On 2 June 2023, I had the absolute pleasure of being present at the Neurodiversity in Business in The Netherlands launch. Hosted by EY in Amsterdam, it was a truly inspiring event. You have no doubt seen a wide range of discussion around DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and may or may not have (yet) heard specifically of Neurodiversity.
For a couple of years now, I’ve been eagerly following the growing interest and discussions around Neurodiversity. I’m sure you will see reflected in my huge smile in the following photos that it was really exciting for me to catch up with so many inspiring people working in this field.
Neurodiversity in Business Board
- Stephanie Raber
- Tjerk Feitsma
- Georgia Kyriakopoulos
- Lana Jelenjev
Thank you to the hard work of this team to bring this event together and for all the work they do.
Jacinta Noonan
Though I didn’t get a photo of the two of us, I went along to this event with my fellow Aussie friend, Jacinta. An Adult ADHD Coach, she has a lot of experience in the neurodiversity field.
Dan Harris
One of the people who has spearheaded this in the UK is Dan Harris, and we have had a few conversations online, but it was great to meet in person!
Lana Jelenjev
I’ve also been incredibly impressed with the work of Lana over the years. Her LinkedIn profile title is “Community alchemist, Healing-centred facilitator, Safer & Brave Space Designer and Author of “What’s STRONG With You” which gives you some insight into the many great projects she’s involved in.
Karim El Oteify & Manya Arora
These two lovely humans were guest speakers at my own LinkedInLocal – The Hague event on Neurodiversity back in April. Great to see them again!
Stephanie Besga
You may not sense from this photo that we had met perhaps a half hour earlier! One of the joys of networking in an explicitly neurodiverse environment is that it feels safe to just “be yourself” – which can mean immediate and easier “clicks” with others! Stephanie and I had so much to talk about and learned a lot from each other in a very short time.
Tristan Lavender
I really enjoyed talking to Tristan, Neurodiversity Writer, Speaker & Global ERG Lead at Philips. Tristan writes amazing posts about Neurodiversity on LinkedIn and is well worth a follow there!
Panel: Neurodiversity in Business
- Autumn Kelley, Chief People & Operations Officer at Oivan
- Georgia Kyriakopoulous, Neurodiversity & Well-Being Expert
- Marcel Molenaar, Country Manager & Director Marketing Solutions, LinkedIn Benelux
- Maarten Cleeren, COO Techleap
Neurodiversity Pledge
Neurodiverse Fun
After the event, a group of us went out for pizza. Neurodiverse or not, everyone likes to have fun of course! What I really enjoyed about being amongst other neurodiverse people was that it was much easier to be able to recognise and talk about the effect that the environment had on us. For example, when we were feeling a little too overstimulated, it was fine to say so, and be understood. Normally you may “mask” those kind of feelings in a “neurotypical” environment, or even if you try expressing them, those who are not neurodiverse may not understand. The best thing about these kind of events though is that more and more people are starting to find the words and ways to describe and harness strengths, which ultimately will make the world a better place for us all! Love to be a part of this.
Neurodiversity in Higher Education
I have been informally involved in this area for around 2 years now, and have plans to continue this, watch this space! Please send me a message on LinkedIn if you’d like to talk further about this subject.
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