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That’s how Davinder Jhuty, National Head of Service for Learning Disabilities, chose to begin our conversation. It set the tone: grounded, straightforward, and anchored in what years of practice have taught her.
Davinder first joined Turning Point in 2009, as a Senior Operations and Regional Manager, already a significant leadership role. Nearly a decade later, in 2018, she stepped into her current post as National Head of Service for Learning Disabilities. Today, Davinder leads a division of more than 2,000 colleagues across the Learning Disabilities division.
Her career has spanned corporate boardrooms and care services, and her leadership now stands at the intersection of business acumen, compassion, and representation. In a sector where few women of colour have reached this level, Davinder’s presence carries both professional weight and personal resonance for colleagues like me.
From corporate to care
When Davinder joined Turning Point, it was a very different world from where she had come from. She had built her early career in the pharmaceutical industry, an environment defined by resources, glamour, and a different rhythm of work. Moving into social care meant adjusting to a landscape where the focus was not simply on numbers or profit, but on people’s lives and wellbeing.
That shift wasn’t about replicating corporate practices, but about applying what she had learned to a sector where impact looked different. The challenge wasn’t in proving she could manage, instead proving she could lead in a way that fitted the ethos of Turning Point.
Sixteen years later, she has shaped the way services run, building credibility across colleagues and services through both accountability and care. She’s also frank about the learning curve: “I’ve learned a lot at Turning Point, actually, I’ve learned a lot, I’ve made mistakes, you know, we all do, in our journeys, but it’s about learning from those mistakes…” In time, that growth allowed her to name what she brings: “I am a good leader, I’m a strong leader, and I take people with me…”
For her, kindness and accountability are inseparable. A leader can be compassionate and still make tough calls, in fact, she believes the best leaders do both. That balance has been at the core of her growth.
Identity, purpose, and holding your space
We spoke about what it means to lead as two brown women in the same organisation at different stages of life and career. Day to day, Davinder’s starting point is purpose and role: “When I conduct myself in the organisation, I don’t think about the colour of my skin. What I think about is my role and actually what’s the purpose and what am I here to do?” That doesn’t mean identity is irrelevant, it means she refuses to let it limit her.
Her role as senior sponsor for the Ethnic Diverse Community network has widened that lens. During the pandemic, she listened as colleagues of colour framed vulnerability and risk differently. That listening reinforced the job of leadership: make sure people feel part of Turning Point- not succeeding in spite of it but supported by it. She also backed the network’s evolution to a more inclusive identity, so more colleagues could recognise themselves in it and feel welcome.
Midway through our conversation, she paused to reframe the piece itself: “I’m just wondering if this interview shouldn’t just be a spotlight for me. Maybe it’s a dialogue for us in terms of two women of colour in an organisation.” That felt exactly right.
Visibility isn’t abstract, it’s made real in conversations like this.
The importance of leadership
A recurring theme in our conversation was the power of good leadership, not just for organisations, but for individuals. Davinder credits much of her own development to the example set by Clare Taylor, her manager and Turning Point’s Chief Operating Officer. Having a leader who trusted her, supported her, and created space for her to grow was transformative.
Davinder has carried the principle into her own role. Coaching and mentoring are part of the job description she’s written for herself. “That’s part of my role now, isn’t it? It’s about coaching, mentoring, supporting other people, so that they can, if somebody comes to me and they have an ambition, do you know what, I will do everything that I can to support that person to achieve that ambition, because I think that’s very important.” The point isn’t having every answer, it is making sure ambitious colleagues aren’t walking alone.
Why visibility matters
For me personally, representation had already done its quiet work before we ever spoke. When I was applying for my current role at Turning Point, I searched the organisation and came across Davinder in a senior leadership position. Her presence, without us ever having met, made the organisation feel more open, more possible.
For Davinder, however, representation and visibility hasn’t always been straightforward. Early in her career, she was often the only brown woman in the room. She was aware of how her presence was perceived, but she chose not to dwell on being the “only one.” Instead, she focused on building credibility and delivering results. Over time, that became its own form of representation, not by tokenism, but by example.
Her approach reflects something important: representation isn’t only about being visible. As Davinder put it: “…as a woman of colour, as a brown woman, actually, I hold my space very confidently, and people respect me in that space. And that respect has to be earned.” For younger colleagues of colour, this distinction matters. Visibility without confidence can feel hollow, visibility with clarity and strength can shift what others believe is possible.
Knowing what you want
When I asked what she wants colleagues, especially people of colour early in their careers, to hear, Davinder didn’t hesitate. “I would probably say… know what you want.” Then: “If you know what you want… there’s always somebody in the organisation who’s going to be able to support you, and actually all you’ve got to do is find that person.”
Ambition, in her view, isn’t something to be hidden. It’s something to be named, pursued, and supported. Turning Point, she believes, is an organisation that can nurture that ambition, but only if people are willing to put their goals on the table.
She links this to LD’s approach: “Everything that we’re doing in learning disabilities is about giving our colleagues the opportunity to grow and develop and create different pathways for themselves… it’s all about putting our colleagues at the forefront of what we’re doing.” The organisational stance is equally plain: “We want talent. We absolutely want talent at Turning Point. That’s what will help us to grow and get stronger as an organisation.”
What I'm taking with me
The conversation left me with a reminder of why visibility matters. Davinder didn’t always have role models who looked like her. I do, and that makes a difference.
In her story, I heard echoes of my own ambition. In her confidence, I saw where ambition can lead. Representation isn’t only about being visible. It’s about how you carry yourself when you are visible.
Davinder owns her space with clarity and strength, and that reflects back as a possibility for the rest of us to do the same. For me, as a young brown woman early in my own leadership journey, our conversation was a reminder that there is space for each of us, and that we have every right to claim it with our work and our voice.
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About the Author: Tanvi Kapoor is Marketing Lead for Wakefield’s All-Age Substance Use Service at Turning Point and a member of the Ethnic Diverse Community Network. This conversation with Davinder Jhuty, the network’s Senior Sponsor, was held as part of the network’s ongoing commitment to visibility and representation within the organisation.
About the Network: The Ethnic Diverse Community Network (EDCN) is a network for employees, peer mentors, and volunteers who identify as Black, Asian or a Person of Colour. It provides a space to connect and share experiences. The network’s goals are to build a sense of belonging, support personal and professional growth, and promote diversity and inclusion across Turning Point.