Future Humber Insights: The Personal View by Elleanor Siddall, Digital Marketing Executive and EDIB Lead

💬 Challenging the Default

What does “professionalism” really mean and who gets to define it?

Too often, it rewards those who can navigate unspoken rules, blend in and adapt to a single style of working. But in a world built on sameness, we risk overlooking the very minds that can spark the most meaningful change.

Neurodivergent thinkers, those with ADHD, autism, dyspraxia and more, often bring unique strengths like lateral thinking, deep focus, creative problem-solving and pattern recognition. But when they’re pressured to mask, over-adapt or constantly second-guess expectations, those strengths get buried beneath the surface. And for many, the barriers start even earlier - with application processes that are so rigid or unclear, they exclude the very talent employers say they want to attract. If the process isn’t accessible, the potential never even makes it through the door.

That’s not just a loss for the individual. It’s a loss for the organisation too.

✳ The Humber Needs Every Kind of Mind

From logistics to low-carbon leadership, our region thrives on big ideas and breakthrough thinking. Many of the people behind those ideas are neurodivergent, approaching problems from fresh angles, seeing patterns others don’t, and questioning norms that hold us back.

Yet the environments they step into don’t always work for them. Social dynamics, sensory overload, inflexible processes and unwritten rules create barriers that aren’t about capability -they’re about systems that weren’t built with everyone in mind.

And in a region as ambitious as the Humber, we can’t afford to keep brilliant people out.

🧩 Leading with Lived Experience

I’m Elleanor Siddall, Digital Marketing Executive at Future Humber, and someone who has navigated a career while living with ADHD.

I’ve experienced a range of workplaces and leadership styles. Some helped me thrive. Others pushed me to hide the very traits that make me effective. Today, I’m part of a team that’s open, honest and willing to listen. A culture that doesn’t just make space for difference but learns from it.

That shift didn’t happen by luck. It happened through leadership that listens, through space that flexes, and through a growing belief that people do their best work when they can show up as themselves.

It’s why I’m proud to lead on Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) at Future Humber. These aren’t just values we talk about. They’re values we’re embedding into everything we do, from strategy to storytelling, events to everyday practice.

🔁 It Starts with Rewriting the Narrative

The Humber has always led from the front in energy, trade, innovation and resilience. Now we have the opportunity to lead in how we value people too.

That means creating workplaces that work with people, not against them.

We’re already seeing inspiring examples across the region. Employers are rethinking interview formats, adjusting internal comms and designing systems that prioritise neuroinclusion. We want more of that. We need more of that.

Not because it looks good on paper, but because this is how we build teams that last, cultures that adapt and a future that works for everyone.

🔍 Culture Check-In: Start Conversations That Matter

Sometimes, progress begins with a question. Here are a few to bring to your next team meeting or leadership session:

• How do we define professionalism, and who might that definition leave out?
• Where might people feel the need to mask, and why?
• What ‘normal’ practices have we accepted that could be barriers?
• What’s one assumption, rule or habit we could rethink today?

You don’t need all the answers. You just need to start asking better questions.

🚀 Where We Go from Here

The Humber Place brand is built on real voices, and this is one of them.

So, here’s your challenge. How could your workplace be more neuroinclusive? What invisible barriers might still be holding people back? Who’s not in the room that should be?

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. But by opening up the conversation, we start to change the culture. And if any region has the courage to lead differently, it’s this one.

Let’s create space for every kind of brilliance. The Humber needs it.

📣 This Is Just the Beginning

This piece marks the start of our new Future Humber Insights: The Personal View Series. It’s a space to meet the people behind the work, hear new perspectives from across our team and board, and shine a light on the talent, insight and lived experience shaping our region.

We’re proud to be a platform for ambitious voices who aren’t afraid to challenge the norm. Whether it’s digital, comms, innovation, infrastructure or inclusion, we’ll be sharing the insights that spark conversations and inspire change.

Because if we’re building a Humber that leads on the global stage, we need one where every mind can thrive.

This isn’t just about inclusion.
It’s about creating the conditions for brilliance.
Let’s start there.