Jina is a consultant and speaker on diversity, inclusion, culture, and belonging. She creates training programs and workshops to help clients move forward in their D&I journey. She is a storyteller and speaks candidly about her experiences, hard lessons, and ‘aha’ moments that helped her understand the importance of individuality, the value of curiosity, and the courage it takes to “just” be yourself. Often described as “approachable” and “relatable” by her clients, she works with purpose and the intention of being engaging, practical, and immediately applicable to real-world situations. Jina draws from her unique background and mix of work experiences to offer examples and share insights designed to benefit everyone across the workplace ecosystem – executives, management, employees, and customers.

Previously, she was Principal Consultant at EtiennePartners (EP), a boutique consulting firm that offered a unique strategy development, workshops & coaching to leaders, executives and entrepreneurs. Co-founded with her husband, EP was a full-time partnership in both work and life. Although in different professions, their work often intersected around the importance of self-awareness in leadership and navigating conflict within teams. Combining their experiences, backgrounds, and work led to the development of their unique approach to D&I, which she continues to use in her practice today.

   

Riikka Salonen, Managing Director of Health Equity at BCT Partners, is a seasoned professional with nearly three decades of dedicated experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, access, and intercultural awareness. Ms. Salonen's work focuses on fostering inclusive work environments, advancing health equity, and developing global DEI solutions.

She leads a team of 30 professionals committed to serving her largest client: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. They promote the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care and manage the Think Cultural Health program, which has provided educational programs to over a million healthcare professionals, enhancing cultural competence in healthcare settings. She works with various health systems nationwide to improve their health equity efforts. She also leads BCT Partners' globalization efforts and the Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Benchmarks product line. Ms. Salonen is one of the 112 global expert panelists who developed the Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Benchmarks.

Her contributions to the field have earned her numerous accolades, including being named a Top 21 DEI Influencer by HonestCulture Inc. and receiving awards for her commitment to inclusive hiring practices from organizations like the Diversity Employment Network.

Ms. Salonen completed a graduate degree in intercultural communication and intercultural relations at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, the first of its kind in Europe.