Biography
Freda joined the CIPD Research and Policy team in the summer of 2007 as diversity adviser. She will work alongside Dianah Worman delivering advice to members and employers on diversity issues as well as supporting the development of the CIPD’s new focus on public policy.
Prior to joining the CIPD, Freda was Head of Employer Relations and Member Services at the Employers Forum on Age (EFA). At the EFA she led a team that engaged with and supported employers in complying with age laws and aspiring to best practice. She was also responsible for managing the telephone help-line and email enquiry desk, the up-dating of past products and the development of new products.
Freda has written and contributed to a long list of expert diversity focussed products, the most recent of which is ‘The End of the Line for Retirement Ages.’ She also developed the EFA’s ‘Insider Guide to Age Laws’. The ‘Insider Guide’ has been described has ‘required reading’ by employment lawyers. In addition she designed the EFA’s training tool ‘Being Age Aware’, a comprehensive resource that many employers used to raise awareness of age legislation.
Past projects included the EFA’s highly acclaimed Policy Review Toolkit ‘One Step Ahead’ and the ground-breaking bias free application form.
Freda has considerable training expertise and designs and delivers the EFA’s member training, including best practice workshops and a series of expert employment policy Masterclasses.
Freda has considerable experience of delivering consultancy services and lead a team of expert consultants. In the past few years she has worked in-house with the ASDA, BBC, Cap Gemini, Co-operative Group, DfID, DWP, FCO, GlaxoSmithKline, HSBC, IBM, Lehmans, M & S, Merrill Lynch, Procter & Gamble, Rentokil Initial, Sainsbury’s, and Shell.
She is regularly invited to write and speak on age and diversity issues, both in the UK and abroad.
A graduate from Newcastle and Strathclyde Universities, Freda worked for a number of trade associations and industry before becoming a full-time parent. Following some time working within the local community actively helping parents and young families, she joined the EFA in 1995 and was responsible for bringing on board the founder member organisations. Freda is a classic example of an individual, who, equipped with a diverse range of skills, changed direction and discovered a new career!