When Veronika Pickford joined SPS UKI in August 2024 as Head of EDI, she inherited an organisation with strong executive commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, but one that needed a clear strategy, governance and measurable approach to turn ambition into action.
In less than two years, Veronika has transformed EDI from a developing area of focus into a business-wide strategy embedded across leadership, policies, employee networks, learning, data and community partnerships. Inclusion is now part of how SPS develops its people, makes decisions and measures progress.
A key achievement has been creating the foundations for sustainable change. Veronika developed the EDI strategy, established governance, introduced clear measures of success, and created an executive sponsorship model to ensure accountability at senior leadership level. She also embedded EDI as a structured employee voice mechanism, enabling colleagues to influence business decisions.
Under her leadership, SPS now has eight executive-sponsored Employee Resource Groups covering gender equality, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, disability and neurodiversity, race equity, wellbeing, men’s health, menopause and women’s health, and domestic abuse support. These communities engage over 300 colleagues and have delivered more than 250 events, campaigns and learning sessions since August 2024.
Veronika has focused on removing barriers through practical action. She has led the development of inclusive workplace policies covering domestic abuse, menopause and andropause, caring responsibilities, transgender and non-binary inclusion, disability and EDI, with further priorities identified around race equity, neurodiversity and LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
Recognising that policy alone does not change culture, she has embedded learning through inclusive recruitment training, manager development, mandatory EDI learning, external speakers and lived experience sessions. More than 1,500 colleagues have completed EDI learning, with participation increasing by at least 20% each year.
She has also expanded opportunities for progression through mentoring, sponsorship and development programmes. To date:
• 62 mentoring and sponsorship relationships established.
• 84 colleagues supported through development programmes.
• 24 participants achieving promotion, increased responsibilities or career progression.
Veronika has strengthened SPS’s use of data through the annual Inclusion and Wellbeing Survey. Participation increased from 40% to 51% in one year, demographic disclosure increased by 11%, and 10 actions were implemented directly from employee feedback.
Inclusion scores improved across four of eight measures, with the largest increases in Manager Relationship (+8.0%), Resilience (+6.0%), Psychological Safety (+3.7%) and Inclusive Leadership (+0.4%). Improvements were also seen across demographic groups, including women, Black/Black British employees, LGBTQIA+ colleagues, Muslim employees and Hindu employees.
One of Veronika’s greatest achievements has been changing the culture of conversation. She has created psychologically safe spaces where colleagues feel able to discuss topics previously avoided in the workplace, including race, domestic abuse, neurodiversity, menopause, mental health and LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Employee Resource Group membership has increased by 10%, and EDI events have reached 1,500 colleagues.
Her impact also extends beyond SPS through partnerships supporting disabled young people, autistic people, survivors of domestic abuse and those facing barriers to employment. During the last year SPS has:
• Supported 7 young people through internships and employability programmes.
• Created employment opportunities for 8 people facing barriers to work.
• Partnered with 4 community organisations aligned to the EDI strategy.
• Raised £6,031 for charities supporting inclusion, wellbeing and social mobility.
The impact of Veronika’s leadership has been recognised externally. SPS achieved Bronze status in the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers, ranking 28th nationally in its first year of entry, and the CEO was recognised as Inclusive CEO of the Year.
In under two years, Veronika has transformed EDI from a collection of activities into a connected, measurable business strategy. She has built accountability, empowered employees, increased opportunities for underrepresented groups and helped create a culture where more people feel included, supported and able to succeed.
Veronika Pickford, Head of EDI SPS UK&I | London, UK
