Dr Nicole Ponsford is an award-winning educator, author, researcher, and EdTech innovator transforming how inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing are understood and acted on in education.

She is the Founding CEO of the Global Equality Collective (GEC), leading a global movement of over 13,000 inclusion, equality, and wellbeing changemakers, and the GEC Circle, the largest DEI expert directory in education.

Nicole created the award-winning GEC Platform, which supports over a quarter of a million students worldwide by enabling schools, trusts, and regions to ethically measure, understand, and improve inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing. The platform is underpinned by her original data for inclusion framework, Kaleidoscopic Data, an intersectional dataset that combines lived experience with quantitative insight. The GEC Platform is a Finalist for Transformational Impact at the BETT Awards 2026, recognising its measurable, system-level impact.

The GEC also operates as a research centre, capturing over 26,000 staff and student voices across education systems and producing the Inclusion Index, recently launched by Sky News.

Her work has received international recognition, including being named BESA Person of the Year, one of Europe’s Top 50 Women in Tech (#InspiringFiftyEurope), and being featured on the UK 2025/26 Diversity Power List, highlighting her influence in driving equity-led change across the sector.

Her doctoral research focuses on equity, leadership, and EdTech, bridging academic rigour with practical, real-world application. She is also Co-Head of Education at Microlink, where she champions accessible learning through assistive technology and inclusive AI.

Driven by a commitment to intentional inclusion, Dr Ponsford is shaping more equitable education systems for learners globally.