Irwin Mitchell is bringing together senior community figures from across the North West to celebrate South Asian culture and promote equality, diversity and inclusion within the legal industry.
The Bollywood‑themed event, titled Making a Remarkable Difference, will take place at Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office at One St Peter’s Square on Thursday 26 March 2026, with guests arriving from 5:30pm.
Designed to celebrate success stories and lived experience, the evening will feature keynote contributions and cultural performances, alongside opportunities for networking with members across the vastly diverse professional bodies and the wider legal community in attendance.
Guests are warmly encouraged to dress for the occasion in clothing that reflects and celebrates their own cultural heritage and showcases the rich diversity of our community.
Confirmed speakers include Alison Eddy, Irwin Mitchell’s Ambassador for Inclusion and IM RESPECT representative, and Geeta Nayar, a Senior Associate in Medical Negligence, who will discuss championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) as a leading maternal health campaigner and her own experience of the long term impact of returning to work following traumatic childbirth.
They will be joined by a range of guest speakers, including:
- HHJ Fayyaz Afzal OBE CBE – Circuit Judge / Designated Family Judge for South Yorkshire and Diversity and Community Relations Judge. The first visually impaired South Asian Judge in England and Wales
- Dr Ria Meera Munshi – Honorary Doctor of Arts, EDI advocate, TEDx Speaker, TV Bollywood choreographer and cultural entrepreneur. Holder of Bollywood Guinness World Record
- Amit Ghose – Senior Diversity and Inclusion Business Partner, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and author of children’s book “Born Different”
- Polly Williams – Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Wellbeing at the Law Society
The event will also welcome representatives from the Judiciary (Northern Circuit), The Law Society, Manchester Law Society, Manchester City Council, Manchester Universities, and other professional organisations and EDI networks from across the North West.
Following the keynote contributions, guests will enjoy an evening of food, Bollywood music, henna painting and an interactive dance experience led by Dr Ria Meera Munshi, celebrating South Asian culture.
Irwin Mitchell aims to use the event as a platform to celebrate the contributions of South Asian professionals, amplify voices from under‑represented backgrounds and promote greater inclusion across the legal sector.
Charlotte Abbott, Solicitor in Irwin Mitchell’s Serious Injury Team and event organiser, said: “Irwin Mitchell is known for its welcoming and inclusive culture, where colleagues at every level are valued for their contributions, which play an integral role in the firm’s success. We’re hosting this event under the banner of IM RESPECT, our internal diversity network dedicated to celebrating and supporting colleagues from a range of ethnic, cultural and faith backgrounds.”
Bilal Hussain, Solicitor in Irwin Mitchell’s Serious Injury Team and event organiser, said: “This event is a chance to celebrate our colleagues’ success, but it is also about listening to South Asian perspectives, learning from lived experiences and using those insights to create real, lasting change. By bringing people together, we want to help build a legal profession that truly reflects the communities it serves, while recognising and celebrating the talent, commitment and impact of our South Asian colleagues and partners, who continue to inspire progress across the sector.
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Alison is Partner Ambassador for Inclusion at Irwin Mitchell, a Trustee for two UK health charities and G100 Global Chair for Diversity and Inclusion. She is also a mentor for the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, supporting female entrepreneurs in low-income countries.
Alison was one of three founders of the Irwin Mitchell London office in 1995 and until recently led the London medical negligence practice . She was the London Managing Partner for 12 years.
She has been a constant champion for diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and a passionate advocate for gender equality, empowering women not only in law but in health and beyond. In 2008 she helped set up the Diversity and Inclusion Board and Irwin Mitchell is the only top 50 law firm with over 50% female partnership.
Recent recognition includes:
2025 Modern Law Awards Diversity and Inclusion Award
2024 Legal 500 ESG Lifetime Achievement Award-Women in Law.
Geeta Nayar is a Senior Associate Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, Advocate for The MASIC Foundation and Birth Trauma Association, Make Birth Better Champion and co-chairs the Firms regional diversity network.
Geeta trained with Irwin Mitchell and specialised in neurotrauma and complex medical negligence cases representing both adults and children, and worked closely with several charities to support injured clients including Headway, was Vice-chair of UKABIF (United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum) and co-founded the London Acquired Brain Injury Forum (ABIL).
During the birth of her first child, Geeta sustained life-changing obstetric injuries and had to undergo extensive medical treatment. As a result of her journey Geeta has become a leading maternal health campaigner and collaborates with healthcare professionals, charity partners and key stakeholders to influence national policy and drive change in maternity care.
Geeta has been closely involved with The MASIC Foundation since it launched to improve the prevention and detection of OASI (obstetric anal sphincter injuries) and speaks widely about her own experience and the long -term impact to give visibility to women with these devastating injuries.
Geeta gave evidence at the first Parliamentary Inquiry into birth trauma and is regularly invited to share her expertise at NHS Trusts and leading healthcare conferences including the RCOG World Congress. Geeta is also passionate about health equity and pioneered the landmark Irwin Mitchell South Asian Maternal Health Conference in June 2024 to address disparities in outcomes and to give a voice to those who face additional barriers in maternity care.
HHJ Fayyaz Afzal CBE is a Circuit Judge. He is the Designated Family Judge for South Yorkshire and sits in Sheffield dealing with Family and Court of Protection cases. He is also a Diversity and Community Relations Judge. He is from Rochdale and the first in his family to go to university having read law at Staffordshire University and studied for the Bar Vocational Course (as it was then) at Manchester Metropolitan University. He was Called to the Bar in 1999 and was only one of a handful of barristers with a visual impairment. He moved to Leicester to undertake pupillage and had a common law practice at New Walk Chambers before moving to No 5 Chambers where he predominantly dealt with family cases. He also sat as a Legal Assessor/Legally Qualified Chair for professional/medical regulators. He became a Deputy District Judge in 2010, a Recorder in 2015, a District Judge in 2017 and a Circuit Judge in 2020. He has a keen interest in diversity and inclusion - his work has been recognised with the award of the OBE in 2008, CBE in 2021 and being included in the Power 100 list of influential disabled people in the United Kingdom. He is a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn and a senior advocacy tutor. He is very keen to ensure that talented candidates are able to make applications for judicial appointment regardless of background.
Polly Williams (she/her) is Head of EDI and Wellbeing at the Law Society. Polly has extensive experience leading and designing equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategies and initiatives. Polly previously worked at the Royal Academy of Engineering, leading an ambitious programme to catalyse a step change in the diversity of the workforce and prevalence of inclusive cultures across engineering. Prior to this, Polly worked for the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science, developing and leading their first diversity strategy and programme of activity. Polly also worked for Equality Challenge Unit advising EDI practitioners in higher education and she spent 5 years at the Equality and Human Rights Commission advising individuals and employers on discrimination legislation and assessing compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty. Polly is a Trustee of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society and Chair of their Nominations and Remuneration Committee.
Amit Ghose is a keynote speaker who was born with a condition called Neurofibromatosis Type 1, a condition which causes tumours to grow on nerves, for which there is currently no cure. Amit’s condition has caused him to look visibly different. Throughout his childhood and early adulthood, he sadly endured much bullying, and he felt people made assumptions about him as a person just because of how he looks. He believes there is still a lot of stigma in the world about people who don’t look the norm, and that the media is not making it any easier to stop. However, over his 30+ years, he has learnt to embrace and celebrate who he is and his differences. Amit is now on a journey to support, help and inspire new generations to be kind. He advises audiences on how to be confident on who you are, and how to overcome obstacles and challenges thrown your way.
In addition to attracting a 200K+ Tik Tok audience, with over 3M views, Amit has appeared on Good Morning Britain and in Unilad, Truly, Snapchat – Unfiltered, the New York Post, Yahoo, and many other media outlets. He is an ambassador for Nerve Tumours UK and Face Equality International.
In July 2023, Amit uploaded a documentary entitled “Born Different”. He speaks about his condition and how it affects him physically, such as losing an eye, how it has impacted upon his social skills and his ability to find love, whether there is any hereditary risk to any potential children, how he has raised awareness, and reactions he has experienced from the general public. He has also published a children’s booked called “Born Different: A Heartwarming Children’s Book about Disability, Confidence, and Kindness” in 2025 to inspire children to embrace what makes us unique.
EDI Guest Speaker, Bollywood Guinness World Record Holder, Honorary Doctor of Arts, TEDx Speaker and TV & Celebrity Choreographer
Dr (h,c) Ria Meera Munshi - Honorary Doctor of Arts - is an extraordinary multihyphenate talent and cultural entrepreneur, celebrated for her extensive contributions to the arts with numerous awards and a prestigious Bollywood Guinness World Record. As a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, celebrity choreographer, cultural consultant, model, actor, presenter, TEDx and keynote speaker, writer, director, and businesswoman, she brings a vibrant, multidimensional approach to her craft. In her role as Artistic Director of multi-award-winning Ri Ri's Dance Academy, she continues to inspire and celebrate Indian culture, identity, and heritage on both national and international stages.
