Mastering Diversity Conference brings hundreds together in Cardiff and launches next chapter of youth enterprise

CARDIFF — Hundreds of delegates from communities, businesses and public services came together at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama on 10 September for the Mastering Diversity Conference 2026, exploring how fair access, representation and partnership can change lives across Wales.

Organised by Mastering Diversity CIC, founded by Bernie Davies, the annual conference brought lived experience into direct conversation with decision makers across eight zones. The day concluded with the launch of the Beyond the NEET Label youth enterprise project and its survey, inviting young people to help shape the opportunities and support they need.

ITV Cymru Wales covered the conference, with reporting also published by Newyddion S4C. The coverage highlighted delegates feeling heard, organisations learning from one another and the importance of making diversity, equality and equity part of everyday practice across Welsh sectors.

The afternoon ceremony featured the Mastering Diversity Anthem, written and performed by Maryann Enereba, with music written by Caleb Joshua and production by Charis Rehoboth Ossom. Its lyrics celebrate strength in difference, mutual support and a path for everyone, carrying the organisation’s message: “We Go Together or Not at All™”.

Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams MS delivered a powerful contribution, praising the conference’s purpose while acknowledging the work still needed on inclusion and representation. As reported by S4C, she called for the Senedd to reflect the Wales it represents and emphasised inclusion and fair opportunities within the Welsh Government’s vision.

Eight zones put inclusion into practice

Joint Headline Sponsors, Vodafone Business’s STEM Zone brought technology to life through demonstrations that generated strong engagement and carried the conversation into the afternoon. Delegates explored the role technology can play in opening access to learning and opportunity, with practical demonstrations giving participants a shared starting point for discussion.

Joint Headline Sponsors, The Advocating for Equity Zone, hosted by headline sponsor Leigh Day and chaired by Julia Reynolds, focused on “Equity in Maternity: Voices, Support, Action”. Lived experience sat alongside healthcare, legal and advocacy perspectives to examine maternity inequalities, failures in care, support and accountability. The programme created space to connect women’s experiences with the changes needed for fairer, safer maternity services.

In the Business Zone, supported by NatWest and Hugh James, contributions from Sophie Howe and Solar Buddies connected inclusive leadership with enterprise and the responsibility businesses carry for the future. Their participation helped bring the discussion back to the decisions organisations make and the opportunities they create.

Team Wales’ Sport Zone featured Rosie Eccles, bringing an athlete’s perspective to conversations about representation, belonging and access in sport. The sessions explored who gets the opportunity to participate and progress, and how sporting organisations can build environments in which different experiences are recognised.

The Health Zone, led by Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, offered powerful practical learning through simulations of the limitations associated with conditions such as arthritis. These experiences helped delegates consider everyday barriers and the importance of empathy, accessibility and dignity in care.

The Education Zone, led by Howell’s School Llandaff GDST, included a powerful delivery Sharon James Evans Head Cardiff and Vale College, and explored pathways from education into work, neurodiversity and participation. The focus was on creating learning environments and routes forward that recognise different strengths and circumstances.

Neath Port Talbot Council’s panel, led by Noelwyn Daniel was a highlight of the Public Sector Zone supported by Cardiff Life and WCS Agency, together with powerful contributions from Menai Owen-Jones and Edward Watts MBE DL, Patron of Mastering  Diversity CIC. It brought local government and the third sector into the wider conversation about inclusive public services and how organisations can translate commitments into people’s daily experience.

Transport for Wales’ Representation Zone explored multiple pathways into transport careers, showing the breadth of opportunities within the sector and opening discussion about inclusive employment. Delegates were encouraged to look beyond a single route into work and consider how talent can enter and develop through different pathways.

Twelve neurodivergent young people from Family Pathways volunteered as Zone Marshals, welcoming and guiding delegates as part of a supported work-experience opportunity. With support tailored to their individual needs, they took on practical stewarding responsibilities across the conference, gaining experience in communication, teamwork and helping a major event run smoothly. Their contribution demonstrated how inclusive opportunities can enable young people with different support needs to participate and contribute.

Personal stories challenged assumptions about success

Fireside conversations gave delegates an honest view of the journeys behind achievement. Ammar Akhtar shared his humble beginnings and the growth of Final Rentals into a business reaching 65 countries, connecting international ambition with the persistence needed to build an enterprise.

Solar Buddies co-founders Kelli Aspland and Laura Waters shared a story rooted in an everyday parenting problem: helping children apply sunscreen independently at school. Their refillable applicator grew from that practical need into an internationally recognised business, with Dragons’ Den backing from Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones. Their journey demonstrated how lived experience can reveal a problem worth solving.

Elaine Banton’s contribution during the afternoon ceremony brought a powerful perspective on opportunity and expectations. Raised on a council estate in Hackney by her mother, a nurse, she decided at seven that she wanted to become a barrister. Her published account describes the determination needed to pursue that ambition, including explaining the qualification route to her own school careers adviser. Her contribution reinforced the importance of challenging assumptions about where talent comes from and how far it can go.

Annual review connects local action with international influence

Bernie Davies’ annual review, published from page 18 of the conference programme, set out the development of Mastering Diversity’s wider ecosystem and its work during FY 2025/26. The review reports a professional network of 15,000 and 5,332 thought leaders, with estimated wider influence reaching 75,000 people. It also reports estimated social value of more than £16.87 million using the National TOM System framework.

The year’s highlights included bringing sponsors and 2025 award winners together at Hodge House in January, and in February, the organisation’s charity ball at Hensol Castle raised £9,048.62 for LATCH Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity. In April and July 2 public engagement activations at St David’s Cardiff captured community perspectives on equality, belonging and inclusion and the importance of community.

The review also documented participation in the 61^st Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and CSW70 in New York, where Bernie was joined by Gwen Morgan-Evans of Hugh James, Helen Phillips MBE of Team Wales and Jenine Abdo-Sulley formerly of Duncan Lewis Solicitors. Through its knowledge partnership with TechCeFaCos Group, Mastering Diversity contributed to the Global Empowerment and Inclusion Summit in Geneva and carried recommendations into the UN High-Level Political Forum, including a formal statement on sustainable cities and communities and a further intervention on inclusive growth.

Youth enterprise and recognition are the next steps

The conference launched Beyond the NEET Label, Mastering Diversity’s youth enterprise project, alongside a survey to help shape its development. The project seeks to understand the barriers young people face and the support that could open routes into enterprise. Young people aged 18–30 who live, study or work in Wales are invited to contribute their experiences and ideas through the survey, available in English and Welsh.

The next milestone is the Mastering Diversity Awards on Thursday 19 November 2026, from 6pm to 8pm at Senedd Cymru, with Shav Taj MS as the sponsoring Member of the Senedd. Nominations are open across 12 public categories, recognising people, teams and organisations turning inclusion into impact.

With just over two weeks remaining, nominations close at 11:59pm on Wednesday 30 September 2026. Communities and organisations are encouraged to recognise the people whose work deserves to be seen, and to help shape the next chapter of youth opportunity in Wales.