As the Founder and CEO of EmployabilityUK, and the architect of National Employability Week™ (NEW), I am proud to lead an award-winning social mobility charity dedicated to creating equitable opportunities for young people across the UK.
With a 30+ year background in business and a deep-rooted passion for youth development, I’ve built EmployabilityUK into a values-led organisation that bridges the gap between education and employment. We empower young people with the confidence, skills, and insights they need to succeed in the modern workplace while helping employers deliver meaningful CSR and ESG outcomes.
Our work has been recognised at the highest levels:
– The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (2021)
– MBE for services to disadvantaged young people (2022 Platinum Jubilee Honours)
– Business in the Community awarded the Responsible Business Award to Coventry Building Society
At the heart of our mission is collaboration. We work across sectors to co-design impactful employability programmes, embed social value principles into business practice, and mobilise volunteers in ways that inspire purpose and drive change.
In 2025, I launched National Employability Week™ a bold and scalable initiative designed to unite employers, educators, and communities in driving systemic improvement. Piloted in Birmingham for the West Midlands, NEW is on a trajectory to become the UK’s flagship employability movement, shining a spotlight on the importance of workplace readiness, confidence, and communication for every young person.
I am also actively campaigning to embed employability skills as a mandatory part of the national curriculum, because every young person deserves the chance to thrive, not just survive.
A corporate partner recently said: “Working with Di and her team has not only been rewarding for our employees, but has created lasting benefits for the community – a perfect win-win.”
If you are seeking a strategic partner to strengthen your social value impact, engage employees in meaningful volunteering, or would like to get involved with National Employability Week 2026 please get in touch.
Together we can create powerful partnerships that transform futures.