Denise Stephenson

Denise is the Founder and CEO of a charity, Reach Out 2 Kids Ltd (ROK), which she started as a non-profit social enterprise ten years ago, following her passion for being an agent of change in the fields of race diversity & inclusion and social mobility.

Denise was nominated in 2018 as one of London’s 50 Trailblazers of the Future by BAME2020, who in turn were nominated by Campaign Magazine as one of the Top Ten Trailblazers for Change 2018.

Denise is also a Planning Lawyer, with more than 20 years post qualification experience. As a lawyer, Denise is a proficient negotiator and communicator and has been quoted as being a leader in her field and ‘very responsive and dedicated.’

As a child of Jamaican parents from a working class background and having suffered from prejudice and racism in her legal career, Denise has lived experience of the very issues she seeks to change.

She is also very mindful of the mental health issues that often arises as a result of continued racism and discrimination. Denise is proficient in public speaking and has given talks and more recently been advising companies on their strategies for engaging more diverse and inclusive recruitment methods.