5 minutes with… Molly Byrne

1) Can you tell us how you came to be in your role?

I previously worked for England Rugby where I led their inclusive recruitment efforts. While I was working there, I worked with our then Head of Sport and now Director of Sector Services, Debbie! Debbie and I hit it off and when a job came up to drive forward change across the sports sector, I was keen to get involved!

2) Can you share an ‘inclusion moment’ with us – a time when you have felt included either at work or in your personal life?

This may appear like a small, process heavy inclusion moment but it meant a lot to me at the time. I moved from two consecutive jobs at different LGBTQ+ charities to the role at England Rugby and was a bit nervous about working somewhere that I wasn’t sure I would be accepted as a non-binary person.

When I arrived, I filled out the onboarding documents and there was an option for non-binary gender identities which I noticed with relief. I didn’t realise until much later that this was a last-minute scramble from the HR Business Partner Luke who noticed my pronouns on LinkedIn and ensured that it was included ahead of me joining. Again, it seems like a small thing and probably if there hadn’t been the option, I would have been fine but at the same time it made me feel at ease before I even started. I’m very grateful that the HR team at England Rugby always went the extra mile behind the scenes.