Auriel Rawlings has led and advised on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion across multiple industry sectors. She currently serves as the Regional Inclusion Advisor for Middle East and North Africa for the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office within the UK Government. In this role, Auriel advises His Majesty King Charles III’s Government on Diversity & Inclusion for 19 countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa serving as a trusted advisor to senior leadership across the UK diplomatic missions developing strategies to enhance employee engagement, team dynamics, employee relations, and performance.

Prior to this, she was a ‘people champion’ as the Regional Head of Human Resource Services for the Middle East and Northern Africa where she oversaw employee relations, recruitment, policy and procedures. Her expertise allowed her to create an impact as the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Advisor for FedEx Express, covering 103 countries and territories and 40,000 team members across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

In this role, Auriel led FedEx’s diversity and inclusion strategy and created programming and initiatives to promote awareness of FedEx’s DEI efforts and also identified opportunity areas of focus. Her passion for DEI is illustrated in the work she has done both within the community as well as global organizations.

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Auriel earned her Master’s in Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations from the University of Tennessee. Auriel is an avid learner and recently, she completed certifications from Yale School of Management Executive Education Program and the University of South Florida in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She has also successfully completed Harvard Business School’s Corporate Training for Change Management. Auriel is a member of the American Business Council, The International Aviation Women’s Association (IAWA), and The International Alliance for Women (TIAW).

Auriel has been honoured as a Woman Worth Watching in Leadership by Profiles in Diversity Journal Publication and she is also a proud recipient of the FedEx Five Star Award, the most prestigious and highest honour in FedEx. She has also received the World of Difference Award from the International Alliance of Women for her contributions to the economic empowerment of women. Auriel has been published as the Guest Editor for Profile Magazine discussing the future of work and importance of workplace culture.
Auriel’s expertise has been sought on several global platforms where she has advised organisations and spoken on diversity, equity and inclusion at the World Expo 2020, The United States Department of State, United Nations Women’s Organization, IDC Middle East Technology Summit, HSBC, McDonald’s, Sodexo, Adidas, and United States Chambers of Commerce to name a few.
As a loving wife and mother of two energetic boys, she enjoys cooking and traveling with her family as well as serving as a mentor and empowering women around the world.