All of our consultants are experienced in delivering effective change. Their extensive knowledge is underpinned by their lived experiences.
Dr Ju Gosling PhD FRSA (Together! 2012 CIC Artistic Director)
Dr Ju Gosling is a leading international expert on how to make the arts inclusive for audience members, staff and artists alike. She is the author of New Work Network’s No Budget Guide for Artists to Disability Access; An Artist’s Manifesto for Accessible Hotels; and Regard’s Pride Access Guide; and has written extensively about Disability Arts. She has trained Disability leads in institutions including the British Museum, Baltic and Tate gallery, and is an ‘Attitude is Everything’-trained trainer for the live events industry. Ju has been active in the equality and diversity field since the mid-1980s, working across the fields of gender, disability and sexual orientation. Ju has a PhD in Communication and Image Studies from the University of Kent at Canterbury and was the first in the UK to present her thesis online. Her artistic work and theoretical writing about diversity have gained her an international reputation. Ju also Co-Chairs the national LGBTQI+ Disabled People’s Organisation, Regard, and is a member of the Social Care Institute for Excellence’s Co-Production, Diversity and Human Rights Committee.
Julie Newman (Together! 2012 CIC Chair)
Julie Newman is one of the UK jurists for the EU Accessible City award, and has been a member of a number of committees linked to London 2012 and its Legacy including the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Built Environment Advisory Panel. Julie is a former adult education lecturer and a local authority Disability Equality officer who has been active in the equality field since the 1980s, specializing in gender, disability and sexual orientation. She has extensive experience in voluntary sector governance, and has held a range of positions at London and national level. She most recently retired as Chair of the UK Disabled People’s Council. Julie has a BA in Social Psychology and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Interpersonal behavior. She also has additional qualifications as a trainer, including as a trainer for the arts sector.
Robin Surgeoner, MBE (Together! 2012 CIC Business Director)
Robin Surgeoner has a wealth of experience in organisational development, and for the past three decades has worked to promote disability, diversity, inclusion and capacity building. Robin removes the barriers to equality through cultural, political and social development. Robin is also a Paralympian multi-Gold Medallist, musician, playwright and creative arts trainer. He has a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy, an HNC in Professional Music Practice, and an MBE for Services to Disability Sport.
Smita Tharoor (Consultant)
Smita Tharoor is is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, an NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) Practitioner, Coach, Mentor and Mindfulness Practitioner and the founder of Tharoor Associates. She is the recipient of the “Global Diversity Leadership” Award at the 2017 World HRD Congress. Smita is a trainer with a specialism in Unconscious Bias, and a motivational keynote speaker. Whether it’s speaking to 350 women at a gender conference in Philadelphia or Penang, at a BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) conference in London or to a group of IT professionals in Bangalore, Smita is empowering and inspiring. She connects with the audience on a personal level and people remember the talk long after it was given. Growing up in pluralistic India taught her the value of tolerance and the appreciation of accepting differences. Smita is passionate about unconscious bias and how it impacts on all leadership development. Her experience working in the UK, India, Europe, Asia and the USA gives her a unique advantage in understanding the expectations and needs of different cultures.
For more information please contact Together! 2012 Business Director Robin Surgeoner MBE robin@together2012.org.uk