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In April 2025, Women in Football published an advertisement seeking passionate, knowledgeable and experienced Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) professionals to join a vital new group.

The WIF EEDI Advisory Group will guide and challenge the organisation to become more inclusive, representative and impactful in the football industry. After an extensive recruitment process, ten members were appointed who will contribute lived experience, professional expertise and insight to shape and support WIF’s internal and external strategies.

We spoke to each of the members to learn more about their background and why they wanted to join the group. Here, we introduce you to the final three.

 

Justin Brett, DEI and CSR Specialist at the National Audit Office   

I am an EEDI leader with over 20 years of experience including within professional football, Social Housing, the Civil Service, Refuge and Asylum, and Recruitment.

EEDI is more than a job for me; I come from multiple lived experience backgrounds. Since my teenage years, I’ve been involved in community organising and campaigns always focused on ensuring that people who struggle, or are without a voice, are centred in my approach and my professional practice. EEDI is about who I am, as well as what I do in my 9-5.    

What is your background connection to football?  

I’ve been fan of Spurs for the past 40 years. Well, “fan” is doing some heavy lifting in this sentence, it’s been a long-suffering relationship, but nice to get some recent success!  

Professionally speaking, I spent four years leading EDI at City Football Group (CFG) before moving back into the public sector with the NAO.   

This year I had the honour to be a judge at the 2025 Football Black List awards for the Community and LGBTQ categories and have recently been appointed to the role of Vice Chair at Out There, a Greater Manchester charity that supports the families and children of people in prison.  

Why did you want to join the advisory group and what are you hoping to deliver?   

I am a passionate advocate for intersectional gender equality and have been a supporter of WIF since the early days of my time at CFG. The opportunity to formally contribute to WIF’s mission, act as a critical friend and help drive EEDI not just within the organisation, but across the industry, was too good an opportunity to miss. I am sure my passion, knowledge and activist leader approach will make a positive impact.   

I look forward, with relish, to getting stuck in with my new EEDI Advisory Group colleagues and thank WIF for the opportunity.

How have you benefitted most from being a WIF member?   

Being part of a community of people determined to make a difference.  

Where can we find you?  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-brett-96924922/

 

Gurpri Bains, EDI Manager at Birmingham City Football Club  

I am an EEDI practitioner with experience across sport, education, and the arts including roles with the University of East London, Birmingham Opera Company, and Nottingham’s Theatre Royal. These roles have shaped my approach as the founder of consultancy Hyphenate, which supports organisations in uncovering and embedding an intersectional lens into their strategy.

Born and raised in inner-city Birmingham to Punjabi parents, I am a proud first-generation British Indian whose working-class roots and lived experience fuel my commitment to inclusive leadership and equitable practices.

My proudest achievement to date is playing a role in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, helping to bring to life the opening and closing ceremonies, the schools learning programme and the Queen’s Baton Relay.

What is your background connection to football? 

I launched my career at the Aston Villa Foundation in 2015, where I led the girls’ football and school sports programme. 

Since 2021, I have taken on trailblazing roles as the first EDI Manager for three professional clubs, including Birmingham City and Wolves, leading on strategy, campaigns and football governance. 

I serve on the Equality Advisory Board for the Football Association of Wales and have also mentored on their programme for women and girls. 

Why did you want to join the advisory and what are you hoping to deliver? 

I wanted to help move the dial towards a more inclusive and cross-collaborative football industry, where belonging and wellbeing are truly amplified. 

On this journey, I aim to bring others along as we shape and deliver plans that genuinely reflect and support all women, genders and peers on this path with us! 

How have you benefitted most from being a WIF member? 

I’ve been a member of WIF for almost five years. The platform has connected me with a strong network of professionals across different areas of the game from clubs to partners. More importantly, it has deepened my understanding of my whole-self, both personally and professionally. 

Last year, I completed all four levels of the WIF Leadership Course, which further equipped me with the skills to influence and develop my practice. It also sharpened my sense of purpose and commitment to leading with integrity.  

Where can we find you? 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gurpri-bains-1a167487?originalSubdomain=uk   

 

Edleen John, Senior Independent Consultant   

I am a multi-award-winning senior independent consultant working across EEDI, Corporate and Public Affairs and HR, with cross-sector and global clients. My career has spanned corporate, charitable, and public-sector spheres in both an executive and non-executive capacity.

I also bring my lived EEDI experience to the table. I am a Black British-born Sierra Leonean female, with a long-term health condition, who grew up in South-East London after moving back from Sierra Leone to the UK as a toddler.

As well as an extensive career in financial services, working for companies including Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley and KPMG, I was International Relations, Corporate Affairs and Co-Partner for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Director at The Football Association.

Outside of football, I have held various non-executive roles at organisations including the NHS, Ofcom and NASA, with many of these specifically focused on EEDI.    

What is your background connection to football?   

As well as the aforementioned FA role, I am currently a Senior Independent Director at The Amateur Football Alliance, a WIF Membership Committee Member and a member of Crystal Palace’s External Advisory Group.

Why did you want to join the WIF advisory group and what are you hoping to deliver?    

I am passionate about driving change across society and the football industry and believe that I can support WIF by providing open, honest and direct feedback.

Simultaneously, I hope to support WIF on being a beacon to the wider industry while continuing to break down arbitrary barriers to entry, participation, progression and engagement, while allowing people to be their true authentic selves and not to have to be forced to conform to the historical ways of “the old boy’s network”.     

How have you benefitted most from being a WIF member?    

Being a WIF member has enabled me to develop a network of women and people passionate about equality who want and need the football industry to do better.    

Where can we find you?   

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edleen-john-fcipd-558a971b0/  

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