Friend of FAIRER interview: Ian Tomney-Bell

About Ian Tomney-Bell

Ian is Head of Talent, Culture and Inclusion at giffgaff. With a varied career history that has spanned across phone shops, banking and travel, Ian has always enjoyed working with people. His passion for inclusion was cemented when he and his husband adopted their daughter. Motivated by her future and the inequalities he has experienced himself, Ian remains determined to promote DE&I across giffgaff and wider society.

Inclusion in practice at giffgaff

Ian highlights the positive impact that employee resource groups (ERGs) have had in creating safe, collaborative spaces where colleagues can speak openly, influence policy, and shape a more inclusive culture across giffgaff.

“I introduced employee resource groups (ERGs) to giffgaff. We’ve since refined them, so now we’ve got specific ERGs that cover wellbeing and diverse communities. All the ERG leads are volunteer leads, but 20% of their work time is dedicated to the ERG role so they actually have time to do it – and that 20% is flexible – sometimes they’ll dial it up, sometimes dial it down. The company is signed off on that and they can see the outputs.

“For me, employee resource groups offer a safe space for people to say what’s working and what isn’t. I didn’t want the ERG lead to be a lonely job as you can feel the weight of a whole community; when it’s going great it’s incredible – but when it’s not, it’s really hard. To mitigate this, we have a really intersectional approach so that nobody does a hero event on their own. Nobody does a policy post on their own. They work together.

“I was conscious that when employees became ERG leads, they should get development opportunities. I report on how the ERG leads are performing, such as where they’ve supported and where they could develop, and that goes into performance ratings. Leads also have their own steering committees. They talk about what’s affecting their community – such as neurodiversity or accessibility – and bring it to the table. It’s vital that those voices have a funnel to get changes made. It gives stakeholders confidence.”

The synergy between DE&I and wellbeing

Acknowledging the close link between inclusion and mental health, Ian underscores the need to keep DE&I at the centre of business operations.

“We were early adopters of wellbeing because mental health is so important, and caring responsibilities are a big task on a person. Wellbeing just gels with DE&I – I can’t imagine a world where they’re not together. We’ve made mistakes in DE&I. We talked about inclusion, and then we started to unintentionally exclude certain people. The job should be about how we get everybody included – how everybody has access to the same education, how everybody comes along on that journey.”

"DE&I should be at the heart of every job we do. It should be ingrained into all of us. DE&I is the partnership and the measuring stick of whether we’ve put equity at the heart of our business.”

Calling people into the conversation

Reflecting on how to have conversations with people who disagree, are disengaged, or simply don’t understand yet, Ian highlights the importance of connecting with others to find clarity and shared understanding.

“Most people aren’t saying things to be argumentative – they literally don’t understand. We talk at giffgaff about calling people into the conversation, not calling them out. It’s about creating small moments that matter. Inclusion is the feeling of the game you’re about to play. Fairness is the rules of the game, so we need to be able to demonstrate the ‘so what’ and the ‘why’ to help people understand.

“For example, LGBTQIA+ has around 24 awareness days. Someone not in the DE&I space might be thinking, ‘I’ve got another awareness day – why?’ Are we doing a service by introducing everyone to so many days? It's more important to strip it back and think about our intention. We need to ask: ‘what is it you would get the most out of?’ That’s what drives our purpose.”

Getting leadership buy-in

“When I joined, giffgaff was doing lots of foundation‑level things. The person before me had set it up enough for me to put the wheels on the bus and start moving. If we rewound to my first meeting with the executive team, they would have said they were really inclusive. I wasn’t sure how much they would sign up to. But they were prepared to listen and I shared some figures with them. At the end of that meeting, we walked out with a complete plan. It wasn’t performative allyship – it was active allyship. They’ve trusted me, and we’ve created something truly beautiful for giffgaffers.”

The role of inclusive leaders

Ian offers his advice to leaders on how they can better support their employees.

“Across the UK, I don’t think leaders are doing a good enough job. We’ve standardised working to lean principles, and the day job becomes all‑encompassing. As a result, leadership and the people factor is the first thing to drop.

“One‑to‑ones get moved, then not rearranged, then skipped. And that makes staff members question the leader’s intent. Why would an employee feel safe enough to tell you what’s happening in their world if you’re not taking an active interest? My advice to leaders is to protect your people time. It gives you more grace as a leader. This year there are massive things coming. Without support, people will feel lost. There needs to be a trust mechanism that allows someone to say, ‘I’m really sorry, but I don’t understand. I need help.’

“When you’ve got a workforce genuinely engaging in inclusion, customers start to relate. That impacts your bottom line. More people want to buy from you. More people want to work for you, and you bring in pure talent.”

Skills DE&I professionals need today

Three skills Ian believes every effective DE&I professional should demonstrate.

Calling in

“Calling in is a skill. Active listening makes you a more rounded leader. Empathy is really important – not being someone’s best friend, but caring about what they’re going through.”

Sharing

“Companies won’t share best practice because they worry about competition. But sharing how we make things better for people – EVPs, inclusion – that’s not competition. Bring in someone with a different experience. Create platforms for lived experience.”

Acknowledging lived experience

“One of my favourite quotes is: ‘Your belief is your belief, but what I’m living is my reality.’ Lived experience will always be the fact.”

A word from Laura

Laura Drakeford, Inclusion Partner at FAIRER, shares her key takeaways from Ian's interview.

Foster constructive dialogue by calling people into the conversation rather than calling them out. This approach builds understanding, encourages participation, and ensures inclusion efforts are meaningful rather than performative. When employees are genuinely engaged in inclusion, it strengthens customer connection, boosts employee satisfaction, and ultimately improves business performance. Leaders must prioritise one‑to-one meetings and active engagement with their teams. Taking a genuine interest in employees’ experiences builds trust, psychological safety, and open communication, which in turn will help with retention and organisational reputation.

If you'd like to be considered for an expert interview, or want to further discuss any of the themes covered in Ian's interview, please get in touch.