Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have always been at the heart of her career and Marie-Helene Tyack (she/her) brings passion, joy & a deep commitment to what she does. Her 'day job' sees her leading on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Allianz Commercial globally and her 'gay job' is as Chair of the Allianz Global Pride Board. She's set up an incredible 28 Pride networks within the Allianz Group around the world!

Her work has led to her being widely recognised in the DEI sector, LGBTQ+ community and beyond with a number of accolades & awards under her belt. It's clear she's not in it for that but admits that the recognition is nice - plus, it gives her that extra backing when asking for more support & provision to do her job.

This is the Marie-Helene we know now and it was a pleasure getting to know more about her story...

Growing up in Switzerland & moving to the UK at a young age was a big culture shock for Marie-Helene & her family which involved navigating language barriers, a shift in family dynamics and school life. When speaking to her family about this podcast, she shared how some of this still feels a little raw, especially for her mum. Little Marie-Helene was an incredibly happy child - and it's easy to see this now as Marie-Helene really is one of the warmest, most smiley people I've met.

But with most people's stories, it isn't always all sunshine. A car accident when she was 18 years old impacted her life hugely & physically leaving her with a strong sense of injustice. In her first relationship, Marie-Helene was raped by her girlfriend at the time - something she buried for a long time before she sought support. We'd like to put a trigger warning to anyone listening who might be affected by this - take a break/ turn it off and come back to it as needed. There are contact details for Galop* at the bottom of these shownotes. This is part of her story which she's very open about and we speak about Marie-Helene's healing journey and her plea for anyone who has experienced any such incident of abuse historically to know it's never too late to reach out for help.

We cover queer representation, including a trip down memory lane for Marie-Helene with Channel 4's Brookside and it's daring lesbian storyline through to what we see on screen today. For many LGBTQ+ people growing up, this visibility provides comfort, reassurance & hope; often helping us to tackle shame, internalised homophobia & isolation. We also touch on life lessons & Marie-Helene's 'cocoon of love' with her wife & dog.

'Passionate. Determined. Little-Miss-Happy' are the words that Marie-Helene uses to describe herself & her origin story - you'll hear why throughout! Enjoy and again, please take of yourself whilst listening.

Galop - the LGBTQ+ anti-abuse charity - has been working with LGBT+ victims and survivors of abuse and violence for more than 40 years. They provide a range of support services and you can get in touch with them here.