.

He began his career in Local Government in the 1980s, in three inner-London social services departments, where he managed a range of direct care services, including a multidisciplinary HIV service. In 1993, he moved to the NHS, working for about six years as a commissioner responsible for HIV/AIDS, drugs and alcohol, health promotion and, later, primary care development.

After that, he joined the Department of Health in 1999, where he has held various posts including Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Health; Head of the National Cancer Programme; Deputy Director of Group Capability Development; and Director of Assurance. He recently moved to work in NHS England.

During this time at the Department of Health, Stephen was one of the co-chairs of the LGBT network, PRISM. In this role, he improved the effectiveness of the network and significantly raised the profile of the issues facing LGBT staff in the Department. He was also identified as a senior role model by colleagues and appeared in the CSRA Role Models guide 2014.

More recently, Stephen has been the Non-Executive Adviser to the CSRA Board where he has used his years of experience to provide constructive challenge to the organisation. He has also spoken at various Civil Service events on LGBT issues, including on the subject of LGBT mental health.

Stephen is an inspiring colleague, a visible role model, and a champion of equality. As a member of the Senior Civil Service, he is also willing to talk openly about the issues facing LGBT staff, leading from the front to drive change.

It is for all these reasons that Stephen is our winner of the “Senior Impact Award”.

Sue Owen

Lifetime Ally Impact

Sue is the Civil Service Diversity Champion and LGBT Champion. As champion, she makes significant contributions to LGBT civil servants. She passionately supports the work of LGBT networks and prioritises the support of LGBT individuals.

Sue has acted as a mentor and coach for LGBT staff, including the leadership teams of CSRA and a:gender. Her vocal and visible support for CSRA and a:gender as staff networks has increased awareness of their work across the Civil Service.

She has also used her role to lead the conversation around diversity monitoring and declaration rates in the Civil Service. She has ensured that the Civil Service produces regular and timely data, and used this to challenge the Civil Service to do better.

Sue regularly attends Pride in London, and speaks at LGBT conferences and events. This outreach is vital, and sends a strong signal to civil servants and the public alike that the top of the Civil Service is supportive of LGBT people, and that the Civil Service wants to be an LGBT-friendly employer.

Her significant and sustained work for LGBT staff in the Civil Service is why we are recognising Sue with the “Lifetime Ally Impact Award”.

Ken Mortimer

Lifetime LGBT Impact

Joining the Civil Service in 1978, Ken spent the first 15 years of his career not out at work. For a 19 year old embarking on his Civil Service career, and wanting to fit in and progress, not being able to be out at work had a significant impact which he could have allowed to hold him back. Instead Ken has acknowledged this experience and used it to help him make a positive impact for others.

Ken has been actively involved in LGBT rights in the Civil Service since 1992. This was initially on a small, local scale, talking to colleagues and managers about being gay and the barriers and difficulties LGBT people face at work, but increasingly on a larger scale, culminating in leading the HMRC LGBT network for several years and volunteering for CSRA in various roles.

Under Kenʼs leadership the HMRC network grew in both size and impact, becoming a trusted source of advice and expertise for employees and managers alike. Over time Kenʼs expertise started to be sought out by colleagues across the Civil Service. His impact has been felt on an individual and organisation-wide scale, and across the whole Civil Service. He has been a mentor to countless individuals, both for their personal career progression, and as an effective and prominent network leader. He changed the face of HMRC for LGBT employees and customers and is the epitome of an LGBT leader and role model.

For his significant impact throughout his career in the Civil Serivce, weʼre recognising Ken with the “Lifetime LGBT Impact Award”.

Mary Peart

Future Impact

Mary has recently completed the Civil Service HR Fast Stream, and is volunteer with CSRA. She has been leading CSRAʼs bisexuality work for the last year.

As one of her Fast Stream placements in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mary led diversity and inclusion activities. She made a significant impact on the culture of the organisation, tackling bullying and harassment and encouraging more diverse recruitment.

Since she started volunteering, Mary has made a significant contribution to CSRAʼs work. She first featured in our “CSRA Talks Bisexuality” event, taking part in a panel discussion about what it means to be bisexual in the Civil Service. In February this year, she led several well-received workshops on the topic of sexuality and labels at the CSRA conference.

More recently, she has been leading new research into the experience of bisexual civil servants. This has seen her travelling the UK, speaking to dozens of bi staff. The findings from this research will inform CSRAʼs future work for bisexual staff.

Mary has already started to have a significant impact on the lives of LGBT civil servants, and we know she will continue to do so. Thatʼs why weʼre recognising her work with the “Future Impact Award”.

1. Oliver Entwistle

Head of LGBT Policy; Government Equalities Office

Ollie has been the Chair of the Civil Service Rainbow Alliance for 9 years. In that time he has also been Chair of the HM Treasury network, and became the Head of LGBT Policy at the Government Equalities Office in 2016.

Ollie has been an authentic LGBT role model during his Civil Service career and he has promoted and defended the interests of LGBT civil servants relentlessly.

As CSRA Chair, he has evolved CSRA into one of the most effective and recognised staff networks in the Civil Service. He has also created a large volunteer team across the UK to deliver on priorities for LGBT staff. Ollie has led CSRAʼs participation in Pride events across the UK, the development of the first Role Models guide, and CSRAʼs annual conference. He has also worked closely with Cabinet Office on the Civil Serviceʼs diversity and inclusion strategies and priorities.

Since joining the Government Equalities Office, Ollie has worked with the Ministry of Justice to introduce “Turing Pardons”, and overseen the governmentʼs £3 million anti-homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying programme.

2. Justin Varney

National lead for Adultʼs Health and Wellbeing; Public Health England

Justin founded Public Health Englandʼs LGBT network, and is also the National Lead for Adult Health and Wellbeing.

Justin has organised national conferences on health and wellbeing of LGBT people, and organises more informal social events for LGBT staff too.

He is an expert in his field, regularly leading research and called upon to provide evidence of outcomes for LGBT people. Justinʼs work on estimating the size of the LGB population in England, and research into the wellbeing of men-who-have-sex-with-men has been globally recognised.

Justin has acted as a mentor for LGBT staff members, and has been active in wider community outreach. He works to foster good relations between religious and LGBT communities and has worked with LGBT charities to help them be more strategic in their work. In 2017, Justin received the David Harvey Award from the Gay and Lesbian Association of Doctors and Dentists, recognising his outstanding contribution to addressing LGBT health issues for healthcare professionals and for patients.

3. Charlotte Jackson

Employee Engagement Lead; Ministry of Justice

Charlotte is the Chair of the Ministry of Justiceʼs LGBT Network, SPIRIT, and is Employee Engagement Lead in the Department.

As Chair, Charlotte has prepared the Departmentʼs 2016 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index submission. This submission saw the Department jump 90 places, and sit just outside the Top 100 employers in the UK.

Charlotte has ensured important dates in the LGBT calendar are marked in the Department. She uses internal and external communications channels to do this. She has also led several events internal to the Department, including for LGBT History Month and a joint conference with HM Prison and Probation Serviceʼs LGBT network.

In her role as Employee Engagement Lead, Charlotte analyses People Survey data, and uses this to inform the Ministry of Justiceʼs equality and diversity strategy and policies. She also volunteers with Diversity Role Models, supporting LGBT people in schools.

Charlotte is also a volunteer with CSRA. Charlotte has supported policy development, featured in CSRAʼs Role Models guide, and participated in Pride events.

4. John Peart

Senior Policy Adviser - LGBT Policy; Government Equalities Office

John is a Senior Policy Adviser at the Government Equalities Office and leads CSRAʼs communications, membership and events work.

At the Government Equalities Office, John leads on sexual orientation policy. He handles cross-government strategy for LGB people. He is currently leading a £3m anti-homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying programme in schools, as well as developing new policy to deliver governmentʼs ambition to support LGBT people.

As a volunteer, John has made CSRA a visible and recognisable network for LGBT staff, leading the adoption of new digital tools and techniques to improve service delivery. He has led the development of CSRAʼs website, and management of CSRAʼs social media channels. John has also supported and organised participation in London Pride for the past 3 years.

John has also supported the delivery CSRAʼs Role Models guide, annual conference, and Action Plan, working closely with a team of volunteers.

Whilst at the Government Digital Service, John also established the organisationʼs LGBT network in 2016, and led its public activities for Pride in London.

5. Derek Bradford

Team Leader; HM Revenue & Customs

Derek has transformed the work of HMRCʼs LGBT network and has created a close knit community of LGBT people across Scotland.

His energy and enthusiasm in Scotland has seen attendance at Pride events in the country go from strength to strength in recent years. Last year, he arranged more than 100 civil servants to march in the parades at Edinburgh and Glasgow. This year, he more than doubled this thanks to his community organising work. Derek has also taken a leading role in organising activities to mark other dates in the LGBT calendar, which are well attended.

Derek worked closely with the HMRC LGBT network to complete HMRCʼs Stonewall Workplace Equality Index submission in 2015. This submission saw HMRC rank 27th in the Top 100. Derek has helped to reinvigorate the LGBT network at HMRC in recent years as well.

Derek is also the Scottish Chair of PCS Proud, which represents LGBT members of the Public and Commercial Services trade union.

5. Kate Scott-Hughes

Workplace Adjustments Manager; Crown Prosecution Service

Kate is has been the Vice-Chair of the Civil Service Rainbow Alliance, and had led the Crown Prosecution Service LGBT network for several years.

In the Crown Prosecution Service she has transformed the departmental network into a centre of expertise, looked to for advice on LGBT issues. Kate has also changed the way CPS consults on internal and external delivery policies, and established the first homophobic hate crime scrutiny panel. She played a significant role in developing the first CPS “Single Equality Scheme” and “Community Accountability Forum”.

Kate delivered a Role Models programme and guide within CPS, in partnership with Stonewall. This has become a model emulated in dozens of other organisations.

As Vice-Chair of CSRA, Kate lead a review of governance and strategic objectives, and has led engagement with senior stakeholders in the Civil Service. She played an important role in the “Donʼt Ask, Donʼt Tell” report on Civil Service LGBT inclusion.

Kate led work on CSRAʼs Role Models guide, the first of its kind in the Civil Service. She also played a leading role in CSRAʼs events and conferences.

7. Luis Guerra

National Programme Manager Sexual Health, Reproductive Health & HIV; Public Health England

Luis has led a range of highly successful LGBT delivery work at Public Health England. He initially led a project working to improve the sexual health of black and minority ethnic men who have sex with men. He was then appointed programme manager for sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention. As part of this role, he leads a range of projects, including the national HIV home sampling programme. His role involves significant engagement with LGBT communities, and has involved bringing together BAME, faith and LGBT sector organisations to take action on sexual health.

He has led several projects particularly focussed on LGBT health. These include developing a joint toolkit with the Royal College of Nurses on LGBT youth mental health and suicide prevention.

Luis has also played an active role in PHEʼs LGBT network, the PHE Rainbow Alliance. He led on the development of a series of LGBT seminars, and has spoken at a number of conferences around the UK.

8. Jonathan Tickner

Inspector; HM Inspectorate of Prisons

Jonathan joined his current role in HM Inspectorate of Prisons around a year ago. In that time, he has raised the profile of LGBT and wider diversity issues throughout the organisation. He has shown great enthusiasm for celebrating diverse lifestyles, and has supported colleagues who have not felt confident to disclose their identity.

He has taken a lead in changing and developing how the Inspectorate assessed equality issues. This has supported LGBT people in the inspected institutions as well as the wider workforce.

Jonathan has also started regular socials for LGBT staff and allies, which are well attended.

He has taken a leading role in a new Equality and Diversity Advisory Group within the organisation. The group is changing and improving the culture of the organisation for people with protected characteristics.

9. Charlotte De Val

Performance and Safeguarding Team - Academies National Operations; Department for Education

Charlotte has been the Department for Educationʼs LGBT network secretary for around 18 months. In that time, Charlotte has made a positive impact on the network and has been a highly visible and dedicated member of the Networkʼs committee. Her efforts have significantly raised the profile of the Network and the work that it carries out for staff.

As Secretary, Charlotte has organised a range of events. During DfEʼs Equality, Diversity & Inclusion month, she organised a successful panel event with representatives from across the public sector.

She led a group of volunteers to review HR policies inside the Department, and made a significant contribution to the Departmentʼs Stonewall Workplace Equality Index submission. She has also worked closely with other diversity networks internal to the department on intersectional issues.

10. Hayley Barnden

Safety Engineer; Defence Equipment and Support

Hayley co-founded the Defence Equipment and Supports LGBT network to improve LGBT inclusion at DE&S in Bristol. The network is one of the newest in the organisation, but is now one of the most active. It boasts more than 80 members, 2 years on from its founding.

Hayley has supported staff to engage in volunteer work, and to attend Stonewall events for learning and development. Hayley also arranged a series events around Pride in Bristol, LGBT History Month and National Coming Out Day.

Hayley has also been supporting other organisations to develop LGBT networks too, sharing her own experience.

1. Colin Liptrot

Team Leader; Environment Agency

Colin is a Team Leader at the Environment Agency. He is also the national co-lead for the Environment Agencyʼs LGBT allies network. In this role, he encourages staff to join the network and educate them about LGBT issues. He also helps to make the Environment Agency safe for staff to be themselves without fear or prejudice.

Colin challenges negative behaviours and is a visible and vocal champion of equality in his agency. This makes a difference in his team and in the wider agency.

Colin led the agencies activities for the “International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia”. He is also an active ally in the wider community. He the Environment Agencyʼs activities at Sparkle in Manchester, and is active in LGBT youth activities around Manchester.

2. Clare Moriarty

Permanent Secretary; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Clare is the Permanent Secretary of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Clare has been a vocal and visible ally for transgender people and transgender issues in recent years. She authentically shared her journey as a parent, supporting her transgender child. She has also been a visible ally at London Pride, during LGBT history month, and throughout the Civil Service. Clare has spoken at the a:gender conference and written powerful blog posts which have helped raise trans awareness in the Civil Service. She has also taken immediate steps to improve trans inclusion at Defra, such as introducing gender neutral facilities.

Clareʼs openness and inclusive approach has made her a strong role model for all staff and senior leaders, not only in her department, but across the Civil Service. Her authenticity and willingness to speak out has been refreshing and powerful.

3. Hannah Hodge Waller

Learning and Development Apprentice; Office for National Statistics

Hannah works for the Office of National Statistics as a Learning and Development Apprentice. She has been a member of ONSʼs Friends of Spectrum ally network for over 3 years. She has been an enthusiastic member of the committee in that time.

Hannah has led learning and development activities to highlight LGBT issues across ONS. For example, she led workshops for the “International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia”, and these workshops are now part of the ONS corporate training portfolio. Hannah invests significant time improving the knowledge of staff about the experiences of LGBT staff. Hannah also uses her volunteer time to support the ONSʼs activities at events like Pride Cymru. She has also been supporting other government departments and agencies establish their own ally networks.

The work that she does has been helping to make ONS an inclusive place to work and demonstrates the need for allies at work.

1. Welsh Government

PRISM, LGBTQ Staff Network

PRISM has been recognised internally and externally for its significant contributions to LGBT people. Thanks to its efforts, the Welsh Government is ranked 6th in Wales, and 25th in the UK of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, and the network won the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Award for Championing LGBT People last year. PRISM was also awarded the ʼBest Performing Network Awardʼ by Stonewall Wales.

It has seen a 16% increase in LGBT members, and 148% increase in ally members in recent years, thanks in part to a strong champion. The network is visible around Wales, but also ensures it is visible across the UK, regularly attending Pride events.

2. Environment Agency

LGBT+ Network

The Environment Agency LGBT+ Network celebrated its 10th year in 2016. It now boasts over 500 members as part of its network, including allies. The Environment Agency has featured in the Top 100 employers of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index for the past 10 years.

The work of the network has seen the Environment Agency develop comprehensive policies and guidance on LGBT issues, and a vibrant presence at Pride events across the country every year. The network also helps to provide support to staff dealing with LGBT issues and develop an increasingly open and welcoming atmosphere throughout the organisation. This is helping to attract better talent and enable everyone to be themselves and reach their full potential.

3. HM Land Registry

Assured

Land Registryʼs network was founded in 2006, but was re-established as ʼAssuredʼ in 2017 to better embody its core mission: to provide assurance. Its work is helping to raise the visibility of LGBT issues inside Land Registry, with senior management, and out in the community.

Some significant achievements include improving declaration rates to over 80%, rolling out digital resource packs to all diversity champions across Land Registry for LGBT History Month, and community outreach to improve business outcomes through running consultations and attending Brighton Pride.

1. LGBT Policy team

Government Equalities Office; Delivering Government policy on LGBT equality

The Government Equalities Office LGBT Policy Team is responsible for delivering the Governmentʼs commitments on LGBT equality.

In the past year, the team has delivered a tremendous amount is changed the lives of LGBT people. This includes setting up a new £3 million anti-homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying programme that will tackle bullying in over 1200 schools; delivering the manifesto commitment to provide pardons for people with historic consensual same-sex offences, and starting to deliver the governmentʼs commitment to review the Gender Recognition Act.

The team is also sharing best practice from the UK on equality globally, including presenting at the British Overseas Territories conference.

In July, the team launched a national survey of the LGBT population, which has had over 95,000 responses, and is likely one of the largest exercises of its kind anywhere in the world.

2. Victim, Witness and Criminal Justice Delivery team

Ministry of Justice; Historic pardons known as ʼTuring Pardonsʼ

Ministry of Justice and Government Equalities Office teams works to deliver the governmentʼs manifesto commitment on historic pardons for men who had been convicted of consensual same-sex offences that would no longer be considered offences today. This issue was very important too many people across the country and required intense work by the two teams to deliver.

The team in Ministry of Justice late on this, drafting clauses for the Policing and Crime Act, meeting with stakeholders to explore options, and guiding the Bill through the House. GEO supported the team, briefing and speeches for ministers at short notice. This work not only resulted in a significant outcome, but was also a great example of cross departmental working.

3. The London Health Protection team

Public Health England; SOPV Hepatitis A Pop-Vaccination clinics

The London Health Protection Team has been dealing with a large outbreak of Hepatitis A amongst men who have sex with men. A number of initiatives have been put in place to manage this such as pop-up clinics providing immunisations to vulnerable gay and bisexual men. Team members have given up evenings and weekends to provide these clinics. More than 200 men have been vaccinated that otherwise would not have been thanks to these efforts.