We Are PoWEr Podcast
The We Are PoWEr podcast spotlights voices and perspectives that need to be heard. Our weekly podcast, with listeners in over 60 countries, delivers PoWErful conversations that inspire, challenge, and empower... from personal life stories to business insights and leadership lessons.
We share diverse experiences, bold discussions, and real solutions. Whether you're looking for career advice, topical themes, or stories of resilience and success - this is where voices spark change.
We Are PoWEr Podcast
Leading for Everyone: Inclusion in Action
In this episode, we speak with Alicia McDonnell, from Manchester Airports Group, who shares her experience supporting neurodiverse employees and amplifying voices across early- and mid-career stages. She explores how organisations can move beyond diversity statements to meaningful, day-to-day action, and offers practical insights into recognising and nurturing talent in all its forms.
You’ll hear:
➡️ How to design talent development strategies that are genuinely inclusive
➡️ Why recognising neurodiverse strengths benefits teams and individuals alike
➡️ The power of transparency in career pathways and progression
➡️ How early- and mid-career voices reveal what inclusion looks like in practice
➡️ Why building equity is essential
This conversation is both insightful and actionable, offering inspiration for leaders, HR professionals, and anyone who wants to help create workplaces where every voice is heard, and every person can flourish.
Listen/Watch the full We Are PoWEr x Manchester Airports Group series via the links below ⬇️
Listen on audio platforms:
Representation Matters: Ethnic Diversity and Visibility at Work
LGBTQ+ at Work: What Inclusion Really Means
Tech Careers Aren’t Just for Tech People
Leading for Everyone: Inclusion in Action
Watch on YouTube:
Representation Matters: Ethnic Diversity and Visibility at Work
LGBTQ+ at Work: What Inclusion Really Means
Tech Careers Aren’t Just for Tech People
Leading for Everyone: Inclusion in Action
Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫
This episode is part of our mini podcast and webinar series in partnership with Manchester Airports Group, where we'll be exploring belonging, representation, and inclusion. Don't forget to check out the rest of the series for more real stories and practical insights. Well, hello, and today we are talking about leading for everyone, inclusion in action. And I am delighted to be joined by Alicia McDonough. Welcome to the couch. How cozy is it?
SPEAKER_00:Thanks for having me. I love it.
SPEAKER_01:Now you have not been working at Manchester Airport's group for that long. It's less than a year, isn't it? Yeah, 11 months. Yeah. Yeah. Now explain your role because there's a lot to it, right?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, there is. So my role, so I'm group head of equity, diversity and inclusion across Manchester Airport Group.
SPEAKER_01:No, Max, Max Croison watched back on the previous episode, said his was the longest job title in the world. I'm gonna have to have a steward's inquiry and do a letter check against them, I think.
SPEAKER_00:I feel like I could give him a run of money. Yeah, so um I'm across Manchester, East Midlands, London Stansted, which is great. Um, so the role is I I think EDI roles at this point are a bit like GPs. So, like general practitioners, I think you need to know a significant amount about a lot because you work across the entire enterprise. Um so I think, yeah, we're people GPs. So my role is to support every area of the business, every role, every team, every department, every function to make sure that they've got the right opportunities, pathways in place so that everybody who walks through the door at MAG can have a great experience.
SPEAKER_01:Do you know what? I think that's the best description I've ever heard. Although I'm now worried about the size of the waiting room, right? Because there are thousands of people across the Manchester Airport group. Is it 8,000, something like that?
SPEAKER_00:So directly 8,000. I counted them all, that's how I know. Yeah. But it's 40,000 indirectly as well. So it's it's even larger the impact that you have, not just direct, you know, employees of Manchester Airport groups, three airports, massive. So 40,000 uh indirectly. So I always find it interesting when people think that um leading equity, diversity, inclusion is a is a soft skill. And you know, I've done a variety of different roles in my career from project management into supply chain and commercial, etc. And I can tell you, EDI is not a soft skill.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely not. And I'm thinking now, because you're now to me, Dr. Alicia, right? Yeah, yeah. There you go. People get honorary doctorates all the time. You've just got yours that you've got the we are power doctorate, right? It's all yours, okay. So, and and I think one of the things I really enjoyed about this whole season um of conversations um with, and please do check out um the other podcasts and webinars, it's it's all fundamentally about people.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And that would say, you could say that's obvious with it being an airport group, but but that's EDI full start, right? It's about people. And I loved how you've just talked about you don't know who's in the waiting room. Somebody could be wanting advice, somebody could be wanting to do something for someone to help as a carer for someone else, someone could be wanting to solve something. Like you're everything. So you're there with plasters and surgical gloves and everything. I'm getting carried away with this doctor analogy now, but but but you are, aren't you?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, absolutely. I mean, from an airport perspective, what really enticed me to the airport was it's it's diversity 101 on the tin, isn't it? Right. So you're an airport business, you connect people to every corner of the earth and make those, you know, cultural, um, rich uh journeys. And that is what EDI is all about, you know, connecting colleagues, customers, and communities to to every area of the business. And we do it to the world, so we have to be entrenched in EDI, right? Um, but yeah, you don't know who's in the waiting room, you don't know what's gonna flag up. It could be something around policy, it could be something around process, practice, the environment, culture, well-being. And I think that's what makes the role so so special, and what makes the airport group so so special as well.
SPEAKER_01:And what attracted this role? Because you've had a really kind of accomplished career already, right? So what what would you say are your kind of superpowers that you brought into this role?
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I don't know about superpowers. Um what attracts me was the travel aspect that, you know, like I said before, I think, you know, airports are the the gateway to EDI. You know, we've seen the film Love Actually, you only have to stand in an airport terminal terminal to enjoy people and the richness that diversity brings to our society. So it was a no-brainer that I wanted, you know, the role when I when I seen it, um, when I seen it come up. Um superpowers, I don't I don't know about superpowers, but I what I try to do is make EDI relevant and meaningful. So, you know, if I'm having a conversation with finance, I'm talking about our investments and and is that minority-owned, is that uh, you know, entrepreneurs, and how do we work that through with our tech partners? How do we find the right solutions so that everybody can equitably access the systems and the standards that we need them to do? So I think that's what I try and bring to it. I make EDI relevant um and make it strategic, hopefully.
SPEAKER_01:And you bring your lived experience into the role, don't you? I hope so.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I I I try to And they're your superpowers. Yeah, I think I do have a unique vantage point in terms of I'm a bit of like a tin of hinds beans. And if you know me, you know I say this a lot, you know. So I'm a I'm a parent and carer, I'm a mum of three, my third child is disabled. Um, I'm a woman, I'm a woman of colour, so that brings its own experience, you know. I'm from a lower socioeconomic background. I was the first person to go to university. My parents were 16 and 17 when they had me, you know. Um, I'm also bringing up a child who is within the uh LGBTQIA plus community. So it's kind of a it's a non-negotiable for me. I can't strip inclusion out of my life because inclusion is my life and I care about it on a personal and professional level. So no matter what I do today, tomorrow, it will always be a part of who I am and and what I do.
SPEAKER_01:So there you are. See, there you go. Those superpowers are right there. So how you you've you talked about this as who you are, especially you, but have you always wanted to work in in this space? Because EDI has changed a lot over the years. Uh goodness knows how many acronyms it's had over the years, but you know, it has changed and is currently going through quite a shift as well. But did you always know, did the younger Alicia always know that this is I want to be part of this, I want to be making change? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:No, not not at all. I mean, I mean, today I'm kind of representing Mel Bay. I mean, the earliest- But not scary. But not scary. I don't want to be scary, and hopefully I'm not I'm not scary and stepping into that stereotype. But um it it does remind me of that, you know, that initial 90s girl power. Yeah. That was always something. And you know, when you had someone like Melby and the Spice Girls who were talking about it and you were represented in that, um, it meant something. It still means something, you know, 30 years um later. But no, did I know that this was something that you could do as a career? Absolutely not. I I completely fell into it back in 2020 when um I was at my previous organization, the co-op at the time, um, when George Floyd happened, you know, I was in supply chain as a business analyst at the time. And I uh I sent a letter to the business saying, you know, we we need to do more, we need to step into this more. People like me are not represented in the organization, you know, and and co-op, which I'm still passionate about, their movement, you know, were really receptive to that and understood and took the time to value and listen. And kind of my professional career then evolved. So I went from, you know, being a project manager and then supporting the business on the social mobility, inclusion, and belonging side. And that's how it's kind of evolved. Kind of took all my learnings and experience and my career to date, and then kind of gone down this avenue, which is great because I get that holistic bird's eye view of a of a whole organization, which is really special as well.
SPEAKER_01:And I think there's something about that leadership piece. So you talk about the leadership at the co-op and making that they heard you, they listened, and they took action. And um, one of the earlier of the podcast series, uh Max, talks about, you know, when he goes for a job, he talks about how he identifies and and it's almost to get that mirror effect. Because some people, he goes, if I feel shut down, then I don't want to go further. But but that's leadership and action, right? Is is human behaviour. So why can't every organisation, big or small, lead with inclusion at its heart? You've just exam, you know, given two exact you know, two examples at both the co-op and at Manchester Aircrop Group now are you leading, but why can't everyone do that? Why can't everyone lead inclusively? How long we got, right?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, I think the place to start is what is leading inclusively. And I think that's where leaders become a bit unstuck. You know, I spoke to many leaders over my career who will go, I'm inclusive. And I'm like, oh great, tell me, tell me more. What does that look like? You've got a lanyard. Yeah, like I'm I'm I'm a good person, I'm a happy person, I say hi to everyone. And I think being inclusive and inclusive leadership is a verb, it's an action, it's something you do. It's not who you are intrinsically, it takes skill, it's an art and a science in equal measure, and you have to invest in that. So if you want the best high-performing teams, then they should be diverse in the makeup and you should be proactively encouraging and fostering that into your team. And it's not a given, it's not an open-door policy. I've got a job advert here, so therefore anyone can be in that role. You have to recognise there are systemic barriers, and how are you positioning your roles and opportunities so everyone can play a part in that game? And that's inclusive leadership. It's thinking bigger and broader and not creating a one size fits all. That's inclusive leadership.
SPEAKER_01:And is it as much about making those habits every day? So it's making it, oh, I'm not just gonna pitch up for Black History Month or International Women's Day or Pride. It's all year round, right? And it's every day. It's got to be in the everyday. It has to be.
SPEAKER_00:It's a part of your short, medium, long-term planning. And I am a practitioner in the sense of I will talk about it in a commercial way. We're all in organizations that have, you know, a PL, for example. And it's important we talk about it in the right way. It's not just a nice thing to do, it's a strategic imperative. So it has to be ingrained and weaved into everything you do, and businesses will be at different starting points, and that's okay. But despite and irrespective of the social, political, economic landscape, you can't take your foot on and off the pedal. These people exist. We're all different, and we have to create the right pathways in all our planning, our everyday actions, so that everybody has the opportunity to walk through that door, crawl through that door, run through that door, whatever it looks like for them.
SPEAKER_01:And you talk about the action that you took to um in the the murder of George Floyd, and you went right. I need to call this out but in a in a practical way to say you're not seeing this. But these are everyday barriers that underrepresented communities are seeing that leaders without that lived experience aren't seeing it.
SPEAKER_00:How do they see I think it's two ways? I think the biggest lesson I've learned in my career so far are at two points actually. The first one is the best uh the best things that have happened to me have come off the back of being scared, of of needing to be brave and have courage and speak up and and speak out and valuing my own voice, which is something that's had to be developed. You know, when you don't see people who look like you and have experiences like you, you feel like no one wants to hear it and it's not of value. And all the moments where I've gone, actually, I've got something to say and I've said it, has always been a catalyst for great change. But on the flip side of that, the support I've had throughout my career and I've had a lot, has always came off the back of leaders who have either sponsored me, coached me, or mentored me. And that costs nothing, that's just a time investment. So I think it's two things. I think if you're an underrepresented group, it's about valuing your own voice and being brave and having the courage to speak up and speak out. But equally, if you're a leader, you are not gonna get as close to your colleagues, customers, and communities if you're not investing the time to hear them and support them in their career journey. So it's it's on everyone, but it looks different depending on your vantage point.
SPEAKER_01:And people listening or watching will just think, gosh, you've come out, you're very confident and you're you've got such a brilliant role. I never thought for a minute that you would have been scared to do that. Oh, absolutely, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01:And and what is it that spurs you on? Because you've talked about having great mentors and sponsors and advocates in in your world, but you doing that, you're then advocating for other people who are too scared to do anything.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely, and I think so I think I've touched on it personally. I think my home life is you cannot strip it out, it's just there. But I think as as the years have have gone on, you know, when I had my first daughter, I was 19, I was in uni, I was, you know, working in the evenings, working in the weekends, and juggling a file and things. Life that was hard. That was life being super hard. And I think now anything that comes after, you're just like, well, it's not scary, man. I've been there, kind of I've been in the trenches. And I think I've got this burning inside me, and it and it's a pressure as well that I realize that you know, for women of colour in particular, we deserve a seat at a table. We deserve to be representative in the organizations that we serve. So I I have that fuel in the fire to be like, we we deserve a spot too. And I just don't think it's gonna burn out because I've got two daughters as well who will be looking, and it's really important that you know, I hope in in five, ten years, ten years' time our organizations do start to look like the communities they serve.
SPEAKER_01:And you do say that change only happens through people. Yeah. And that is definitely something that's come across through all these conversations that I've had the great fortune to sit on this beautiful teal couch uh and chat through. But it happens through people, it's not just strategy, it's not just policies, it's got to be the doing, isn't it? It's the deeds, not words.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I think they all have a value in each moment in time, but it's that sustainability piece. It's I will look at a plan or a strategy regardless of what it is, and go, is this a one-off one moment in time kind of a gig, or is it something that will carry it through for our customers, colleagues, and communities? And that's that's kind of the temperature check I take on on everything. So yeah, everything's got to have that longevity.
SPEAKER_01:And I think there's something as well around the leadership factor. It's it's it's not just about creating access, it is then that that truly equitable, that legacy of it. There's no point just going, right, we're changing this and we're doing this, and I've listened to that, and there you go. But uh you just talked about in 10 years' time, you want that to have grown and developed and open more doors. But how do we how do we get beyond just the access point to really creating that future place for your daughters? Yeah, it's the with the magic wand, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:We can we can do it. And I I've seen significant step change, you know, in in in all the organizations, all the organization, all the two organizations that I've worked in. And tangible change happens when we take a tailored and targeted approach. And I think that's what's meaningful. So it's not a, again, I said it before, a one size fits all strategy or a one moment in time. It's those tailored pathways that are sustainable, that leaders take accountability for. So it's in their objectives. They know what EDI looks like for them and their team. And it should look and feel different across the organization because we've got different roles and teams. So why would everyone have just binary um EDI objectives? It should be meaningful for you. I'm a finance business partner and I know what EDI means for me. I am a project manager, I know what it means for me. I'm an airport security officer, I know what it means for me. And that's that's that's what every business should be asking themselves. What does it mean for us?
SPEAKER_01:And that and that is key, isn't it? I think sometimes is that what's in it for me? What not so much just what I can do, but what does it mean to me and how will that change how I lead? Yeah, because we're humans.
SPEAKER_00:So no matter what it is, we want to have a stake in the game, don't we? Regardless. And the same for EDA. I know people want to go, it's the right thing to do, it's the good thing to do. And I think a lot of people, me in particular, if you're a minoritized or underrepresented group, EDA isn't a charity piece. It's a recognition that some people in our society have had to work um a lot harder or in different ways or have, you know, very different circumstances. And it's about unraveling that, leveling the playing field and having that acknowledgement to it.
SPEAKER_01:And you know, not everything is visible. No, you know, and I know you are a massive advocate for uh neuro neurodiver Neurodiversity. You're a massive advocate for neurodiversity and neurodivergent mindsets. Um but again, it's more what do our leaders need to understand? Because let's go back to the doctor's weight and surgery. It's not that person's got a broken leg, I can fix that. It's all the stuff, it's everything you can't see, all those precious things. And that comes back to the what's in it for me, yeah, and what do I need? But our leaders, I feel how do they stop getting overwhelmed and going, right? What do I what do I need to do that everybody feels included in life?
SPEAKER_00:And I think the beauty with neurodiversity is it has a what's good for the goose is good for the gander approach.
SPEAKER_01:So the adjustments that phrase for ages.
SPEAKER_00:I know I just thought of it then when you said it. And it it's it's so true that the adjustments that you will put in place for neurodiversity for your team will benefit everyone in your team. It's not just for the neurodivergent colleagues. So a simple example of this is I love going to a meeting and someone will follow up with meeting minutes afterwards because by the time I see you next, I'll have had a hundred different meetings and I cannot remember what's happened. And that's not not just neurodiversity, that's just life. Yeah, yeah. So that is a good example of how taking that inclusive approach in a neurodiversity perspective will help everyone in your team, and that's what we need to do, build that recognition in. I mean, I have a different vantage point because my youngest son, he's autistic. So as a parent in carer, I have I have um a different view on it, you know, like school holidays, they're off for 13 weeks a year, as a lot of parents out there will understand the children's off 13 weeks a year, but there's no SEN holiday clubs ready available, like they would be for neurotypical children. And my son's got an EHCP, which is old school statement, um, which details his, you know, medical and social complexities. And you talk about that in holiday clubs, whether it's discriminatory or not, and they suddenly don't have spaces available. So you think about neurodiversity from a parents and carers point of view, you can see why they're leaving their industries in droves because we can't we're not set up to serve disabled families, particularly from a neurodiversity point of view, the way they need to be.
SPEAKER_01:And what does a truly inclusive organization look like on the day you walk in that door for the first time? That's a good question.
SPEAKER_00:I think what does it look like? I don't know what it looks like, but it should feel like you are seen, heard, and valued. That in the simplest of terms, and again, it's it's not a status quo. It shouldn't feel like everything's binary, these are the rules, everyone adheres to them, regardless of your individual circumstances. The best organisations are the ones that are flexible.
SPEAKER_01:And what is because this isn't a a nine to five job or role, isn't it? This is life, right? And you're managing and leading this through in your workplace at Manchester Airports Group, your family situation. What's your downtime? Is there any?
SPEAKER_00:Um when I actually get some, I I'm always reading. So I'm a bit of a favourite book? Bookworm.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, that's just reminding me. You need to go back to Sarah on the previous pod. I'm sure she didn't tell me what her book was. Come back to that for you watchers and listeners.
SPEAKER_00:I I I'm gonna say that my favourite book is Fourth Wing. For why? It's a it's a like an adult's uh Harry Potter, I would say. Oh, fantasy, kind of. It's kind of like yeah, fantasy romance, uh yeah. But I just I read for escapism. So I know some people might have been expecting me to say a real academic book there, but no, I read absolute um, I'm not gonna say trash, but I mean I read anything that just steps me out of reality.
SPEAKER_01:And what is do you have a mantra or a quotation or something that you live by or go to?
SPEAKER_00:What do I live by? Probably can't say it on a podcast.
SPEAKER_01:Do we need to bleep it? We can do it.
SPEAKER_00:Probably. Um I just I don't know if I have a mantra or but I I have a a resilience and a tenacity inside me that I I just don't think no's no's never the never the last answer.
SPEAKER_01:It's all part of a negotiation, right?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And I I I I just don't I think if it's a no, then you haven't considered why you want to do it yet. Not yet.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. Now also now we're gonna navigate the power jar. Are you ready to navigate the power jar? Let's do it. So this is a question from one of our previous listeners. It could be one of our Manchester Airport group guests. Who knows? They could be stitching you up a treat here, but I think it's time to dive into the jar. Okay, read the question. Who knows when it might be? Okay, let's do it.
SPEAKER_00:It sounds like exciting. Yeah, we can just pick your favourite. Okay. So you get a free billboard in the busiest spot in your city. What do you put on it?
SPEAKER_01:We have got guests that have been writing some brilliant questions. I love these. No, it's not the answer. Can I pick another? Yes, you can. That is so tough. I'm gonna put that behind her. Okay. So, dive into the power jar. What is the question from one of our fantastic guests? Maybe one of your Manchester Airport group colleagues, who knows?
SPEAKER_00:Who has been your biggest silent supporter? Someone who never takes credit but always had your back. Ooh. Who's always been my biggest silent supporter? Um I will say, who has been my biggest silent supporter? Um, when I sent that email into work, and the person who got it was the head of supply chain at the time called Lee Robertshaw. And to this day, we're both in completely different organisations and still reaches out and still checks in and was my biggest sponsor. And if they had not taken that email and invested that time, I honestly don't think I would be sat here talking to you. And I think if we're talking about leadership and action, then that's the best example. So yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you, Lee, for the question. No, it wasn't. But I think that's the thing you talked, just rap that is a perfect kind of out for this because you talk about people make all the change. Yeah. And he had a choice as to what to do with that email. Absolutely. You have a choice as to what conversation you can have with that waiting room. I wish you the biggest waiting room. Because I think the more people that we can talk, educate, include, bring to the table, the small acts, uh the listening, the curiosity, that's what will make the change. That's what makes inclusion fairer. Um, and never be afraid to not keep learning. Absolutely. Alicia, thank you so much. Back to the doctor's surgery for you. There's a cue out the door. Um, but thank you so much for joining me today. Thanks for having me. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. Leave us a review or follow us on socials. We are power underscore net on Insta, TikTok, and Twitter. We are power on LinkedIn, Facebook, and we are underscore power on YouTube.
