Leading diversity champion Ben Hurst has been announced as this year’s keynote for the 2026 Diversity Mark Summit.

A prominent speaker best known for his influential TEDx talk titled ‘Boys Won’t Be Boys. Boys Will Be What We Teach Them to Be’, and his ambassador role on the Netflix series Adolescence, Ben is recognised as one of the UK’s leading voices on healthy masculinity, allyship and emotional literacy.

Currently Head of Facilitation and Delivery at the charity Beyond Equality, for almost a decade he’s worked with organisations UK-wide on navigating the changing landscape of modern workplace culture. He has written for leading publications including Stylist, Glamour and Marie Claire, and co-hosts the TEDx Climate Curious Podcast.

At October’s Diversity Mark Summit, delivered in partnership with Allstate, Ben Hurst joins a number of local and international voices to discuss the theme ‘Future Ready, Human First’. Also on the agenda are insightful breakout sessions and an opening address from Minister for the Economy, Dr Caoimhe Archibald.

Commenting Diversity Mark Director Christine White said: “As a vocal proponent of positive male allyship, Ben is set to bring a dynamic and timely energy to this year’s Summit. Employers are increasingly considering how they can support healthy workplace cultures to help them attract, and hold onto the best people - whilst contributing to wider efforts to tackle gender-based violence. Ben brings a positive and practical perspective on supporting men and engaging them as part of the solution.

“The Diversity Mark team looks forward to Ben’s unique perspective on allyship as a driver of business success, as we work to engage more and more men as active partners in advancing equality with insights that will resonate strongly with our audience.”

Now in its 4th year, the 2026 Summit is set to bring together over 300 business leaders, employers and inclusion practitioners to Titanic Belfast on 7th October, when attendees can engage in knowledge sharing and real-world case studies with the return of the powerful and poignant ‘In My Shoes’ series.

Tickets for the 2026 Diversity Mark Summit are selling fast. Visit diversitymark.org/diversity-mark-annual-summit-2026/ or contact Christine White at christine@diversitymark.org to secure your seat today.