Founder of Compelling Culture, Cambridge Judge Lecturer, Former Sky Head of Inclusion & EDI Strategist
Catherine Garrod’s Biography:
Catherine Garrod is the founder of Compelling Culture and a leading keynote speaker on conscious inclusion. A guest lecturer at Cambridge Judge Business School and author of Conscious Inclusion, she is known for making inclusion feel practical and achievable. Her most recognised career milestone is leading Sky to become the most inclusive employer in the UK, with 80 percent of teams increasing their diversity. Catherine brings a clear, human approach to helping organisations create cultures where people can do their best work.
Catherine’s early experiences shaped her ability to build environments where people thrive. She began her career as Nursery Manager at Childbase Partnership, growing the nursery from zero to 96 percent occupancy and earning Nursery of the Year in her first year. This role taught her the power of culture on performance and wellbeing. At PepsiCo, Catherine stepped into roles in Executive and MBA Resourcing and then as Organisation Development Consultant, partnering with European business schools and delivering people focused processes across global teams. These formative years strengthened her understanding of behaviour, communication and the systems that shape inclusion.
Her career later took her to UK Power Networks, where she worked as Engagement Manager, supporting an 11 percent rise in engagement and contributing to the organisation becoming the first utility in the Sunday Times Top 25 companies to work for. Catherine went on to roles at The Cambian Group before joining Sky. At Sky she held several senior positions, including People Involvement Manager, Inclusion Manager and ultimately Head of Inclusion. During this period Sky reached No.1 on the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers list, improved representation both on and off screen and introduced meaningful policies, including enhanced paternity leave and domestic abuse support. In 2023 Catherine published her book ‘Conscious Inclusion’ and in 2025 she joined the NERC OUTE Steering Group and became a Director at Rebels and Pilgrims CIC, widening her leadership and impact across sectors.
Why Hire Catherine Garrod?
People book Catherine because she makes inclusion feel easy to understand and simple to apply. She helps teams explore real differences in experience across their workforce, then shows them how to close the gaps. Catherine covers topics such as inclusive leadership, communicating inclusively, microaggressions, addressing overrepresentation and everyday habits for conscious inclusion. Her guidance helps organisations stay relevant, strengthen trust and design products, services and cultures that work well for everyone. She brings warmth, clarity and practical advice, leaving audiences more confident and motivated to create positive change.
Catherine Garrod’s Career Highlights:
Below showcases Catherine Garrod’s career in diversity and inclusion:
- 2025 – Joined the NERC OUTE Steering Group
- 2025 – Appointed Director at Rebels and Pilgrims CIC
- 2024 – Became Guest Lecturer at Cambridge Judge Business School
- 2024 – Featured in Forbes, Fast Company and The World Financial Review
- 2023 – Published Conscious Inclusion: How to ‘Do’ EDI One Decision at a Time
- 2020 – Founded Compelling Culture
- 2018 – Promoted to Head of Inclusion at Sky
- 2018 – Inclusion Manager at Sky
- 2016 – People Involvement Manager at Sky
- 2015 – Head of HR Corporate & Commercial of The Cambian Group
- 2011 – Engagement Manager of UK Power Networks
- 2009 – Organisation Development Consultant of PepsiCo
- 2007 – Executive & MBA Resourcing of PepsiCo
Videos
Catherine Garrod’s Official Keynote Speaking Videos & Showreel:
Testimonials
“Catherine brought amazing energy to HR and Finance leaders across the national associations at our annual conference. Her guidance was both inspiring and practical, giving specific actions they can easily implement. Thank you, Catherine.” – UEFA
“Leaders have been extremely positive and saying this is the best session they have been part of. Catherine addressed some challenging themes, in a safe and open way, and demystified terms and concepts. We’re excited to keep working with her. Highly recommend Catherine as a partner in this space.” – Bupa Dental Care
“Catherine’s book ‘Conscious Inclusion’ is highly recommended and, after listening to her speak at our company-wide event, I can understand why. As she put it herself: “Unless you’re consciously including people, you’re almost certainly unconsciously excluding people”, which is a powerful reminder.” – Virgin
“Catherine immediately created a safe and open environment, building a strong rapport with everyone in a matter of minutes. Her constructive approach, theory, practical action and sense of humour helped our leaders think differently about DEI.” – esure
“The magic in what you present and how you answer questions makes something leaders find complex and daunting, clearer and more doable. You are an extraordinarily clear and centred communicator who never patronises and brings deep credibility due to your experience of doing.” – Wavelength Connect
“Awesome session with the Exec. A judgement free space to expand on our uncertainties and really practical tips. Catherine is one of life’s radiators that brings energy to the room!” – Principality Building Society
“Catherine got to grips with our journey and values, and used stories to bring inclusion to life in a way that generated conversation, confidence and action. Catherine’s authentic and practical approach worked brilliantly – and it was a lot of fun too!” – Spriax-Sarco Engineering
“Catherine brings a positive attitude and creative approach to everything she does. Not only is her enthusiasm infectious but she inevitably brings others along with her.” – Anthony, Sales Director, PepsiCo
“Catherine immersed herself in data and met with colleagues to review the root causes of wellbeing challenges across our business. Her robust insight and analysis enabled her to provide recommendations that were fully endorsed by our Executive Team. She combined expertise, passion and empathy, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her as a partner in DEI, wellbeing or culture work.” – Les, Head of Talent & Leadership, Dentsu
“Catherine is a force to be reckoned with, bringing people together to achieve shared ambitions. She understands when to empower the voices that need to be heard to drive meaningful, long-term change. And she was always brilliant at emboldening me to deliver my best work.” – Tsednia, Network Chair, Sky
“Our EDI programme was fuelled with passion and we wanted to create a long-term plan and shared vision. Using Compelling Culture’s Inclusion Diagnostic, Catherine guided each governance group, so we knew where to focus our efforts. And the Board were compelled by a discussion on their role to influence a culture of conscious inclusion.” – Darren, Head of Business Change, Futures Housing Group
“Highly recommend” – Virgin
“Catherine is a marvel. She distils strategy into practical action, keeps things simple and connects, mobilises and inspires others to make great things happen. She delivered extraordinary results across inclusion, engagement and communications.” – Louise, HR Director, Sky
“Catherine joined as a keynote speaker on one of our webinars. She is a truly engaging presenter and positioned her advice and knowledge perfectly to the audience. Catherine has been a brilliant support to Bupa UK Insurance and we look forward to continuing to work together.” – Mark, General Manager Business and Specialist Products, UK Insurance, Bupa
“Catherine made a great impression on our leadership team. She was a true professional and kept the audience engaged in a thought-provoking and easy-to-follow session. It’s clear that she is an expert and took the time to listen to our needs to make the session a huge success.” – Carla, Managing Director, Stagecoach
“What an amazing session on how to make the workplace and teams more inclusive. Just brilliant. There was nothing left unsaid. Great session Catherine. Thank you.” – Brenda, Head of Corporate Interventions D&I, Public Health England
“Catherine is an outstanding speaker. I still feel inspired when I recall her talk to the whole of Sky Sports. She knew her subject inside out, made it extremely relevant and left us feeling empowered. She has unique qualities which have an immediate and lasting impact on her audience.” – Georgina, VP Head of Tennis, IMG Media
“Catherine delivered a remote keynote speaker session for International Women’s Day. She was really engaging, planning the session with relevant data and information for our business. Catherine created such an inclusive forum, that people were keen to ask questions and for 2 weeks on people were still talking about what a great session it was!” – Olivia, Head of People, Zava
Speaking Topics
Catherine Garrod’s Official Keynote Topics:
- How to Address Overrepresentation
- How to be an Inclusive Leader
- How to Communicate Inclusively
- How to Operate Inclusively
- Microaggressions and Speaking Up
- The Fear of Getting Inclusion Wrong
How Much Does Catherine Garrod Cost to Hire?
How Much Does it Cost to Hire Catherine Garrod?
The cost of hiring Catherine Garrod depends on your event needs, including format, location and length of appearance. For an accurate quote, contact a London Keynote Speakers Agency booking agent for expert guidance.