Bo'ness mum Gillian Higgin wins Diversity Hero of the Year Award

So she kept the news to herself for a few days...in case the judges had made a mistake!

However, she’s now delighted to share her win in the Herald & GenAnalytics Diversity Awards 2023.

Gillian was reticent after seeing the accolades of the other two shortlisted finalists, as she felt honoured to simply be in their company.

She couldn’t attend the awards ceremony as her youngest daughter, who is aged nine, has autism and complex needs.

On the night, a post on social media alerted her to the fact that she’d actually taken the title.

“I didn’t think I had a chance as the other two finalists seemed to have done so much,” she said. “My little girl was having a bad night – I couldn’t believe it when I saw my name coming up on Twitter!”

Gillian (58) is a specialist in neurodiversity coaching whose work with individuals and organisations, including the Royal Society of Chemistry, is leading to better support and understanding in the workplace for neurodiverse employees.

Of her selection, the judges said: “This award is presented to Gillian as she has a tireless commitment to working with individuals who are neurodiverse, with a particular focus on autism.

“She has learned from her own personal experiences and uses this knowledge to support people in the workplace and also employers to understand more about the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce.”

Having been diagnosed in 2020 as neurodiverse, with ADHD and dyspraxia, Gillian knows only too well the issues her clients face and is therefore the ideal person to help them.

And it’s her one-to-one work with clients from her home in Bo’ness that she particularly loves.

For many years, Gillian worked as a secondary school maths and computer science teacher in the south of England.

Battling sepsis in 2009 left her feeling so unwell she changed gear and started working with neurodiverse clients, specialising in autism.

Gillian knew that her brain had always worked differently but felt it might be related to her high IQ; she’s in the top one per cent in Mensa.

The family moved to Scotland in August 2021, to be closer to their eldest daughter and grandchildren in Edinburgh, and six months later set up home in Bo’ness.

It was around the same time Gillian, whose family originally come from Fife, was finally diagnosed – albeit it didn’t come as a huge surprise.

She said: “It was after lockdown that I decided to go to my GP as I’m usually quite a social person but I just didn’t want to leave the house.

“I was finally diagnosed at that point with ADHD and dyspraxia.

“I’ve always known that my brain worked differently – some of my clients joke that my brain works weirder than theirs! The diagnosis finally explained the reason why, as well as why I’ve always grown bored with jobs so quickly over the years.

“I now get a great deal of job satisfaction from helping to open doors for other people who are neurodivergent, while helping employers to understand more about the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce too.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​