Neurodiversity Index 2024 Report just launched!

Find out more 🡕
Julia Bena

Julia Bena

Responsible Business Manager

“Ju-lee-ah Be-na” she/her

Julia works on the development of City & Guilds’ responsible business activities, ensuring our organisation remains a force for good and helps create a more sustainable and inclusive world. She is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion and solutions to climate change.

She helped establish the Princess Royal Training Awards and contributed to our DEI webinar series.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her son, visiting exhibitions, practicing yoga and learning new things.

connectedness | ideation | learner | intellection | maximiser

The latest stories from Julia Bena on the City & Guilds Foundation website:

[Podcast] Inclusion & Diversity Series: Empowering LGBTQ+ people to succeed

[Podcast] Inclusion & Diversity Series: Empowering LGBTQ+ people to succeed

by | 17 Sep 2021 | , , ,

As part of the City & Guilds Foundation Inclusion and diversity events series, offering thought-provoking conversations and actionable steps to promote equal opportunities and improve inclusion and diversity in your organisation. In this podcast we discussed LGBTQ+ experiences such as inclusion challenges and career progression. What does being LGBTQ+ in the workplace look like today and what type of training do organisations need to ensure their retention and career progression? We...

read more
Shaking up the cis-tem: LGBTQ+ inclusion

Shaking up the cis-tem: LGBTQ+ inclusion

by | 28 Jun 2021 | , , ,

This guest post is by William Doheny, Content Scriptwriter at City & Guilds. On Tuesday 22nd June I had the pleasure to attend the fourth webinar of the I&D series ran by the City & Guilds Foundation. The session's primary focus was how to best support members of the LGBTQ+ community bring their authentic selves to the workplace. The panel also discussed ideas on how to elevate members of the community to senior positions within organisations and the role representation plays in...

read more
There’s no such thing as an average person

There’s no such thing as an average person

by | 18 Jun 2021 | , , ,

This guest post is by John Dowswell, Senior Lead Learning Designer at Kineo. The third event in the City & Guilds Foundation I&D series was on Wednesday the 16th of June. This time the focus was on developing neu​ro-inclusive workplaces. The speakers were Prof. Amanda Kirby, founder of website DO IT Solutions and Helen Needham, founder of Me.Decoded. If anyone missed it, here is a quick summary of some of the points covered in this brilliant session (Note: all of the points made in...

read more
Fair opportunities: employing prison leavers

Fair opportunities: employing prison leavers

by | 18 Jun 2021 | , , , ,

This guest post is by Miki Tillet, Lead Learning Designer at Kineo. The second in a series of I&D events hosted by the City & Guilds Foundation went live on Tuesday the 8th of June, this time focusing on inclusion in the context of employing people with lived experience of the justice system. This event featured guest speakers Surini Ranawake of the New Futures Network, James Timpson of Timpson Group, and Claire Wood of Deloitte. In case you missed it, you can catch up in full...

read more
Breaking down barriers: race inclusion

Breaking down barriers: race inclusion

by | 11 Jun 2021 | , , , ,

This guest post is by Miki Tillet, Lead Learning Designer at Kineo. On Wednesday the 2nd of June, I attended the first in a series of I&D events being hosted throughout the month by the City & Guilds Foundation. This event, which was focused on the topic of race inclusion, featured an insightful and thought-provoking conversation between speakers Frank Douglas (CEO of Caerus Executive and C&G Trustee) and Sophie Williams (anti-racism advocate and author of Anti-Racist...

read more
The impact of investing in learning and development

The impact of investing in learning and development

by | 21 May 2021 | ,

The Princess Royal Training Awards are one of the flagship Awards and Recognition programme of the City & Guilds Foundation. They are all about celebrating best practice. We are delighted that we received 97 applications in 2021. Of those 97 applications, 49 have progressed to the second stage of assessment, the Application Review Process (virtual visits with an Assessor and a City & Guilds Ambassador). We recently asked our Princess Royal Training Award alumni what they thought the...

read more
The real impact of the pandemic on young people

The real impact of the pandemic on young people

by | 21 May 2021 | , , ,

This guest post is by Anna Kent, Communications Manager at Snow-Camp. Snow-Camp are the UK’s only charity using a combination of snowsports, life-skills training and mental wellbeing support to help young people from inner-city communities. Working at the indoor snow centres in London, the North West, the Midlands and Scotland, we also provide qualifications, work experience and volunteering opportunities to those who would never normally get the chance to access the snowsports industry. In...

read more
Foundation Spring Newsletter 2021

Foundation Spring Newsletter 2021

by | 8 Feb 2021 |

The power of networks shines through the second edition of our Foundation Newsletter. Together we have continued to find new ways to support people and enhance life chances. Read on for uplifting news and inspiring stories to brighten your day.

read more
Breaking leadership barriers for women

Breaking leadership barriers for women

by | 27 Jan 2021 | , , , ,

Sharing best practice Members of the Princess Royal Training Awards Alumni network have access to a wide range of benefits including opportunities to network with over 200 forward thinking UK-based organisations and the chance to attend many diverse events and development opportunities. One such virtual event took place on the 3 December when Sue Gammons, former Coaching Director at GSK, presented to 25 Alumni members on how creating a systemic approach to address gender balance led GSK to...

read more