INVITATION ONLY
The Progression Framework is an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) maturity model, created by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Science Council for our professional bodies and learned societies. It enables Professional Engineering Institutions and Science Bodies to assess their EDI practice in relation to 10 areas of organisational activity.
This year, 45 science and engineering organisations participated in a self-assessment using the Progression Framework, and their results were benchmarked and analysed in a review of progress on EDI across these professions.
We are delighted to present the reports from that exercise at our event which is held jointly by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Science Council. Dr Colin Church, CEO of IOM3 and Chair of the Progression Framework Implementation Group, will be hosting this event to mark the publication of the 2025 Progression Framework benchmarking at the offices of IOM3.
This event is for leadership, EDI and People professionals of science and engineering professional bodies – whether or not your organisation took part in the Progression Framework this year. It is also for anyone with an interest in the EDI work of the engineering and science professions.
We will hear from the authors of the Progression Framework reports, as well as asking our audience about the opportunities and challenges they face while aiming to advance EDI in their organisations, and their professions.
We are pleased to offer lunch as part of this event, and we would welcome you joining at 12.45pm to register, eat, and network.
The event is held at IOM3, 297 Euston Road, London NW1 3AD. An accessible entrance to the venue can be found at 72-73 Warren Street.
Programme
| Time | Action |
| 12.45pm | Lunch and registration |
| 1.30pm |
Welcome and introduction Dr Colin Church, CEO of IOM3 and Chair of the Progression Framework Implementation Group. |
| 1.45pm |
Progression Framework benchmarking and analysis Jo Stansfield and Martin Griffin, Inclusioneering. |
| 2.10pm | Audience contributions: EDI opportunities and challenges |
| 2.40pm |
Panel discussion
|
| 3.25pm | Networking and refreshments |
| 4pm | End of event |
Photography/filming notice
Please note that photography/filming may take place during this event. All photographs and videos will be securely stored on the Academy’s servers and used for editorial, marketing and media use by the Academy and selected press or industry media. Please let us know if you do not agree to this processing. Please refer to our General Privacy Policy for more details.
Venue and accessibility
It is very important to the Royal Academy of Engineering that our events are accessible to all. If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact us more than one week in advance of this event so that necessary arrangements can be made. Contact details: [email protected].
Diversity monitoring form
The Academy is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and one of our goals is to develop an engineering community fit for the future. To help us achieve this, we would like to collect some basic anonymous data about the event attendees. If you would like to help, please complete the diversity monitoring form by logging into your user account on our website and completing ‘Update my D&I data’.
Dr Colin Church
Dr Colin Church is the Chief Executive of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, the global network for the materials cycle. He is Chair of the Green Alliance-convened Circular Economy Task Force that aims to lead policy discussions with ambitious business thinking, and a member of the UK Government’s Circular Economy Taskforce. He is a trustee of Green Alliance and a board member of the Materials Processing Institute and the Federation of European Materials Societies. Colin is also a member of various industry-academia advisory bodies and of the UK Department for Business and Trade’s Critical Minerals Expert Committee. He is a Fellow of IOM3, a Chartered Environmentalist and a Chartered Resource and Waste Manager. In 2021-2 he chaired the independent review of the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy in Scotland; in 2023 he was the vice-chair of the Task and Finish Group on Critical Minerals Resilience for the UK Government. He was a board member of the Society for the Environment 2019-2025 and a trustee of CHEM Trust 2016-2025.
Previously, Colin was the CEO of CIWM, the professional body for resources and waste management. Before that, he spent 21 years in the UK Civil Service working in a range of areas including climate change, the theory and practice of regulation, and environmental protection including resource and waste management. He was also a non-executive director of WRAP, the waste reduction and resource efficiency body and the Carbon Trust, the carbon reduction body.
Professor Della Freeth
Professor Della Freeth is Chief Executive of the Science Council, where she collaborated with a wide range of stakeholders to help shape its current strategy, Elevating the Science Workforce. Della’s career in educational and professional roles reflects her deep passion for learning and education. Transitions have always been an interest. Della enjoyed a research and senior leadership career in four contrasting universities (City St George’s, University of London; Queen Mary University of London; University of Bedfordshire; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) and the Royal College of Physicians. She continues to supervise and examine PhD students at Queen Mary University of London and UCL. Her research and her development projects with organisations focus on interprofessional collaboration, improving workplace practices, supporting people’s learning for and through work, and learning through simulated professional practice. In enquiry and development, she deploys both her earlier education in maths and statistics with her subsequent doctoral transition to social science. Della has experience of developing innovative professional credentials for a range of professions and supporting emerging professional roles in healthcare. Her current role at the Science Council allows her to leverage her expertise in science and social science to encourage career-long learning and reducing barriers to career progression. Della's approach is characterised by her advocacy for non-traditional routes into science careers and her commitment to celebrating diversity in the field.
Della’s current volunteer roles include Chair of Loughborough Students’ Union Board of Trustees and membership of the UK Institute of Technical Skills & Strategy Advisory Board. Della is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society.
Martin Griffin
Martin Griffin is co-author of the EDI Progression Framework reports. He is a chartered engineer, a chartered geologist, Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, Vice President for EDI at the Geological Society, and a Fellow of the Institute of Diversity and Equality Professionals. He splits his time between working on engineering projects alongside shaping a positive culture, delivering training on psychological safety and inclusion and diversity, co-leading a mentoring programme, and developing apprenticeship opportunities. He chairs and mentors others within his employer’s national Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group having the lived experience of being neurodivergent (autistic, dyslexic, and dyspraxic) and visually impaired.
Martin is a national multiple award winner for his EDI work for being a passionate role model, a focused engineer and a tireless influencer making workplaces and society more equitable and inclusive to one and all.
Cecilia Harvey
Cecilia Harvey is a transformative leader and a catalyst for change in the tech industry. As the Chief Operating Officer of the Royal Academy of Engineering, she leverages over two decades of experience in technology and finance to drive innovation, foster diversity, and inspire the next generation of engineers. Her career spans senior roles at global financial institutions, including Morgan Stanley, Barclays, HSBC, and IBM, where she consistently broke new ground and challenged the status quo.
Cecilia's journey from Wall Street to her current role has been defined by her commitment to diversity and inclusion in tech. As the founder of Tech Women Today, she has created a platform that empowers female entrepreneurs and showcases women in technology. She understands the critical need for diverse role models in technology and actively works to open doors for underrepresented communities.
Cecilia’s vision for the future of technology emphasises not only technical skills but also adaptability, creativity, and a commitment to inclusivity. Through her experience and initiatives, Cecilia seeks to offer insights on how to reshape technology for a more diverse and dynamic future.
Jo Stansfield
Jo is CEO and founder of Inclusioneering and co-author of the 2025 EDI Progression Framework reports. An engineer turned business psychologist, she focuses on the human side of technology, empowering organisations to drive responsible and inclusive innovation that delivers fair and equitable outcomes across products, operations, and services.
Jo works with clients ranging from small enterprises to global corporations and research consortia. Combining quantitative and qualitative insights with a deep understanding of engineering cultures, her evidence-based, human-centric approach equips leaders with practical strategies to drive lasting, transformative change.
Joanna Whiteman
Joanna is the Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at the Royal Academy of Engineering and leads on the Academy’s work to accelerate EDI throughout engineering. She and her team work with engineering companies, academic institutions and professional bodies, providing evidence-based programming and rigorous research to support them on their inclusion journeys and enable their good practices to reach the wider sector. Joanna began her career as an employment lawyer, advising companies across the UK as they sought to comply with the Equality Act 2010. She then moved into the charitable sector and, as Head of Litigation and then Co-director at the Equal Rights Trust, she supported global partners to use the law to advance equality. Joanna has advised, trained and guided hundreds of organisations as they embed inclusive practices and reach underrepresented communities.