Meet the LIEN Team
The Leeds Inclusive Employer Network (LIEN) team are experts at what they do. They work with young people every day who are looking for and are keen to get into work. They want to work and they’re ready, if only someone would give them a chance. The team understand the barriers, but also how to overcome them. And they want to help other organisations do just that.
They bring with them not only the experience they’ve gained working at Lighthouse Futures Trust but also that which they’ve gained across wide and varied careers covering all the sectors represented in Leeds, from finance to healthcare, from education to retail and hospitality. Plus, they have their speciality colleagues at Lighthouse Futures Trust who are all at hand and ready to help.

Katie Parlett, MBE
Katie developed LIEN to enable more businesses in and around Leeds to understand what it means to be an inclusive employer. She is passionate about creating opportunities for those with additional needs, and showcasing how simply those needs can be to meet.
Having been part of the group that developed Lighthouse School, Katie went on to consider what opportunities there were for young people post-16 in the city. Not being able to find something suitable, she created something herself. Lighthouse Futures Trust is 10 years old in 2025!
Katie believes that all companies can benefit from reviewing who they employ and why. There’s a gap in the workforce, and she wants businesses to grasp inclusive employment and see what it can bring.



Adele Darlington
Adele leads the team at Lighthouse Futures Trust. Adele knows what it’s like to be a leader and practices what she preaches with her own staff team. An avid advocate for supported employment and the development of inclusive workplaces, Adele supports senior leaders to develop their own knowledge and practice.
Karen Buchanan
What Karen doesn’t know about inclusive employment isn’t worth knowing. She is one of the Supported Internship Leads at Lighthouse Futures Trust and regularly supports businesses from all sectors to develop their understanding around inclusivity and what they can achieve.
Sharon Davenport
Sharon is Lighthouse Futures Trust’s Marketing, Events & Partnerships Coordinator. She brings to LIEN her knowledge of leading EDI Committees and over a decade’s experience working within sustainability.
Our Steering Group
Our Steering Group is currently in development.
If you would like to be part of the Group, please get in touch.