Brentford launches EDI advisory group to support club’s work | OneFootball

Brentford FC has announced the creation of a new equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) Advisory Group.

The group has been formed to support the club's ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment both on and off the field.

Consisting of 11 experts with vast experience in EDI, the group will meet with the club twice during the season. The group will be chaired by Brentford non-executive director, Preeti Shetty who will report back to the club’s board.

The group will provide specialist advice on EDI and offer the club a route to consult with people from different communities. Members will also monitor and evaluate Brentford’s progress in EDI.

Preeti Shetty, chair of the EDI advisory board and Brentford non-executive director said: “We’re looking forward to meeting the EDI advisory group. Collectively they bring a wealth of experience and knowledge in EDI and this can only help us support and elevate our work.

“We think they will provide an important sounding board for our ideas and give us expert advice, input and accountability in making progress in EDI.”

Meet Brentford’s EDI advisory board

L-R first row from top - Monique Choudhuri, Sami Dar, Allen Hopkins Jr., Bruna Gil

L-R second row - Andrew Isama, Paul McNeill, Dr Jacob Naish

L-R third row Javan Odegah, Zoiey Smale, James Swanson, Aishwarya Tardalkar

Monique Choudhuri

Monique is the managing director of Versify Consulting and an inclusive leadership specialist. Her work has included designing EDI strategies, EDI consultancy, designing and measuring EDI and engagement surveys and audits, developing and delivering inclusive leadership programmes for boards and staff and redrafting governance for boards.

Formerly a non-executive director at Brentford for six years, she was a board champion for EDI and wellbeing and was responsible for overseeing and leading the implementation of several initiatives aimed at improving our diversity and equity, and notably diversifying the board. She is also a board director for Women in Football, Level Equals and 1212, as well as a trustee for CRY UK.

Sami Dar

Sami is the co-founder of 10,000 Able Interns, a programme which has provided over 300 internships to disabled students in its first two years. The programme, which sits under the 10,000 Interns Foundation, is also home to the 10,000 Black Interns programme.

After graduating from Warwick Business School in 2021, he worked in finance for two years, before committing all of his time to the non-profit project. Sami is a wheelchair user himself, and an avid football fan.

Bruna Gil

Bruna currently spearheads LinkedIn’s partnerships business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She has served as global co-chair for Out@In (LinkedIn's LGBTQ+ Network). Bruna holds leadership roles on several LGBTQ+ charity boards, including her current position as vice-chair of the board of trustees for GiveOut, an award-winning charity.

She is also a founding board member of Pride in Tennis, a network dedicated to increasing participation, visibility, education, and support for LGBTQ+ communities within the sport, and sits on the LTA’s IDEA Advisory Group.

Allen Hopkins Jr.

Allen currently serves as an executive director for Black Players for Change. He previously worked for Major League Soccer’s league office in the player relations & competition department and the commissioner’s office. He manages the largest DEI database for soccer coaches, executives, administrators and professionals in north America.

Allen also served as a special adviser to former US men’s national head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann. Before this, Allen was a lead consultant for EXOS in the areas of effective communication and personal development for their highly successful NFL draft programme.

Andrew Isama

Andrew is currently an economics teacher and diversity lead at Eton College. During his time at the school, he has expanded the diversity programme by conducting staff training and creating additional safe spaces for students. He has also contributed to advancing the school’s social mobility commitments.

In addition to his work at Eton College, he serves as an advisory board member at the Royal Springboard Children's Foundation, a charity that provides transformational bursaries to students in the United Kingdom.

Paul McNeill

Paul is an award-winning author and works to help others thrive through the power of sport in his role as head of community development for the Scottish Football Association. Having had dyslexia since a young child, Paul is an ambassador for Dyslexia Scotland and has been a director of St Mirren FC for two years.

Dr Jacob Naish

Jake is trained as a social scientist and philosopher whilst having worked in the football industry for 20+ years. For many years, he designed cultural operating systems for high-performing teams at Right to Dream. which were then delivered to audiences across Egypt, Ghana, Denmark and the USA.

Jake is building his own company - MIND3D - which combines his experience from football with neuroscience, philosophy, and the latest research from people-work, to help make the experience of work better for humans and their organisations.

Javan Odegah

A refined conversationalist, host, and moderator, Javan has designed, programmed and led thought-leadership events for organisations including Meta, Google, Amazon Prime, Wimbledon, Arsenal FC, Brentford FC and Adidas.

In his current role at Leaders in Sport, he leads and orchestrates their impactful DEI work across business and sport. Javan was awarded and named on the Football Blacklist in 2021. He was also selected as part of Sporting Equals 2023/24, Leader Board Academy.

Zoiey Smale

Zoiey is a multi-award-winning, former global inclusion consultant with over 20 years of experience in driving positive change. She specialises in sport by anchoring services powered by belonging, innovation and creativity.     Zoey has received awards for her sports interventions and initiatives. She has been featured on the BBC, ITV, NBC, World Rugby and Sky. Along with columns with Huffington Post, and articles in Glamour and Cosmopolitan. Zoiey is a board member of BPSB, a CIC who are driving change for Black people in often 'hidden roles' within sports broadcasting. Her extensive technical knowledge and experience as an athlete, coach and official have enabled her to develop and support some of the talent we see on the world stage.

James Swanson

James is the senior marketing manager at World Rugby overseeing the promotion of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. Prior to this, he worked in the brand marketing team at Arsenal Football Club, where he chaired the LGBTQ+ Staff Network.

Outside of work, James is a diversity & inclusion consultant, panel moderator, and event host. He is also the chair of Pride in Tennis, the LGBTQ+ network for tennis in Great Britain, co-chair of Premiership Rugby’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Group, and sits on the D&I Committee for Basketball England and Leaders in Sport.

Aishwarya Tardalkar

Aishwarya is an accomplished inclusive marketing consultant with extensive experience in managing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes within the marketing and advertising sectors. She had a decade-long successful career as a professional dancer and choreographer in India, coupled with a robust background in business management and economics.

At Creative Equals, Aishwarya spearheads strategic partnerships for global clients such as McDonald’s, Philips, Mars, and Groupe Bel, helping these brands embed DEI at the core of their marketing ecosystems.