Courage to Lead: Building the Future-Ready Organisation

Kelly Grainger ‘The Autistic CEO’, is a powerful and relatable keynote speaker, bringing lived experience of autism and ADHD and over 25 years in corporate environments and now works at the intersection of neurodiversity, inclusive leadership and workplace conflict.

He was diagnosed as autistic and ADHD in his forties after a successful corporate career in senior roles across global organisations including PepsiCo, Merlin Entertainments and News International.

Kelly blends his experience with practical insight to help organisations build workplaces where neurodivergent people and their teams truly thrive. He is co-founder of Perfectly Autistic, a neurodiversity consultancy delivering training, keynotes and advisory work across the UK and Internationally. He has trained thousands of leaders and employees.

A trusted voice in the field, Kelly has spoken at the United Nations Global Compact and works with organisations including Red Bull F1 Racing, TUI, NHS, British Airways and GSK to name a few. His work is particularly valued for its honesty, clarity and ability to translate neurodiversity from theory into lived, practical workplace change.

Faye Bertram, Partnerships Lead and Co-Director at A Brilliant Thing CIC. Faye’s background spans community building, digital platforms and HR consultancy support, giving her an insight into how wellbeing and work intersect across both online and offline environments. Faye works relationally and practically, strengthening networks, facilitating collaboration and communicating the story of our mission in ways that grow trust, visibility and shared momentum. She leads partnership development, host and facilitate sessions, and support teams to connect strategy with everyday practice.

Specialisms

1. Training facilitation and development support for individuals/team
2. Neurodiversity roundtable speaker
3. Online campaign and events management 4. Partnership Network development support

Kerry Tottingham is a design-thinker, mother and maker, as well as a Chartered Management Institute certified (Level 7) Leadership Coach and Mentor.

Her experience marries skills in facilitation, therapeutic approaches, coaching, organisational and community development, design-thinking and grassroots and system experience across charity, NHS, public and private sectors.

Her work recognises the leadership role of governance and of lived experience, and understand the tools and resources needed to support both.

Anissa is a seasoned organisational design practitioner with a passion for helping organisations achieve strategic alignment. With a career spanning over a decade as an external consultant, Anissa has worked across industries in the Netherlands, the UK, the Caribbean, and North Africa, supporting clients in designing and implementing transformative change. She does this with minimal use of powerpoints, and maximum use of getting stuck in partnering with clients, flipcharts, and post-its. Known for her conceptual thinking, collaborative approach, and silly socks, Anissa also enjoins learning from and teaching cohorts on how to do collaborative org design.

• Previous Chair and Trustee of EODF (2021-2025)
• Faculty of Organisation Design Masterclass (OTM and EODF)
• Is a podcast lover and traveling wanderer

Demola is an organisational development (OD) practitioner with a proven track record of designing, managing, and leading complex change programmes across various sectors. His career began in higher education as a lecturer, where he honed his skills in knowledge transfer before transitioning to OD in the early 2000s. Since then, he has made significant contributions across the civil service in Westminster and beyond.

More recently, he has been working as an Independent Consultant in the NHS, International Development Research as well as supporting emerging communities of practice.