Keynote Topics

Katy’s talks combine engineering expertise, lived experience, and practical insight to help organisations move beyond compliance toward genuine inclusion. Each keynote blends technical clarity with powerful storytelling, giving audiences the tools and perspective needed to design environments, organisations, and systems where everyone can belong.

Topic 1

Engineering with Heart: How inclusive design drives innovation and technical excellence.

Topic 2

The Power of Belonging: Moving beyond disability compliance to a culture of genuine inclusion.

Topic 3

Designing for Dignity: Empowering architects and planners to build adaptable, accessible homes.

Audience Outcomes

What Your Audience Will Gain

Katy bridges the gap between high-level engineering and the human element of design. By booking Katy for your event, your audience will walk away with:  

Technical Clarity on Compliance

Practical insights into meeting M4(2) and M4(3) standards, moving beyond “box-ticking” to functional excellence.  

The “Inclusion as Innovation” Framework

A shifted perspective that treats accessibility as a fundamental engineering principle that drives better design for everyone.  

Lived Experience Authenticity

Deeply impactful narratives that combine 25 years of engineering rigour with the personal reality of navigating the built environment as a wheelchair user.  

Cultural Transformation Tools

Actionable advice on moving organisations from mere disability compliance to a genuine culture of belonging and dignity.

Future-Ready Strategies

Guidance on how AI and emerging technologies like BelongifAI can streamline planning and create truly adaptable “lifetime homes”.

Book Katy for your event

Bring engineering insight and inclusion leadership to your next event.
Available for UK and international keynotes, panel moderation, and virtual sessions.

Get in touch

Trusted by Engineering Leaders and Industry Organisations

Katy’s talks have been delivered to leading organisations, professional bodies, and industry networks. Event organisers consistently highlight her unique ability to combine technical credibility, lived experience, and practical insight to create talks that are both inspiring and actionable.

  • Katy delivered a talk on Disability Inclusion to almost 200 colleagues at Rolls-Royce SMR. She highlighted the barriers and prejudices that disabled people continue to face, shared practical advice to help employers and employees be more inclusive, and discussed the importance of accessibility in everyday life. Her lived experiences are truly remarkable, and her successful Engineering career brings real credibility to her talk. Throughout our collaboration, Katy was professional and flexible to our needs, and ultimately delivered an insightful, engaging and educational session that supported our own goals around disability inclusion. Highly recommended!
    Greg Turner-Smart,
    Head of Culture and Inclusion, Rolls-Royce SMR
  • Katy is a fantastic speaker. Her presentation was full of knowledge, energy, and a clear passion for the subjects. As a neurodiversity network, we took away some great insights and advice that we immediately found useful, and we also received ideas for developing neuro-inclusion practices at Hoare Lea.
     
    We look forward to staying in touch with Katy and welcoming her back for future updates and guidance.”
     
     

    Richard Wood (He / Him)
    Senior HR Business Partner –  Hoare Lea
  • On behalf of the Royal Academy of Engineering, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for your invaluable contribution to the Engineering Intersecting with Processes panel at our D&I Annual Conference 2025.
     
    Your insights and lived experiences brought depth and authenticity to the discussion, highlighting the critical ways organisational processes shape the experiences of engineers with intersecting identities. Your perspectives on workplace policies, career progression, and inclusive practices provided attendees with meaningful takeaways to reflect on and implement in their own organisations.
     
    We deeply appreciate the openness and thoughtfulness with which you shared your experiences, and we recognise the emotional labour that can come with these conversations. Your willingness to engage in this dialogue was instrumental in advancing our shared goal of a more inclusive and equitable engineering industry.
     
    The feedback from delegates has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing how impactful and thought-provoking the discussion was.
     
    Your contributions not only fostered important reflections but also inspired tangible actions that can lead to meaningful change.
     

    Isobel Rann​​​​
      (she/her)
    Programme Manager, Diversity & Inclusion
    Royal Academy of Engineering

What Attendees Say

Incredible journey and inspiring session

Thank you for your time. Your story is inspiring.”

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Katy. You have educated all of us and provided such valuable insight on disabilities.

Thank you for sharing your story. You are inspirational.”

Katy, you are an amazing individual and inspiring ..and beautifully frank and honest …thank you…everyone needs to do more.

Book Katy for your event

Bring engineering insight and inclusion leadership to your next event.
Available for UK and international keynotes, panel moderation, and virtual sessions.

Get in touch