Sitting down with Kate Dale

Following EDI Together 2025, we had the chance to ask Kate Dale, Director of Marketing at Sport England, a few questions. Kate was part of our fantastic third panel back in 2025, speaking alongside Megan Elliott of Marshmallow about how fear is the first hurdle many brands and organisations fail to overcome when it comes to EDI in marcomms.

The next few years in ED&I

As we always try to do at EDI Together, we look ahead. What was interesting to hear from Kate is that she believes we need to go beyond heavily targeted campaigns and instead bake EDI into everything we do.

“I think it’s a really interesting but challenging time to be working either in EDI or trying to build more inclusive approaches… because I think we’re expanding beyond just thinking about protected demographic characteristics into more diverse, more inclusive conversations. Rather than it being specific initiatives that focus specific groups, making sure that that is built into all the work that we do. So it’s more of a question of yes and… bringing more people together in a very intentional way rather than saying this is for you, this is for you, this is for you.”

Overcoming the fear of getting it wrong

For people looking to start, Kate pulls on her wealth of experience to give clear advice:

“We have made mistakes, I have made mistakes. I will make mistakes again. But I hope it inspires people to just go on and do it.

Do it with the right intention. Listen, learn. Try not to make the same mistakes twice. But don’t be so frightened of making mistakes that you never get started. This is challenging. It is difficult. If you’re working with people with different lived experiences, there’s going to be stuff you get wrong, but don’t let that stop you.”

The brand’s role in shaping culture and representation

Kate believes brands have an important role to play and one that should go hand in hand with the work that comes so naturally to many in the industry:

“I think brands are hugely important in shaping culture and representation. You know, brands pride themselves on understanding what makes people tick, of understanding what’s going on and then changing people’s behaviour as a result, to buy more stuff or do different things.

It does affect our culture, you know, who we see, what we see, the roles we think of people doing, how we pursue people. You know, we are bombarding people with messages about that all the time as brand marketers. So we can have such a positive influence on how people are seen, how people are viewed, how people are represented in our society at the same time as still meeting our business goals and our business objectives.

If you think back over the last 10, 20, 30, 40 years, the adverts you remember, the brands that you remember will be ones that have spoken to you emotionally, that have really understood what makes people tick. If you can do that at the same time as helping to build that more inclusive, more representative, more supportive, just nicer society, why wouldn’t you?“

Pulling it all together

Kate’s perspective is a strong reminder that inclusion isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress and we have to keep on pushing together in the right direction.

By embedding inclusion into everything we do, using our influence responsibly, and having the courage to start (even imperfectly), organisations can help shape a more inclusive and representative industry.

We’re back and this time it’s our fifth edition of Everyone Doing It Together, taking place on Tuesday 7th October at The Trampery, Old Street, London. Register your interest here to be the first to hear when tickets are available.