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Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Inclusion By Default (IBD) Conference 2025, the North East’s flagship event focused on driving inclusive innovation, equity, and justice in the workplace.
Event info:
Date: 14th May 2025
Location: 204 Regiment, Kingston Park, NE3 2EF
What was the event about?
Inclusion By Default: One Year On marked a major milestone in our mission to make the North East the most inclusive region in the UK by 2025.
The half-day event brought together over 80 attendees from all sectors—public, private, and voluntary—for a meaningful programme of conversations, workshops, and co-creation.
Using the Inclusive Innovation Framework (IIF) developed with Yohlar, we explored real-world solutions to remove systemic barriers to success.
From powerful keynotes to interactive sessions, the day left attendees inspired, equipped, and ready to take action.
Our speakers brought real insight, honesty, and passion to the room—challenging us to think differently and act more inclusively.
Our Speakers
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Amanda Bailey
Child Poverty Commission
Caroline Pryor
His Majesty's Lord Lieutenant for Northumberland
Darren Adams
Northumbria police Chief Superindependent
Ammar Mirza CBE
Chairman of ABConnexions
Lee-Ann Naidoo
NHS Improvement Programme Manager
Amit Bahanda
Director of ABconnexions
Co-creating Inclusion with IIF
Using our Inclusive Innovation Framework (IIF), developed with Yohlar, we will spent an interactive and fun afternoon co-creating an inclusion roadmap for the North East and your organisation.
Find out more about IIF below:
Thank you to our Yohlar workshop experts:
Andy Black
Dr Phil Veal
The IBD Report: 50,000 Voices for Inclusion
We also unveiled the long-anticipated IBD Report, drawing on insights from over 50,000 responses to our Inclusion Survey. The findings paint a clear picture of both the challenges and opportunities we face in building inclusive growth across the North East.
Key themes from the report included:
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Lack of understanding and visibility around inclusion
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A strong appetite for change across sectors
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The importance of intersectionality in inclusive policy-making
Report available for download soon
Access the Slide Deck from the Day
Missed a session? Want to revisit key insights?
Download the full Inclusion By Default 2025 Conference Slide Deck – featuring highlights from all the talks, data snapshots from the IBD Report, and a step-by-step overview of the Inclusive Innovation Framework.