Eddie Ndopu embodies the idea that diversity and inclusion create possibility, and has spent his life advocating on behalf of those for whom equal rights and justice fall short. In this talk, Eddie will discuss his mission to be the first wheelchair user to travel to outer space. His mission is a call to action around relentless inclusion and accessibility, and Eddie will examine the role that technology and innovation play in breaking down the barriers to entry for people pursuing their dreams. He will also delve into intersectionality and what it means to go beyond what people expect of us and create greater possibilities in our lives.

Alice Choi will share some of the initiatives from her organisation. “Global medical communications requires in-depth understanding of novel and complex science and the ability to analyse, interpret and communicate it.  As such, our workforce has focused heavily on highly academic, highly trained scientists.  Many of our external stakeholders have also been leading experts and healthcare practitioners.  However, the world around us is changing.  Even prior to COVID, we were starting to see a hugely changing dynamic in healthcare provision and an acceleration of the democratisation of scientific data.  Expectations around speed, access and channels are changing fast.  How can we adapt to these expectation both in terms of our service offerings and our workforce?  Let’s explore how diversity and inclusivity can help with this.”

Speaker

Eddie Ndopu is an award-winning humanitarian and renowned disability justice practitioner who currently serves as one of 17 eminent Advocates appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General to galvanize concerted action on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

He is also Senior Partner at Global Goals Advisory, where he works with leaders across all sectors to align their strategic and policy objectives with the SDGs and with new, cutting-edge practices in ESG and DEI.
Eddie sits on the Boards of the United Nations Foundation, IMAGINE, and the Valuable 500. He also serves as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the New Agenda for Equity and Social Justice, as well as Verizon’s Disability Advisory Board.

Eddie is currently building the Global Access Fund, a $1 billion mechanism to shore up and bolster the global humanitarian system so that the 1 billion people with disabilities living on the planet today do not get left behind in this Decade of Action.

An African Leadership Academy alumnus, Eddie holds a Masters in Public Policy from Oxford University, and also graduated summa cum laude from Carleton University, with a Bachelors in Human Rights, Post-colonial Studies, and Critical Theory.
Eddie is signed with Aevitas Literary Agency and is currently writing his debut memoir.

Speaker

Alice is the Chief Operating Officer of McCann Health Medical Communications, the global healthcare communications group within the McCann Worldgroup and Interpublic advertising agency networks. She is also the Executive Director for the McCann Health Global Scientific Council, a unique initiative, harnessing the power of the 450+ scientific community within the McCann network.

Alice currently chairs the Healthcare Communications Association and previously chaired the International Society of Medical Publication Professionals. She is a Governor for The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, one of Europe’s largest oncology centres and also sits on Marketing Manchester’s Internationalisation and Marketing Advisory Board. She is a “Women of Influence” mentor for Cancer Research UK and is a member of their Research Careers Committee. More recently, she has been appointed as a Board Member for the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, where she will be leading the Business Growth Committee for the region. She has been listed as a Top 50 Northern Power Woman and was named as one of the Top 25 Women Leaders in the UK by Pharmaceutical Market Europe in 2019.

Speaker

Dr Nneka Abulokwe, OBE is the Founder of MicroMax Consulting, a boutique technology and governance consulting firm. She is a Non-Executive Director at the University of Cambridge and Davies Group, amongst others. Nneka has enjoyed a successful executive career working for global tech and digital services organisations. In 2019 she was conferred Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE for her Services to Business. She is the recipient of several awards and has featured in the FT and Forbes. Nneka received her Doctorate in Business Administration from the Cranfield School of Management. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for IT; the Chartered Institute for Project Management and a Freeman of the Technologist Livery Company.

Chair

Charlotte Valeur, Chair/NED @ Blackstone Loan Financing, Digital 9 Infrastructure plc, Laing O’Rourke, NTR plc