In 1998, Michelle was the first black woman to successfully join the prison service graduate scheme, where she set up mentoring for black men in prison from black businessmen in the local community. She initially was approached by Sodexo to work at HMP Peterborough, the only dual gender prison in the UK, where she pioneered a gender inclusive service and received recognition for leadership and diversity. She sits on the Sodexo Origins network that represents people from diverse backgrounds, and broadcasted a podcast to inspire others within the business to be inclusive. Michelle has also set up an executive sponsorship scheme for female talent and a recruitment initiative to tackle unconscious bias. Externally, Michelle has worked with young ethnic minority people serving community sentences, focusing on role modelling and making them see how unique they are, and continues to mentor young black men.