Best Practice Awards Judges 2026
The Judges for the Working Families Best Practice Awards 2026 are:
Emma Banister – Professor of Consumption and Society and member of the Work and Equalities Institute at University of Manchester.
Emma is a qualitative researcher with interests in issues connected with the interface of work and home. Current projects explore the transition to parenthood, fathers’ and mothers’ lived experiences of Shared Parental Leave (SPL), the impact of fathers’ solo care on family work-care dynamics and the particular challenges faced by SMEs in offering support and family-friendly initiatives.
Her work has been published in a range of business and sociology outlets, and her video casebook exploring the lived experiences of parents’ use of SPL can be found on the Working Families website.
Paul Coulson – Chair of Trustees, Working Families
Paul is an employment law and employee relations consultant, providing pragmatic and achievement-oriented solutions for his clients. He has significant legal, employee relations, commercial and leadership experience in both private practice and industry. Paul is a passionate coach and mentor who enjoys unlocking potential and problem-solving which is focused on equity and inclusion.
Paul brings to Working Families his experiences of having been brought up in a single-parent household on a Council estate in the north of England and of becoming a single parent himself when his three children (now in their late teens and early twenties) were in primary education.
Una O’Reilly – Experienced Chief People and Culture Officer and Vice-Patron of Working Families
Una O’Reilly is an experienced Chief People and Culture Officer with over 25 years Human Resource experience gained from working across Hospitality, Property, Retail and Real Estate. Most recently Una was the Group Chief People, Culture and Sustainability Officer for Caprice Holdings, a luxury hospitality group which includes Caprice Holdings, The Ivy Collection, Bill’s and The Birley Membership Clubs. She was previously with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, from 2013-2022, as URW Group Director of Engagement and Director of HR UK/Italy. Prior to joining URW, Una held a variety of Human Resource leadership roles with responsibility for UK, Europe and Asia. Una holds a BSc Hons Technology Management, Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resources and Organisational Development and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personal Development.
Jane van Zyl – Chief Executive, Working Families
Jane joined Working Families as CEO in September 2018. She has 18 years’ experience working in the third sector and has held senior leadership positions at a number of UK charities, including Samaritans and Sands. She believes in the value of a fulfilling, balanced working life and its transformative power to create social connections, build self-esteem, and impact the wider community. She is a passionate advocate of equal opportunity for all.
She spent her childhood in the UK (Norfolk) and South Africa (Cape Town & Johannesburg). Jane holds a social science bachelor’s degree from the University of Cape Town in Industrial Sociology and Industrial Psychology.