Edleen John

Edleen John is a multi-award-winning global business leader and consultant working across Diversity and Inclusion, Human Resources and Culture and Corporate Affairs and Communications. With experience in sectors ranging from retail to legal, from financial services to government, and from media and communications to sport - she brings cross-industry best practice to her insights. Her experience over the course of her career has impacted and delivered across the corporate, charitable, and public-sector spheres in both an Executive and Non-Executive capacity.  She is an engaging, open, and thought-provoking speaker who shares pragmatic and tangible solutions for institutions and organisations focused on practical insights into how and why people are at the heart of organisational culture, the value, meaning and benefits of diversity and inclusion, the importance of effective communication and the impact of inclusion on productivity, leadership, and the employee life-cycle. 

A British-born Sierra Leonean, with a long-term health condition, Edleen grew up in South-East London after moving back from Sierra Leone as a toddler. She attended a South London comprehensive in Lewisham and went on to complete her degree in Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University. She shares her lived experience of issues around socio-economic background as well as gender, cross-cultural connectivity, hidden disability, and race. She explains how embracing learning and growth continues to serve as her foundation for navigating a life filled with risks, mistakes, and successes.

Professionally, Edleen started out as an Investment Banker at Lehman Brothers in the Debt Capital Markets division. After a period in Insurance broking in Lloyd’s of London, she returned to Investment Banks. She worked across various HR functions at Nomura and Morgan Stanley, rising to be EMEA’s youngest Vice President in HR at the latter. She later joined KPMG and within a year was promoted to Director and the Co-Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Social Equality making her the youngest and only Black Director in the company’s People function. She started working as an independent consultant whilst simultaneously serving as the Director of International Relations, Corporate Affairs and Equality Diversity and Inclusion at The FA working with all levels of the English game, on and off the pitch, and leading her division through key pivotal moments including the launch of The Football Leadership Diversity Code, securing government funding for football facilities, The FA’s first-ever Disability plan in its 150-year history, a social media boycott and public affairs strategizing to influence legislation and address online abuse after the Men’s Euros 2020 and preparations for a Euros cross-territory UK tournament bid.