Charlene Brown

Charlene Brown is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Howlett Brown and has over 15 years of investigations, legal, culture, dispute resolution, diversity, equity, equality and inclusion (DEEI) and financial services experience. Charlene provides strategic employment law advice on a range of contentious and non-contentious employment matters including investigations, bullying, harassment and discrimination, whistleblowing, microaggressions, wellbeing, culture, diversity and inclusion, data breaches, breach of confidentiality, pay reporting and training. Charlene is also a trained mediator.  

Charlene has extensive investigations experience which includes conducting and advising on global and multi- jurisdictional complex, large, small and cross border investigations, across a broad range of industries, focussing on issues such as grievances, whistleblowing complaints, misogyny, racism, sexual harassment, harassment, retaliation, bullying, abuse of power, microaggressions, safeguarding, discrimination, misconduct, unethical practices, control failings, data breaches, compliance breaches (such as issues involving certified staff and senior managers), misuse of company assets and modern slavery. Charlene is trained in mental health first aid and skilled at conducting trauma informed interviewing. 

Charlene’s experience includes privacy law and she counsels on best practice for corporate diversity initiatives, diversity networks, and start-ups. Charlene’s experience helping clients improve their workplace culture is a significant part of her work at Howlett Brown. Charlene delivers training to people of all levels across organisations on matters pertaining to investigations, DEEI, behaviour/people trends, race and ethnicity, intersectionality, and other protected characteristics in the workplace. 

Through advising and supporting clients Charlene helps organisations to understand the root cause of people related issues and, using her expertise and experience, helps organisations make changes and improvements where it really matters to resolve issues before escalation and assists with strategies which mitigate risk and reputational damage when issues have escalated, become litigious and/or are in the public domain. 

Charlene is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and contributed to the McGregor-Smith Review and the Ethnicity Pay Gap consultation. Charlene was appointed Chair of the Ivors Academy Ethics Committee in 2020. The Committee advises the Academy on ethics related issues and has set up and retains oversight of the ethical framework for the Academy’s activities including their awards and membership. The Committee was set up to help the Academy achieve its goal to become as diverse and inclusive as possible. 

In 2016, Charlene was named the Black British Business Awards Financial Services Rising Star and in 2017 Charlene was named the Legal Diversity Rising Star. In 2017 she was also recognised as a Future Leader by EMpower and the Financial Times (ranked no. 2 out of 30). For 2021 and 2022, Charlene was named in the top 20 Diversity Professionals in Industry,  in  the  Global  Diversity  List  which  celebrates excellence in diversity and inclusion. In 2022 Charlene was named winner of Women Led Business of the Year by the British Business Awards. Charlene enjoys music, songwriting and travelling.