Inclusion By Default Conference 2026 — The North East's Most Important Conversation Is Happening on 29 April

Asian Business Connexions
Apr 17
4 min read

There is no shortage of conferences about inclusion.

There are panels. There are keynotes. There are rooms full of people who nod in agreement, collect a lanyard and return to their organisations the following Monday to find that nothing has changed.

Inclusion By Default Conference 2026 is not that kind of event.

Man in checked blazer seated at a table, writing in a notebook, looks thoughtful. Background shows people, a water bottle labeled "Army."

Hosted by Ammar Mirza CBE, High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear, and delivered in partnership with SHINE and the North East Combined Authority, the Inclusion by Default Conference is a working session designed from the ground up to move beyond conversation and produce something real.

Something that doesn't get filed away.

Something that actually changes things.

Why This Conference. Why Now.

Asian Business Connexions has spent nearly two decades connecting, supporting and promoting communities across the North East. Through the Inclusion by Default movement, we have engaged thousands of individuals and organisations, built trusted relationships across sectors and created platforms that amplify the voices that too often go unheard.

And over those two decades, one thing has become clear. The challenges have not gone away. In many cases, they have intensified. Division continues to grow. Opportunity remains unevenly distributed. Systems that should work for everyone by default still routinely fail the communities who need them most.

IBD Conference 2026 is a direct response to that reality.

Not to revisit the problem. Not to talk about it again. But to design solutions and move forward with intent.

What Makes Inclusion By Default Conference 2026 Different

Most conferences are built around what speakers will say.

IBD Conference 2026 is built around what every person in the room will produce together.

This is a fully interactive, structured working session. Every attendee is a contributor. Through facilitated table discussions, real-time problem solving, and cross-sector collaboration, the room will co-create a practical Inclusion by Default Roadmap with clear regional priorities, named stakeholders and delivery pathways that carry real accountability beyond the day itself.

Three focus areas drive the conversation throughout:

Communication — how we engage, listen and build genuine understanding across communities and sectors.

Collaboration — how we work across boundaries, break down silos, and create partnerships that last.

Celebration — how we recognise success, shift narratives, and build the momentum that makes inclusion the default rather than the exception.

Every idea is captured in real time. Every action is prioritised. Every stakeholder leaves with ownership — not just inspiration.

Three Themes. One Day. Real Outcomes.

The conference is structured around three interconnected themes, each addressing a critical dimension of inclusive communities.

Man in camouflage uniform speaks at podium. Background displays text highlighting inclusion themes with colorful patterns.

Health and Happiness

From identity and creativity to community trust and workplace wellbeing, this session focuses on the conditions that allow people to feel safe, valued and able to thrive.

Joining the conversation are Craig Conway (Runway Rooms), Susan Dungworth (Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner) and Caroline Preston (SHINE / North East Combined Authority), each bringing a distinct perspective on what it takes to build environments where people genuinely flourish.

Wealth, Skills and Enterprise

Making economic opportunity genuinely accessible to all is not just a moral imperative, it is a commercial and regional necessity.

Jennie Pitt (Newcastle Building Society), Sarah Trouten (Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs) and Andy Black (PIE Project) will explore the financial, educational and enterprise foundations that unlock opportunity across communities and the systemic barriers that still stand in the way.

Justice, Equity, Leadership and Faith

Inclusion does not happen by accident. It is designed into systems, into organisations, into the decisions that leaders make every single day.

Ammar Mirza CBE (High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear), Imam Mohammed Rahman, Pundit Ji Krishan Attri, Rev Dr Peter Adegbie and the 101st Regiment Royal Artillery bring together faith, civic responsibility, discipline and service to drive a conversation about what it means to embed inclusion at a system level, not treat it as an afterthought.

Who Should Be in the Room

This conference is not for observers.

It is for people who are ready to act and who understand that inclusion is not someone else's responsibility.

A group of people in a meeting room sit at round tables. Two in uniforms, one reads paper. Neutral expressions, red chairs, white walls.

If you are a senior leader from business, the public sector or the third sector, this is your room. If you are an entrepreneur or scaleup driving growth across the region, this is your room. If you are a community leader, an advocate, an educator, a policymaker or a workforce developer, this is your room. If you believe that the North East has the potential to become the most inclusive region in the UK and that potential will only be realised if the right people choose to act, then this is your room.

The Ambition Behind IBD Conference 2026

We are not here to produce a report.

We are not here to add another document to the pile of well-intentioned strategies that sit on shelves across the region.

Our ambition is to position the North East as the most inclusive region in the UK, a place where opportunity is accessible to all and where systems are designed to work by default, not by exception.

That ambition will not be achieved in a single day. But it starts with one.

It starts with leaders choosing to be in the room. Choosing to bring honesty, insight and intent. Choosing to take ownership beyond the conference and carry the work back into their organisations, their communities, and their decision-making.

"Inclusion by Default is not built through policy alone. It is built through people who choose to act."

— Ammar Mirza CBE, High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear