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Joanna Prior recognised in Workplace Belonging Week 2026 list

Joanna Prior OBE, CEO of Pan Macmillan, has been recognised in the inaugural Workplace Belonging List 2026. 

Joanna Prior recognised in Workplace Belonging Week 2026 list

The list, published to coincide with Workplace Belonging Week, honours twenty changemakers and ten companies driving inclusion and creating supportive organisational cultures across the UK.

Organised by Diversity Umbrella, Workplace Belonging Week 2026 runs from 9–13 November and brings together business leaders, inclusion experts and policymakers across London. The initiative aims to emphasise that workplace belonging must extend beyond standard HR policies to become a shared organisational responsibility.

Workplace Belonging List 2026: At a glance

  • Who is recognised: Joanna Prior OBE, CEO, Pan Macmillan alongside 19 other leaders and ten organisations who are 'turning the the ambition of belonging into meaningful action.'
  • Key workplace initiatives: Living-wage apprenticeships, accessible work experience, transparent pay bands, an Equal Parenting Policy offering six months full pay, employee network support, and management training in unconscious bias and neurodiversity through The Management Academy
  • External leadership: Chair of the National Literacy Trust and champion of reading for social mobility
  • Event dates: Workplace Belonging Week runs from 9–13 November 2026
  • Organised by: Diversity Umbrella Ltd 
  • Headline Sponsor: Deutsche Bank

Kat Parsons, CEO of Diversity Umbrella said about the list:

'We’re proud to recognise 20 extraordinary individuals and 10 organisations who are turning the ambition of belonging into meaningful action. The people featured in this supplement are changemakers in every sense. 

They’re challenging outdated thinking, opening doors, influencing leadership, amplifying unheard voices and creating opportunities for others. Some lead from the very top of their organisations. Others are driving change from within, often without the recognition they deserve.'

Joanna Prior was recognised alongside leaders from organisations including Deutsche Bank, BDO, GSK and Tesco. The twenty individuals highlighted on the changemakers list represent a wide range of approaches to workplace change, focusing on improving leadership accountability and addressing barriers experienced by historically underrepresented groups.

‘[Joanna Prior] champions a publishing culture built on opportunity, representation and belonging.’
— Workplace Belonging Week changemaker list 2026

Specifically, Joanna was commended for her work at Pan Macmillan in advancing inclusive leadership, expanding accessible career opportunities, supporting employee networks, implementing equitable parenting policies and championing social mobility.

The full profile in the accompanying magazine reads:

'Joanna is CEO of Pan Macmillan, where she champions a publishing culture built on opportunity, representation and belonging. Under her leadership, the company has introduced living-wage apprenticeships, accessible work experience, transparent pay bands and an Equal Parenting Policy offering six months’ full pay. She has also supported employee networks and management training focused on unconscious bias and neurodiversity.

Beyond the workplace, Joanna chairs the National Literacy Trust and champions access to reading as a route to social mobility. Awarded an OBE for services to publishing and literacy, she connects inclusive leadership with lasting cultural and social change.'

You can access the full magazine through this link

The wider Workplace Belonging Week schedule includes discussions on multigenerational workplaces, cognitive inclusion and responsible leadership, culminating in the Workplace Belonging Week Summit and the European Diversity Awards on 13 November.