Bio
Joanne Vazquez-Kirby is the Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Skyscanner, where she leads the organisation’s global inclusion strategy and works with leaders across the business to embed diversity, equity and inclusion into culture, leadership and business decision-making.
Beginning her career in HR before moving into DEI over six years ago, Joanne has built global experience across APAC, EMEA and the US, leading organisational transformation in multinational businesses. She is passionate about creating practical, sustainable systems that help people do their best work, believing that inclusion should be embedded into everyday business practices rather than exist as standalone initiatives.
At Skyscanner, Joanne has led the evolution of the company’s DEI strategy, established the RISE Framework, introduced the Count Me In demographic data campaign, embedded Inclusive Leadership into manager development, and helped integrate DEI more closely with the wider ESG agenda. Today, her work increasingly extends beyond the employee experience, influencing areas such as product thinking, procurement and traveller inclusion as Skyscanner works towards its ambition of becoming the world’s No.1 travel ally.
Alongside her role, Joanne regularly speaks at conferences, podcasts and industry events, sharing practical approaches to building inclusive organisations and helping businesses navigate the evolving DEI landscape.
Why do you feel you have been selected for the Head of Diversity & Inclusion Award?
I hope I’ve been selected because I’ve always tried to approach DEI in a practical and sustainable way. For me, success isn’t about running the biggest campaign or launching the most initiatives, it’s about creating lasting change that becomes part of how an organisation operates long after the initial work is done.
When I first moved into DEI six years ago, much of my focus was on building foundations: helping leaders understand why inclusion matters, creating spaces for conversations that hadn’t happened before, and demonstrating the value that diverse perspectives bring to organisations. At Skyscanner, I’ve had the opportunity to build on those foundations by focusing on the systems, processes and behaviours that help people do their best work every day.
I’m particularly proud that inclusion is no longer seen as something owned by one team. Today it’s championed by leaders, Executive Sponsors, Senior Sponsors, Network Chairs, DEI Champions and employees across the business. Seeing colleagues take ownership, challenge themselves and advocate for one another has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career.
What motivates me most is knowing that the work has real impact on people’s everyday experiences, whether that’s helping someone feel they belong, creating fairer opportunities for progression, improving accessibility, or influencing how we think about the millions of travellers who use our products. If I’ve been selected, I hope it’s because I’ve helped create an environment where inclusion is becoming part of the way we think, lead and make decisions, rather than something we simply talk about.
What diversity initiatives have you implemented within your workplace across the following diversity strands?: Age | Disability | Gender | LGBT | Race | Religion & Faith
Age
- Reverse Mentoring Programme, which brings together junior employees and senior leaders to share perspectives across generations, but especially focused on the experience of women within the engineering space.
Disability
- RISE UNDERSTOOD Network, focused on disability and neurodiversity inclusion.
- Adjustments Passports to support consistency and transparency around workplace adjustments.
- Quiet Rooms across offices to support accessibility and wellbeing.
- Disability and neurodiversity awareness campaigns and learning like lunch & learns and companywide events
- Inclusive interview guidance and reasonable adjustment support during recruitment.
- Disability Confident Level 1 (2023) and progressing towards Disability Confident Level 2 summer 2026.
Gender
- RISE EQUAL Network focused on gender inclusion
- Clear representation targets and action plans.
- Reverse Mentoring programme focused on the experience of women in engineering.
- Globalisation of Lean In Circles, they already existed but I enhanced the reach and made it more accessible across offices
- Globalisation of Build Your Net Worth programme supporting women’s financial confidence, similar as above I helped introduce a global lens and widen the audience
- Enhanced and more aligned gender pay gap reporting and analysis
- Flexible working and family support policy enhancements
- Menopause action planning
LGBT+
- RISE PROUD Network focused on LGBTQ+ inclusion strategy.
- Transitioning at Work guidance enhancements.
- Global pride events and awareness campaigns.
- Global/UK Workplace Equality Index submissions.
- Ongoing product conversations exploring how to better support LGBTQ+ travellers.
Race, Religion & Faith
- RISE UNITED Network focused on race, ethnicity, religion and cultural inclusion
- Being Anti-Racist workshop enhancements and completion rate increased
- Race at Work Charter signatories with active initiatives across all 8 commitments.
- Cultural awareness and inclusion campaigns
- Multi faith prayer facilities and inclusive workplace guidance across global offices
- Ramadan guidance and awareness support for employees and managers
Intersectional
- Inclusive procurement principles and enhanced data capturing supplier
- Inclusive language guidelines for Design and Engineering teams, focused on how we talk externally and how we should be build our code internally
- DEI section added into code of conduct to reinforce company policy
- DEI section embedded into mandatory annual training
- Inclusive recruitment training content to ensure all recruiters approach their roles with an inclusive lens
- Count Me In demographic data campaign launch to improve understanding of representation across Skyscanner
- Community partnerships supporting local organisations aligned to our areas of DEI inclusion through charitable events, better connected to wider ESG efforts
What impact have these initiatives had on your workplace?
The work has contributed to measurable improvements across representation, leadership capability, employee engagement and organisational accountability.
Key outcomes include:
- Exceeded 2025 targets of 40% for women in leadership, reaching 40.8%, and women in technology 25%, reaching 27.7%.
- Inclusive Leadership embedded into existing manager pathways
- More than 45 DEI Champions, supported by Executive Sponsors, Senior Sponsors and Network Chairs, helping embed inclusion globally.
- A 200% increase in participation in the Reverse Mentoring Programme in its second year.
- Stronger demographic data collection through Count Me In, creating better insight into representation and employee experience.
- Improved consistency and access to support through initiatives such as Adjustments Passports, Quiet Rooms, reproductive and gender health support and wellbeing resources.
- Stronger organisational ownership of DEI, with inclusion now embedded into governance, leadership discussions and people processes rather than being the responsibility of one team alone.
- In our annual employee survey DEI scored 75% on how people see the impact it’s having across the business, the second highest in the ESG space.
The broader impact has been improved employee trust, stronger collaboration across the business, and a more consistent focus on inclusion as a driver of performance, innovation and belonging.
Have you or your company received any accolades as a result of your work surrounding equality, diversity & inclusion?
Yes! Recent recognition includes:
- Stonewall Global Workplace Equality Index – Silver Top Global Employer (2025)
- Stonewall UK Workplace Equality Index – Gold (2023), Silver (2024)
- Top 100 Employer in the UK Workplace Equality Index (2023)
- Inclusive Company – British LGBT Awards (2026)
- Large Employer – Proud Scotland Awards (2026)
- The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality (2025 and 2026)
- Progressing towards Disability Confident Level 2 accreditation summer 2026
Please provide a name and contact details of a person we can contact to make this evidence credible
Name: Bob Athwal
Job title: Culture & Belonging Director
Email: bob.athwal@skyscanner.net
