On the shortlist: Laura Helen Brown

Laura has been shortlisted for the Inclusive Leader Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to inclusion, well-being, and gender equity both within Wells Fargo and far beyond. Her personal experience of caring for her mother with progressive dementia and ovarian cancer from the start of her career has shaped her leadership style and drives her passion for championing workplaces that embrace empathy and flexibility.

Alongside her day-to-day role as Due Diligence Consultant, (EMEA Inclusion Allie Lead and EMEA Well-being Consultant) at Wells Fargo, Laura co-leads the EMEA Inclusion Allies and serves as a consultant for the EMEA Well-being Team, bringing together 47 mental health first aiders and well-being communities across the region. For the past three years, she has also hosted a monthly forum creating safe, compassionate spaces – especially for women balancing work and caregiving.

Her advocacy extends outside the workplace too. Laura is a UN Women UK Participant volunteer and successfully championed a major Wells Fargo grant focused on gender-responsive procurement, helping increase corporate spending with women-owned businesses. She is also the illustrator and creator of the award-winning My Emotions Activity Book, which has reached over 75,000 children in more than 60 countries and is used by organisations including Women’s Aid, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the City of London Police. With over 7,000 printed copies distributed to vulnerable groups, the book and associated lesson plans are offered on a not-for-profit basis to help children understand and express their feelings.

Through lived experience, bold advocacy, and creativity, Laura has built a powerful legacy of empathy and impact. Whether in corporate leadership, grassroots volunteering, or supporting children’s emotional resilience, she exemplifies how compassion and inclusion can drive lasting change in both workplaces and communities.

Read on to find out more…

Your lived experience of caring for your mother has clearly shaped your leadership style. How has this personal journey influenced the way you champion empathy and flexibility in the workplace?

Caring for my late mother, who lived with complex health conditions, taught me that empathy and flexibility aren’t optional. It showed me how much pressure colleagues can face outside of work, often without others realising. Too often, caring for elderly relatives or children pushes people, especially women, out of the workforce. Yet small changes, like offering flexibility or listening properly, can make the difference between someone staying in work or being forced out. That experience has shaped how I lead: by building empathy and flexibility into how I make decisions and how I support colleagues day to day.

You co-lead the EMEA Inclusion Allies and advise the EMEA Well-being team. What impact have these roles had on embedding wellbeing and inclusivity across the region?

These roles have been about making inclusion and wellbeing part of everyday working culture, not something separate. We’ve created awareness campaigns and practical resources for managers and their teams, and over the past few years of initiatives. I’ve seen how normalising conversations about mental health and flexibility makes a real difference. People are more willing to share what they’re going through, and that openness helps build a more inclusive, supportive workplace.

“Normalising conversations about mental health and flexibility makes a real difference — openness builds a more inclusive, supportive workplace.”

One of your standout initiatives was “Dads Do Hair”, can you tell us more about that and what inspired this idea?

“Dads Do Hair” came from something I noticed during COVID, many fathers were rethinking what flexibility meant to them as caregivers. I wanted to change the narrative around care in the workplace by creating something practical and inclusive, not just another panel discussion. The idea was simple: dads learning how to do their child’s hair. It became a space where people could talk openly about caregiving, gender roles, and the day-to-day realities of family life.

The session was run by Elliott Rae OBE, founder of MusicFootballFatherhood. Many dads admitted they had relied on YouTube tutorials before school runs and often felt guilty that this responsibility fell to their partners. The session gave them the chance to share those experiences and learn together. It was open to all parents and caregivers, dads, uncles, aunts, godparents, and what really stood out was that a number of senior leaders signed up without being asked. It was refreshing for people to see leadership and caregiving side by side.

Securing a grant with UN Women UK for gender-responsive procurement is a major achievement. Why is this issue so important, and how do you see its long-term impact?

I work in a financial crime operations team, so I see every day how many businesses are owned and led by men. That perspective made it clear to me how important it was to push for change. Procurement has the power to open doors, yet women-owned businesses are still too often excluded. Gender-responsive procurement is about levelling the playing field, creating access, driving innovation, and strengthening communities.

Securing the grant with UN Women UK will shape how businesses and the government take practical steps towards building a fairer system. It links closely to my wider advocacy, such as supporting the Buddy Bag Foundation, which provides essentials for women and children entering safe housing, and working with the City of London Police to support young people in vulnerable situations. Long term, I want to see gender-responsive procurement embedded as standard practice.

“Procurement has the power to open doors, yet women-owned businesses are still too often excluded.”

Your My Emotions Activity Book has reached 75,000 people globally. Can you tell us more about this?

I first created My Emotions Activity Book during COVID for my nephew, to help him process feelings like loneliness and worry. A colleague who is a trained psychotherapist reviewed it, and with support from Wells Fargo, 300 copies were sent to caregivers across the bank. The feedback was immediate, parents said it had helped them start difficult conversations, from grief and loss to bullying.

Since then, it has grown into a volunteer-led project, supported by my growing network. To date, it has reached more than 75,000 children and families across 60+ countries, available in English, Spanish, French, and Ukrainian. Over 7,000 printed copies have been distributed in partnership with schools, hospitals, and charities, including Great Ormond Street Hospital Play Team, the Buddy Bag Foundation, and Mobilization for Justice in New York. It has been used with children in custody through the City of London Police, and in Ukraine where 600 children received their own copy during special assemblies. The activity book is freely available for anyone to print from a dedicated website, with no commercial gain.

The work continues to evolve. In 2024, I partnered with ootiboo and poet Emily Bayne-West to create free lesson plans for schools. With my Youth Ambassador, Leia, we’re preparing funding applications to have youth-led assemblies that will reach more than 4,000 students. My goal is to keep scaling this so every child, no matter their circumstances, has access to resources that help them talk about their emotions.

Much of your work focuses on creating safe spaces where people feel able to talk openly. What advice would you give to other leaders who want to build psychological safety in their teams?

Psychological safety is built through trust and consistency. Leaders can set the tone by admitting mistakes, asking questions, and listening properly. Small things matter, how you respond when someone raises an idea or admits a problem will shape whether they speak up again. My advice is to focus on those everyday moments. If people feel safe to be themselves, they’ll contribute more openly, and that’s when teams work at their best.