On January 28th, 2026, we celebrated a milestone that’s been years in the making.
Our first TechDiversity Academy graduation ceremony brought together 15 leaders who completed our evidence-based Inclusive Leadership Programme, leaders who didn’t just show up for another training, but who genuinely engaged with the hard work of transforming how inclusion happens in their organisations.
But to understand why this moment matters, we need to zoom out and look at the bigger picture of what we do at TechDiversity Foundation.
At TechDiversity Foundation, we’re not here to add to the noise of diversity initiatives that sound good but don’t create lasting change. We’re here to transform research into measurable workplace change through three interconnected pillars:
1. Research: Everything we do is grounded in evidence. Our flagship Tech Reflects study, provides the data foundation for understanding what actually works in building inclusive workplaces. We don’t rely on anecdotes or good intentions. We rely on robust, peer-reviewed research that tells us where organisations are succeeding, where they’re failing, and what strategies create genuine belonging. This research isn’t meant to sit in academic journals. It’s meant to inform action. Which brings us to our second pillar.
2. Action – Education: The TechDiversity Academy is where research becomes capability. We translate complex findings from Tech Reflects and other studies into practical, evidence-based programmes that equip leaders, with the skills to be culture creators in their organisations. We also run a Student Ambassador Programme, investing in the next generation of inclusive leaders before they even enter the workforce. These ambassadors bring our research and principles into universities, creating ripples of change that will shape the tech sector for decades to come.
3. Recognition: Our TechDiversity Awards celebrate organisations and individuals who aren’t just talking about inclusion—they’re doing it. They’re measuring it. They’re showing results. Recognition matters because it shifts what the industry values and shows what’s possible when you commit to evidence-based inclusive practices.
Together, these pillars create a ecosystem: research informs education, education creates practitioners who deserve recognition, and recognition raises the bar for what the industry expects from diversity efforts.
The Academy Graduation Ceremony: Education in Action
Executive Director Luli Adeyemo opened the ceremony with a truth many organisations need to hear:
“Diversity and inclusion gets talked about constantly. It’s become corporate wallpaper. Nice words on the wall that don’t really change the work that gets done. For the group engaging today, you didn’t come here for the wallpaper. You came because you already know something fundamental. Inclusive teams make better decisions. They catch what others miss. They innovate faster. And honestly, they navigate risk better.”
Luli continued: “What struck me with this cohort is that you didn’t just nod along. You challenged yourselves. You had the conversations that made you uncomfortable. You questioned your own assumptions. And most importantly, you left knowing what to do differently.”
The Content: Built on Brave Spaces
Amna Ben Amara, our course creator and lead researcher, explained the philosophy behind the programme’s design:
We want to thank our partner Cultural Infusion | Atlas for the work they and Amna did to build our this course and provide us with the platform to host and gather our Tech Reflects data, which underpins this programme.
Amna share, “Safety is comfortable, but inclusion is not. Because most workplaces today are doing something called inclusion, but very few are doing the work of belonging. Because this is what needs most effort. And the difference between the two is courage backed by data.”
Amna challenged the conventional wisdom around safe spaces:
“Safe spaces are not enough. And psychological safety is important, but it’s not enough. They are important first steps, but safety on its own is a low bar. We are using safe spaces to protect people from discomfort, but by opting for the brave spaces, we can ask them to sit inside this discomfort. And inclusion cannot grow without discomfort because it is mainly about the redistribution of power and not just a performance of politeness.”
The Facilitation: Creating Space for Growth
Dr. Nandi Spry, who facilitated this inaugural cohort, brought both participants and her own experience as a former graduate to the programme:
“Diversity in the tech world is no longer just about representation. It’s increasingly about belonging, unity and how people with different backgrounds, abilities, cultures and experiences can genuinely participate, influence and thrive.”
Dr. Spry acknowledged the complexity of the work:
“In tech, exclusion often shows up quietly. It can look like voices being overlooked in meetings, remote staff feeling disconnected, younger employees not being taken seriously, or colleagues with additional needs being unintentionally sidelined by systems that weren’t designed with them in mind.”
She guided the cohort, representing African, Asian, and Australian backgrounds, through these complexities with what she describes as a solutions-focused mindset.
The ACS Partnership: Opening Doors
The Australian Computer Society’s involvement wasn’t just about funding it was about demonstrating what partnership for genuine access looks like.
Lucia Gerrie from ACS shared why this work is personal:
“ACS aims to build an Australian tech workforce where diverse voices don’t just participate, but they shape the future. And being able to provide the scholarships into the Academy for our members has meant that we’re really able to have this impact.”
The response was overwhelming:
“We actually ended up with over 70 applications for the scholarship and we really saw that there was an appetite from our members. And that just goes to show that this is the right path forward for the tech sector.”
Then Lucia shared something that reminded everyone why this work matters beyond metrics:
“I personally feel really honoured to have been a part of it. And if I just briefly share something personal: I have a daughter who’s got a disability and she’s very young still, but this is giving me hope for her future in the workforce. And it’s really inspiring to know that there are people out there who are going to be rooting for her future to be able to participate.”
Celebrating Our Graduates
One by one, we called the names of our 15 graduates and presented their digital certificates:
Hayford Adikum • Tamara Bourne • Mandy Ho • Michelle Lim • Zizel Bashadu • Leon Mennionho • Farrukh Mahmoud • Tammy McDonald • Claire Menzies • Iqra Naseem • Avisham Ravout • Ross Rall • Jahelan Swan • Elnaz Tadayan • Harry Visvanaten
These aren’t just names on a list. These are culture creators returning to their organisations with new capabilities, new perspectives, and new determination to make inclusion more than corporate wallpaper.
Graduates: Already Creating Change
We invited graduates to share their experiences, and what they revealed was exactly what we hope for: immediate, practical application.
Leon Mennionho, KPMG reflected on the programme’s impact:
“It was quite an enlightening experience for me personally, especially getting to see some of the things I deal with on a daily basis. I’ve begun implementing the practical resolutions proposed to address those situations, especially during meetings, and I see some positive reactions.”
Leon’s approach embodies what we mean by incremental change. He’s not waiting for organisational permission. He’s adjusting how he shows up, and his teams are responding.
Farrukh Mahmoud, a Senior Technology Leader in Strategic Program Management and IT Business Excellence & Governance, offered perhaps the most striking insight of the ceremony:
“Nowadays in cybersecurity we measure system health, track uptime and security risk, but we often overlook our most critical system: belonging in our culture. If our human layer breaks down, our tech execution fails.”
He continued with data that reframes inclusion as a business imperative:
“With the data I have learned, belonging drives 56% improvement in performance. So in 2026, what if we look at these indicators not just as HR metrics, these are mission-critical indicators. Because if our human layer breaks down, our tech execution will definitely fail.”
Farrukh is now implementing what he calls “voice security sprints” and embedding the four basic principles we teach, heritage, language, belief, and geography, directly into his tech governance frameworks:
“I’m now treating inclusion as a powerful operating system basically, which is scalable, secure and built for innovation.”
This is a cybersecurity leader who now sees diversity data as essential as any other security metric. He’s not treating this as a separate initiative. He’s architecting it into the core of how his systems are designed and governed.
Looking Ahead: What’s Coming in 2026
Luli closed the ceremony by addressing both graduates and anyone considering joining us:
“To our graduates, you are now the culture creators. The skills you’ve built here will ripple outwards in ways you might not even see. Every meeting you run differently, every decision you make with a broader lens, every conversation you have that you might not have had before, it all adds up.”
She announced what’s ahead for the Academy:
The Inclusive Leadership Programme returns in 2026.
The Diverse AI Governance Practitioners Programme launches in March 2026. This is Australia’s first programme of its kind, grounded in ISO standards and built on a fundamental principle: AI is still a people business, and governance will keep it that way.
As Luli explained:
“The safest, most robust AI governance happens when you bring together diverse professional disciplines and lived experiences, not just technologists, not just lawyers, not just philosophers. All of them and more working together. That’s what this programme’s about.”
Why This Graduation Matters
This graduation represents more than 15 people receiving certificates. It represents the validation of an approach we’ve been building for years:
- Start with rigorous research – Understand what actually works, not what sounds good
- Translate research into practical education – Give people the tools they need, not just awareness
- Focus on mid-level managers – Equip the people who shape daily culture, not just senior leaders
- Measure belonging, not just diversity – Track what matters for actual inclusion
- Create brave spaces, not just safe ones – Push people to grow, not just feel comfortable
- Treat inclusion as a capability – Build skills that last, not run one-off trainings
The feedback we’ve received from this cohort, the immediate implementation, the practical results, the shift in how they think about their leadership, validates that when you combine evidence-based content with engaged learners and skilled facilitation, transformation happens.
Join Us in 2026
Whether you’re exploring professional development for yourself or your team, whether you’re working in AI governance or simply want to lead more inclusively, there’s a place for you in the TechDiversity Academy. Register your interest here.
Because the future of work isn’t just about technology, policies, or diversity metrics. It’s about people. It’s about belonging. It’s about leaders who are willing to do the work.
And it’s about organisations that recognise inclusive leadership as what it truly is: a business capability that drives performance, innovation, and sustainable growth.
Watch The Full Graduation Ceremony Here
