BIMA 100 Champion for Change | Co-Founder Born Equal Consults | Co-Founder Not Your Monolith (NYM) | Co-Founder With Not For | Mentor Bloom UK | Advisory Board Shiny Awards | Pitch 100 Superwoman alumni | Public Speaker
Emma is an entrepreneur, a parent and a carer that has worked in the creative industry for 20+ years during which she has collaborated with charities, industry bodies, agencies and clients on the importance of equity and inclusion, and how to approach it within businesses.
With a background in creative operations, and a passion for driving actionable change, she is now Co-Founder of Born Equal Consults, a sustainable equity and inclusion consultancy that provides sustainable training to advance workplace culture.
Emma is also Co-Founder of With Not For, Creative talent business representing Disabled Creatives in media & advertising, helping employers change mindsets and make hiring strategies inclusive of Disabled people. Last year, she was part of the team that founded and launched new magazine Not Your Monolith (NYM), showcasing the diverse talent and stories of the Disabled people that have created it with their allies.
Emma’s Disabled daughter Dotty has been the catalyst for a lot of her work in recent years, guiding her in pushing for a better and more inclusive future for everyone, irrespective of their lived experience.
Emma’s work has been recognised through the following awards including:
• IPA iList shortlist 2020
• Pitch 100 SuperWoman, Pitchfanzine
Notable achievements include:
• Regular speaker and commentator – Face Equality International, Media Trust, lbb online, Creative Brief, Hubdot, Interlaced, Zebedee Management, NABs, Alliance of Independent Agencies.
• Podcast Host & Guest – Born Equal, PS Younger Self
• Mentor & Co Mentor – Bloom UK 2020 & 2021 Cohort
• Previously Managing Partner of award-winning ad agency ELVIS
• Organiser & Panel Guest of Campaign X ELVIS Outspoken: The Disability Debate
• Host of ELVIS Outspoken LGBTQ+ Creative Workshop
• Producer of ELVIS X Zebedee Management ‘Talent with’ Campaign for World Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day
• Judge & Speaker Ocean Outdoor Awards 2018 & 2019
• Advisory Board – We Are Future Female
Emma is passionate about celebrating individuality and reframing outdated narratives. She believes in collaborating to accelerate change.
For more information visit https://linktr.ee/emmagardner
Projects
- Launching Not Your Monolith (NYM) Magazine: Issue 1 - I AMNot Your Monolith (NYM) is a UK-based, global-focused magazine that is disability-perspective led. This means that we only employ disabled people or allies to share their experience of the world, including reviews, music, fashion, art, pop culture, etc. Each issue has a unique theme explored from a deeper context of lived experience, opinions, and desires. A small, independent publication, NYM’s aim is to challenge the very idea of what disability is by focusing on the entirety of our disabled
- Unspoken Women's StoriesUnspoken Women's Stories is a new virtual event by The WomenHood, a platform devoted to connecting women on the unspoken challenges of womanhood. This event was in partnership with Brighton Digital Festival - "...three extraordinary women share how they've used their lived experiences to create impressive positive change in their own lives and in the world around them." Host: Jess Rad, Founder of The WomenHood Guest speakers: Emma Gardner - Co Founder of Born Equal Consults & Not Your Monolit
- Guest Speaker: Festival of HappinessGuest speaker at the Alliance of Independent Agencies Festival of Happiness talking about mental health & what happiness & belonging look like for me. The presentation also touched on purpose, life as a parent and working carer and making big life changes in the name of purpose.
- Keynote: Punched in the PurposePunched in the Purpose: setting boundaries and making better decisions for you, your family and your career A keynote by Emma Gardner on life, parenting, mental health and the game changer that is her daughter Dotty. Event description: Expect a lot of oversharing as Emma talks to us candidly about her successful career in advertising, the work she’s now doing in the equity and inclusion space and how becoming a mother and a carer of her disabled child changed her life radically for the better.
- TEDxLadbrokeGrove Alternative Paths Event - Sponsored by Born Equal ConsultsWhat do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question many of us have asked and been asked. As children, we can never imagine the challenges that lie ahead for us - from blockers and minor upsets to experiences that nearly break us. The path to our achievements are rarely smooth. Our theme of Alternative Paths inspires us to view every step as a gift and embrace the determination and resilience of humanity.
- Creative agency ELVIS host a free workshop which aims to offer LGBTQ+ young people an insight into a career in advertising.The free workshop, which takes place ahead of Pride in London, aims to offer LGBTQ+ young people an insight into a career in the ad industry Developed by Elli Stone and James Bougourd, an ELVIS creative team with a passion for inclusive advertising, the day-long event on Thursday 4th July aims to give queer youth the boost they need to begin a career in marketing. With inspirational speakers and hands-on exercises, the workshop is open to all LGBTQ+ youth (aged 18 or over) looking for their pla
+ View all
Projects credited in
- NYM 'Motherfucker' Free Downloadable Screen SaverCreated by Lead Graphic Designer of NYM Mag, Danny Mitchell for Issue 1, this free downloadable screen saver is available at wearenym.com. Designed as a bold and disruptive double page spread that sits in the centre of the magazine, you don't find out the context until you further on when the type is reprised on a single page where we learn that Samuel L. Jackson struggled with stammering as a child and discovered that saying 'motherfucker' helped him to get the rest of his sentence out. Dow1
- Hubdot X NYM Event: Connecting Around Disability CultureA live discussion with CoFounders of Not Your Monolith Priya Reki-Smith, Emma Gardner and the NYM team about identity, sense of self and the authentic representation of Disability culture in the launch issue of their magazine. An event for everyone, where Disabled people & non-Disabled people to came together to listen and reflect on different lived experiences.3
- Responsible Communications & Marketing ReportBorn Equal Consults first responsible marketing report investigates the fashion industries circular economy business models, rental and resale by exploring how misleading marketing claims may influence citizens to perpetuate habits of mass consumption through rebound resulting in business as usual. We offer industry solutions critically discussed in the full report and bespoke consultancy using our responsible marketing framework which aligns with the new green claim code legislation. Summary:3
+ Show more
Work history
Co-FounderWith Not For
United KingdomPart Time
With Not For specialises in offering employment & empowerment to disabled people whilst connecting employers & recruiters to disabled talent.
Co-Founders Kelly Gordon & Emma Gardner are on a mission to support businesses to include disability within their hiring strategies and are passionate about working with leaders to change mindsets around the employment of disabled people.
Connecting employers to the candidates in their diverse and progressive database, spanning many sectors, roles and skill sets, their aim is to make sure that disabled people are not only on the agenda but that they have the opportunity to lead the meeting.
https://www.withnotfor.co.uk/
Co-FounderNot Your Monolith
United KingdomPart Time
An online magazine exploring pop culture & life through the lens of disabled creatives.
Launching October 2021.
+ Show more
Skills
- Creative Leadership
- Diversity
- Business Operations
- Creative Production
- Public Speaking
- Writing
- Team Building
- Workshop Delivery
- Event Delivery
- Thought Leadership
Awards
BIMA 100 Champion for ChangeBIMA
A Career Defining Moment.
Every year, BIMA celebrate 100 of the people who are leading the industry right now.
"We’re not talking about work and projects – we’re talking about the leaders, pioneers, entrepreneurs and changemakers – the people we look up to."iList shortlistThe IPA (The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising)
IPA reveals 63-strong roll call of iList contenders;
The IPA has published a shortlist of 63 contenders for its iList – a roll call of ad practitioners who are helping to make adland a more inclusive place. The list spans all levels of job role, from chief executive to HR, from creative to strategy – at agencies and media owners, as well as freelancers.
The iList is designed to promote inclusivity in adland, celebrating role models who have helped to make the industry a more inclusive one.+ Show more