Bernadette Thompson OBE

Associate Director of Inclusion for the Barts Health NHS Trust, Bernadette Thompson OBE is also a leading diversity and inclusion campaigner pushing for more representation in senior positions. A gifted HR professional, Bernadette has held several senior positions at prominent organisations such as the Home Office, NHS, and the Ministry of Justice. With extensive knowledge in HR, equality, diversity, inclusion and unconscious bias, Bernadette is now a highly sought-after speaker who delivers insightful speeches with many valuable takeaways.

Tenacious and hardworking, Bernadette began her journey in the Civil Service in 1998, initially working in the Legal Aid Board. Demonstrating exceptional talent, she rapidly rose in the ranks to become a Senior Diversity and Inclusion Manager for HM Treasury. This was followed by a string of prestigious jobs such as Diversity Consultant at the Home Office, Business Partner for the Civil Service Fast Stream and Senior SCS HR Business Partner for the Ministry of Justice UK. This would be followed by an appointment to the position of Deputy Director for Inclusion, Wellbeing and Employee Engagement at the Department for Levelling UP, Housing and Communities.

Despite her busy lifestyle, her demanding career has not hindered her activism or campaign work, in fact, Bernadette still allocates significant time to her charity work and her role as a Different Woman Ambassador. Moreover, for three years, Bernadette co-chaired the award-winning Race to the Top G6/7 network, an initiative aimed at improving the preparedness of its underrepresented members, in the Senior Civil Service for leadership positions. As an accomplished HR professional, Bernadette has been featured in the prestigious People Management publication and has been honoured for driving representation in the Civil Service with the Community Award from the Charity for Civil Servants.

In 2021 Bernadette was appointed OBE for Services to Diversity and Inclusion, and she was awarded the Rising Star Champion from We are the City. A truly remarkable individual who has substantially contributed to the cultural transformation and diversifying of talent in the Civil Service, Bernadette is a role model for many. Her activism and campaign work demonstrate her passion and commitment to the progression of diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace. An articulate speaker, Bernadette brings her vast expertise to her presentations to deliver highly informative sessions.