These speakers provide fresh perspectives, encouraging teams to embrace cultural understanding and inclusivity, which boosts employee morale, productivity, and overall workplace harmony.
At Great Business Speakers, we specialise in finding the ideal EDI speaker for your event— whether virtual or in-person. Our curated roster of diverse talents includes professionals who address timely and impactful topics like systemic bias, allyship, and the importance of celebrating diversity in the workplace.
For notable occasions such as Black History Month, an EDI speaker can emphasise the significance of African American contributions, discuss historical and ongoing challenges, and inspire ongoing efforts toward equity and inclusion. With our support, your event can create a lasting impact by educating and empowering your audience to build a more inclusive future.
Discover our EDI Speakers below, or contact the team at Great Business Speakers to enquire or book. +44 1753 439 289
Alexandra Forsyth is a Creative and Technology Founder, TEDx speaker, British Podcast Awards Judge, and host of the transatlantic podcast Take a Chance On You.
Blending lived experience with strategic insight, Alexandra developed the H.U.M.A.N. ROI Matrix, a human performance framework designed to help organisation’s identify hidden friction points. Her work sits at the intersection of human-centered leadership and the future of work, particularly as organisations navigate AI transformation, rapid growth, and evolving workplace cultures.
Beckie Taylor is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and creator of The Sound Barrier documentary. After building and exiting the award-winning technology business Tech Returners, she now helps organisations unlock the human advantage in the age of AI.
Through powerful storytelling, business experience, and practical insight, Beckie speaks on AI and the future of work, leadership, confidence, workplace culture, and finding your voice. She challenges organisations to look beyond technology, showing why trust, human connection, and confident leadership will define the most successful businesses of the future.
Recognised as one of the UK’s Most Influential People in Technology, Beckie delivers inspiring, thought-provoking keynotes that leave audiences ready to lead with confidence in a rapidly changing world.
Afua Hagan is a journalist, broadcaster, TV and radio presenter, TEDx speaker, event host, moderator, and royal commentator. Opinionated, charismatic, and thought-provoking, Afua is one of Britain’s leading voices on inclusion, diversity, and social mobility.
A familiar face across British and international media, Afua regularly appears on ITV’s This Morning and Good Morning Britain, Channel 5’s Vanessa, on the BBC, Sky News, NBC, CNN, CTV News, News Central Africa, and LBC. She has also presented for TalkTv, appearing on The Talk and hosting The Royal Tea, and is widely recognised as an authoritative commentator on the British Royal Family.
Afua has delivered keynote speeches, moderated panels and hosted events for organisations including Retail Week, the NHS, HSBC, Compare the Market, Inmarsat and Cambridgeshire Police, earning a reputation for combining insight, authenticity and humour with compelling storytelling.
Recognised for her contributions to broadcasting, Afua has received honours from the Black Women in Business Awards and the Women4Africa Awards.
“My journey as a ceramic artist and writer, and my work on television and stage converge here: to show how to leave what’s familiar and step into what’s possible.”
Jez Rose is a bestselling writer, ceramic artist, presenter, and top 10 keynote speaker leading a global movement for reinvention.
Most of us don’t need more change. But we do need the tools to meet it. That’s why Jez created RESET, a framework, philosophy, and global movement for when the old story stops serving us and when questions start to rise.
Jo Salter MBE BEng (Hons), MBA, DA is a pioneering leader whose career spans aviation, business, and transformative leadership.
She is best known as Britain’s first female fast jet pilot; her journey from the cockpit of a Tornado GR1 to global boardrooms has inspired generations. Her story is one of inclusion, resilience, and navigating change. Today, she shares that lived experience with audiences around the world as a highly sought-after advisor, coach, and speaker.
Since leaving the RAF, Jo Salter has built a varied business career, holding multiple senior leadership roles at PwC, including Director of Global Transformative Leadership, and Global Advisory Lead for GenAI. She also played a key role in PwC Australia’s 2023 transformation response. Her work has influenced the way many businesses approach leadership, innovation, risk, and the human side of transformation.
In 2002, Jo Salter set up her own consultancy – Saltin Ltd – delivering high-performance coaching, thought leadership, and programme management. A former Lecturer at the Open University Business School, Jo is as comfortable in a boardroom as she is on stage.
Dr Angela Sharma is a passionate advocate for empowering women and their supporters with the information necessary to navigate menopause successfully.
With over 23 years of experience as a GP, accreditation as a Menopause Specialist by the BMS, and the establishment of her private online menopause clinic, Spiced Pear Health, Dr Angela is exceptionally well-equipped for this task.
Mary Portas is one of the most influential voices shaping the future of retail, branding, and customer experience. Known for her bold thinking, deep commercial insight, and passion for transforming businesses, Mary Portas is a highly sought-after keynote speaker for conferences, leadership events, and corporate gatherings worldwide.
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With more than three decades of experience advising global brands and helping organisations navigate changing consumer behaviour, Mary delivers keynote presentations that challenge audiences to rethink how businesses operate in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
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As a broadcaster, bestselling author, and founder of the consultancy Portas Agency, she combines strategic business insight with an inspiring belief that companies must reconnect with customers, communities, and purpose.
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Event organisers looking to book Mary Portas as a keynote speaker can expect a presentation that is energetic, thought-provoking, and packed with practical insights for modern organisations.
Gifty Enright is a globally recognised author, coach, and keynote speaker on workplace wellbeing, inclusive cultures, next-gen leadership, and addressing the real challenges of modern organisations.
With over 30 years of corporate experience, Gifty has spoken for multination’s such as Citibank, government organisations including The Home Office, and prestigious institutions like Oxford University.
She is a regular TV and newspaper contributor, and is the author of Octopus on a Treadmill.
Gifty blends Eastern philosophy, Western science, and African wisdom to deliver talks that inspire transformation, an equip leaders and teams with strategies for inclusivity, resilience, and sustainable performance.
Laura Greenwood is a multi-award-winning psychotherapist, founder of Laura Greenwood Therapy, clinical lead, passionate speaker specialising in parental emotional wellbeing, and fierce advocate for mental and emotional wellbeing in parenthood.
With over 18 years of clinical experience and her own powerful personal journey, Laura brings both professional expertise and heartfelt authenticity to every stage she steps on. If you’re looking for a speaker who brings depth, empowerment, and genuine transformation to your event, Laura is the one to watch.
Tim Harford is a data detective, writer, and ‘geek storyteller’.
A BBC presenter, behavioural economist, and award-winning Financial Times columnist, Tim offers a distinctive blend of humour, intelligence, and narrative He has published a range of bestselling books, including The Undercover Economist, which has sold nearly two million copies, and the Sunday Times number one business book How to Make the World Add Up. He has several BBC radio series, including More or Less, Things That Made the Modern Economy, and How to Vaccinate the World.
He is an honorary fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and in 2019 he was awarded an OBE “for services to improving economic understanding”.
He is a highly sought-after business speaker and has presented for companies including Google and PopTech, as well as three times for TED which have been viewed more than 10 million times.
Fearless, frank, funny, and friendly, Beverley Turner is a GB News presenter with more than 20 years’ experience in broadcast journalism.
She has also worked for ITV, BBC Radio 5, and TBC Radio.
She currently co-hosts Britain’s Newsroom, the UK’s most popular and fastest growing mid-morning TV news show, covering major stories and interviewing politicians and members of the British public.
She is a Patron for the Family Planning Association (FPA).
Whether booked as a women’s health speaker or a recognisable host, Beverley Turner is entertaining and truly insightful. Her ability to engage an audience leaves a lasting impression, positively influencing ever area of their lives.
Bernie Collins is a renowned Formula 1 strategy analyst and former Head of Race Strategy at Aston Martin. During her career, she has held senior strategy and performance engineering roles, playing a central role in the teams she has worked for.
With a career that has taken her from elite motorsport to broadcasting, Bernie is a testament to what one can achieve with resilience and dedication.
She was one selected as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 Young Rising Stars of Manufacturing for the Make It In Great Britain campaign, and was also named in The Manufacturer’s Top 100 UK Role Models list.
Lorraine Wright MBE is a multi-hyphenate leader; a British-Ghanian entrepreneur, Oxford Executive MBA Graduate, and strategic advisor, with over 15 years of experience in education, tech, real estate, and social impact. Blending corporate strategy with cultural fluency, Lorraine helps professionals and organisations to turn their bold ideas into tangible results, delivering talks that are powerful, practical, and punchy.
She is currently the Head of Patronships at Amicable Divorce, leading the strategy to scale across the UK’s leading separation and divorce support service. Lorraine works at the intersection of business strategy, societal impact, and workplace wellbeing, partnering with corporate, professional networks, and wellbeing platforms to embed Amicable as a workplace benefit and community resource.
Lorraine was recently named as a Top 25 Black Entrepreneur to watch by HSBC and the UK Black Business Show, and was named an MBE in 2022.
Lovelda Vincenzi is a renowned moderator, host, emcee, and speaker, who has been trusted to introduce and facilitate conversations with the likes of Monika Lewinski and Nico Rosberg.
Organising an event can be stressful and overwhelming, especially when you have many speakers to cater to and a diverse audience to keep in mind. Integrating the audience in a seamless why, while bridging the mixed perspectives of every panellist is the key to a successful event. With over a decade of experience, Lovelda makes sure your event is a success from start to finish, meeting the goals and objectives of the event.
John Vary is one of the world’s leading visionaries in futurology and innovation. With a career spanning over 20 years, John has redefined how organisations imagine and create the future. From working as an Innovation Architect at Burberry and a Futurologist for the John Lewis Partnership, John has consistently driven transformational change at the intersection of creativity, human potential, and technology. His expertise spans human and machine collaboration, neurodiversity in innovation, and unlocking potential at the intersection of technology and humanity.
He is now a highly sought-after keynote speaker, and was ranked among the top 10 most sought-after futurist speakers of 2025. He has delivered keynotes on TED, SXSW, and WIRED, captivating live and virtual audiences with his ability to spark curiosity, provoke thought, and inspire meaningful action.
Uche Ezichi is an executive coach, management consultant, author, and keynote speaker, with over 20 years of experience working with multinational companies and leading business schools.
He is certified by the ICF and Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching, making him a trusted consultant and coach. He specialises in coaching senior leaders and their teams, as well as consulting on organisational health.
Partnering with individuals and teams, he delivers cutting-edge leadership development programs, focussing on top team development, resilience building, mental health and wellbeing, and career/leadership transitions.
Ellis Watson is a business leader, turnaround expert, and thought-provoking speaker who has worked for the likes of the Mirror Group and Syco. Throughout his career, he has overhauled, revitalised, rebranded, and expanded global businesses, spanning industries from entertainment to transport.
His business career really took off when he was Managing Director of The Sun at the peak of its popularity. He would later become the first Head of Digital for media mogul Rupert Murdoch. He then became the CEO of TV producer Celador International, successfully taking the quiz show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire to over 100 countries.
He is now a highly sought-after business speaker, bringing his original insight, honesty, enthusiasm, and humour, challenging and motivating audiences with a candour that is rare among senior leaders.
Steph McGovern is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, best known for presenting economic programmes and her own lunchtime programme, Steph’s Packed Lunch (2020-23).
Working in financial journalism for over 15 years – with eight years at BBC Breakfast – Steph has reported from all over the UK covering economic news, as well as broadcasting live from over 500 businesses.
Steph is openly gay and has used her platform – which includes over 500,000 social media followers – to increase diversity and acceptance in high-profile industries such as hers.
Sacha Romanovitch OBE made history as the first female CEO of a major accounting firm in the UK when she took the helm at Grant Thornton UK, running a £500m business with over 5,000 employees.
Known for her leadership and radical thinking, her tenure was marked by efforts to transform the firm into a modern business characterises by personal development, responsibility, collaboration, and diversity.
She is a highly sought-after business speaker; drawing on her extensive career, she examines how companies can be robust, sustainable, and future ready while exploring leadership development, strategy implementation, and how businesses can positively impact wider society.
The Rt Hon Lord Andrew Parker has served in two of the most sensitive, respected, and complex leadership roles in British Public Life: MI5, and the Royal Household.
A 30+ year career at MI5 saw him rise up the ranks, which included him working as their Counter Terrorism Director, before being named Deputy Director General, and then Director General for seven years. His time in charge was marked by a focus on operational excellence, modernizing MI5’s working methods, and developing closer domestic and international relationships. After this, he was appointed Lord Chamberlain, non-executive Chair, and de facto head of The Royal Household.
In 2019, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath; appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order upon appointment as Lord Chamberlain; and was made a member of the Privy Council.
Alex Mahon was the first female CEO of Channel 4, a job she took on in 2017 until April 2025.
As CEO, she has revolutionised the company into a digital-first public media entity, with a focus on diversity, equitable representation, and creativity.
Her career journey is diverse, ranging from working in science to working as a kitchen porter, before moving into TV production. She has worked at Talkback Thames and Fremantle Media, and has headed production on TV programmes including Masterchef, The Biggest Loser, One Born Every Minute, and Broadchurch.
She is also the co-founder of We Are TV, an AR-gaming app for social play, as well as sitting as the CEO, Non-Executive Director, and Deputy Chairperson for Foundry, an innovative visual effects software company.
Alex Mahon is a highly sought-after business speaker, with insights into leadership, innovation, growth, change management, authenticity, crisis management, and Gen Z.
Binod Shankar is not your average keynote speaker. Binod’s keynotes are sharp, practical, and packed with hard truth your audience needs to hear.
He mixes his real-world experience with his non-nonsense advice and a dash of humour and adventure. Whether he’s tackling career pivots, leadership, or personal growth, Binod delivers insights that sick and push people to act.
He has held leadership roles at EU, KPMG, and Nakheel, where he helped raise the world’s largest convertible Islamic bond. Later, he founded Genesis, a financial training firm that he sold on to Kaplan, a $2 billion global powerhouse.
He is also a chartered accountant, a CFA charter holder, and holds a level 7 coaching and mentoring qualification from ILM; he is the author of bestselling book Let’s Get Real, and is a regular guest on CNBC and Bloomberg.
Binod doesn’t just give talks – he provokes, he challenges, he moves people to action. A former CEO and finance expert, he distils hard-won leadership and business insights into unforgettable messages that audiences will carry with them long after the applause has died down.
Toni Kent is a visionary voice in social mobility and social equity. A powerhouse, Toni doesn’t just talk about social mobility, she defines the conversation.
She is the founder of The Common Good Network, building a platform connecting service users, providers, corporate partners, and supports to dismantle barriers and drive meaningful change towards greater social equity.
With decades of experience feeding into her journey, Toni offers sharp, unique insights into one of the most misunderstood areas of modern society. Her ability to blend lived experience with deep expertise makes her an unforgettable presence on stage, challenging her audiences to rethink what inclusion, equity, and opportunity really mean.
Kim Murray is a Mental Health and Wellbeing Coach and founder of Happy Heads.
She is a also a meditation teacher and an Emotional Freedom Technique (Tapping) Practitioner – two incredibly powerful techniques used to help transform your mind and calm your nervous system.
Happy Heads combines a wealth of personal and professional experience to create tailored talks that support everyone’s unique brain – helping people to reduce anxiety, prevent burnout, increase confidence, nurture their inner child, improve focus, overcome limiting beliefs, improve sleep, reduce stress, process grief and so much more.
