Clifford Chance has appointed Tiernan Brady as its first Global Head of Inclusion. Tiernan brings extensive experience in developing effective equalities strategies, having been integral to the successful campaigns for equal marriage rights in Ireland and Australia. His role at Clifford Chance will focus on tackling the full spectrum of inclusion and diversity issues and, in the U.S., involves advancing the important work of our active diversity subcommittees supporting women, veterans and the LGBT+, Black and Latino and Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
Tiernan was formerly Executive Director of the Equality Campaign where he designed and led the campaign strategy for the successful vote in favour of marriage equality in Australia which passed in November 2017. This followed his role as a Political Director for Yes Equality, the main campaign vehicle for the same vote in Ireland which passed in 2015. Ireland and Australia remain the only two countries in the world to have introduced marriage equality by a public vote.
Tiernan's other roles have included building cross-party political support in Ireland to successfully deliver civil partnerships and supporting HIV prevention, as part of Ireland's leading LGBT+ network, GLEN. He has also held political roles, including as Mayor of his birth town in County Donegal and was the director of election campaigns for Ireland's then Deputy Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Irish Parliament.
Supporting inclusion and diversity has long been part of Clifford Chance's values and strategy. In addition to training, mentoring, reverse mentoring and role model programs, the firm has well-supported networks for gender balance, LGBT+ and ethnic minority groups in many of its offices.