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
Susannah Schofield is the founder and CEO of Dice Matrix Consulting, the group who owns Sports DMM and Pitch DMM. She also owns the magazine title ‘Key Women in Business’ (KWIB.co.uk) and is the Editor-in-Chief with a readership of 120,000.
Dice Matrix Consulting is a Research and Insight business, looking at either specific clients or sector and industry insights to help business develop and understand what customers and employees need.
Measuring the perception gap and identifying strengths and opportunities whilst monitoring efficiency savings. This has been running successfully since she created the business model in 2013 as part of her published book, Mind the Gap – creating a successful business strategy.
The Group moved quickly into the Sports world to help Professional clubs and Sports groups to understand how to drive Marginal Gain to reach excellence. The Group also owns the PitchDMM App which is an App to give football fans a voice and be heard.
Many organisations underperform because their people are getting in their own way! This is often exemplified when finger-pointing and making excuses start to become the norm within your teams. Is it time to shift the mindsets of your people, in order to create a culture of resilience, high performance and inclusion within your organisation?
Winston Ben Clements is an in-demand diversity and inclusion consultant specialising in anti-racism, disability awareness and unconscious bias. He is passionate about supporting the world’s leading organisations to deliver cultural change that is truly inclusive.
Winston Ben Clements wants to create a world that is truly inclusive for all in it. His ultimate mission is to inspire 1 billion people to unleash their full potential regardless of circumstance.
Steven Bartlett is an entrepreneur, investor and multiple bestselling author who launched his first business from his bedroom and was a millionaire by the age of 23.
Steven’s journey to success is somewhat unconventional, being expelled from secondary school and dropping out of university after just one lecture.
In 2014 Steven co-founded Social Chain a social media marketing company with Dominic McGregor. After five years the company was publicly listed at $186million and in 2020 reached a market valuation of more than $600million.
Steven Bartlett is perhaps most well known for his part on the BBC investment programme Dragons’ Den, which he joined in 2022 as the show’s youngest ever Dragon, aged just 28.
Yewande Akinola is an award-winning engineer and innovator, consultant, and social entrepreneur with a passion for the role of innovation, creativity, engineering, and technology in our world today.
She brings a unique and thought-provoking perspective to conversations on engineering, technology, social impact, sustainability, innovation, and diversity and inclusion.
She is able to weave her experience from working on a wide range of global infrastructure and building projects into lively and engaging sessions with varied audiences. Yewande draws on a problem- solving mind set to bring meaningful contributions to relevant subjects. Yewande adopts a conversational method in the communication of big ideas and engages her audience with powerful stories.
She has presented TV programmes and hosted events and conferences with groups ranging from creatives, media celebrities, engineers to politicians.
Stef Sword-Williams is a TEDx speaker, author and founder of F*ck Being Humble – an empowering movement and consultancy dedicated to inspiring individuals to embrace their achievements unapologetically and conquer the fear of self-promotion.
Recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in Europe, Stef’s impactful talks have reached audiences in over 50 countries and have been sought after by global brands including Apple, Unilever, Google, Nike, Adidas, Microsoft, and the BBC.
Stef’s TEDx Talk on why the world needs to shed its humility has further solidified her position as a thought leader in self-empowerment and personal branding.
Named among the Top 50 Workplace Leaders in the UK, Stef Sword-Williams has cultivated a loyal online following of over 170,000. Stef’s work has been featured in Vogue, BBC World News, the Financial Times, and Forbes.
Sophie Williams is a bestselling author, businesswoman working in marketing and advertising, and proud anti-racism advocate.
She first came to global prominence in June 2020 when the singer Justin Bieber shared her work during the Black Lives Matter wave following George Floyd’s death.
As of September 2022, she has published two books; her debut, Anti-Racist Ally (2020), was a small book introducing allyship in the workplace and the wider community. This was followed up in 2021 with Millennial Black, a women’s business book created for black women, after Sophie realised that most business books were aimed at supporting white women.
Sophie is a top-rated keynote speaker, inspiring audiences on diversity, inclusion, equality, racism, the race pay gap and allyship.
Mark Maciver – otherwise known as SliderCuts – has been a barber and hair stylist since 2003. In that time, he has built up an impressive client list, including Stormzy and Tinie Tempah.
With a social media following of over 220,000 across platforms, Mark has built up an impressive platform where he documents his styling. His many years in the industry, plus his extensive knowledge of the business, make him a trusted figure in the community.
His skills have won him a Black British Business Award in 2018 and a nomination for an Evening Standard Business Award in 2019. He is often praised as one of the UK’s top black business owners.
Anting to use his expertise and success to help others, he has been involved in far-reaching campaigns such as Nike’s “Nothing Beats a Londoner” campaign and Facebook’s 2018/9 “Let’s Get to Work” campaign. He also provides training and workshops in the workplace.
“A game-changing speaker everyone will remember forever” – Pierre-Olivier Landry, Head of HR, Ceva Logistics
Mark Denton is a keynote speaker on ‘Collective Performance’ – how leaders earn belief and teams align and execute as one. He speaks at the intersection of leadership, teams, and change, where collective performance is either strengthened or fractured under pressure.
A podium-winning round-the-world skipper, Mark led 17 amateur sailors – 70% complete novices – across 32,000 miles of extreme weather, conflict, and relentless challenges. He had zero command authority, could not hire, fire, or coerce anyone. Commitment had to be earned, and what emerged was a unified, high-performing crew that defied expectations and reached the podium.
The experience forged a powerful truth: Collective performance happens when leaders earn belief, ownership is shared and execution becomes collective.
Mark Clemmit is a seasoned TV and radio presenter and event host, with 20 years experience.
He has appeared on BBC’s Match of the Day, Football Focus and Final Score, as well as Radio 5 Live, where he is one of the station’s longest-standing voices.
Mark’s areas of expertise also include property and consumer issues; presenting the BBC One How Safe Is Your House, reporting for The One Show and writing as a columnist for The Times.
Mark is also an experienced awards presenter, conference facilitator and event host, including work on a broad range of topics from diversity and equality to innovation and leadership.
Mandy Hickson stands as a beacon of determination and excellence in aviation, having carved a path where few women had ventured before. As the second female pilot to fly the Tornado GR4 on the front line with the Royal Air Force (RAF), her journey is both inspiring and instructive for audiences across the UK.
She was awarded an RAF flying scholarship aged just 17 but initially failed the computer-based tests taken by all RAF pilots. Undeterred, her self-belief and determination persuaded the RAF to take her on a test case, thereby overcoming insurmountable hurdles.
Since hanging up her flying goggles in 2019, she now shares her experiences of working within an elite team with audiences of all sizes, including her online following of over 24,000. Her keynote speeches often cover risk taking, decision making under pressure, and the critical role of the human in the system.
In today’s high-pressure business world, companies can often struggle to maintain resilience, teamwork, and peak performance; they can struggle with decision-making in times of uncertainty, while teams can break down due to bad communication and distrust.
Mandy Hickson brings unmatched expertise from one of the most critical environments imaginable—the cockpit of a fast jet. Her insights are particularly valuable to corporate audiences, where parallels between the cockpit and the boardroom offer fresh perspectives on leadership and crisis management.
Sophie Morgan has been paralysed from the chest down since the age of eighteen when she was injured in a car crash.
After leaving the hospital and adapting to life as a wheelchair user, she joined the Fine Arts Degree at Goldsmiths Art College, London. During her degree, a second career opportunity arose, as she was asked to participate in a groundbreaking expedition across Nicaragua (‘Beyond Boundaries BBC 2004) and since then Sophie has gone on to establish a diverse and successful portfolio career; spanning across various creative industries.
Sophie is a regular columnist for Conde Nast Traveller and co-founder of the Rights On Flights Campaign.
Sophie Cornish MBE is a multi-award winning entrepreneur, best selling author and expert in fast-growth businesses in fashion, e-commerce and the media.
In 2006 she co-founded online marketplace notonthehighstreet.com. Now one of the UK’s leading digital brands (and acquired by US firm Great Hill Partners in 2021), notonthehighstreet.com supports thousands of creative small businesses and connects them with millions of customers. From this came Sophie’s two bestselling, co-authored books: Build A Business From Your Kitchen Table (2012) and Shape Up Your Business, (2014).
Sophie Cornish was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s 2013 Birthday Honours for services to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Currently, Sophie’s most active role is as Chairman of Busby & Fox, a fashion retail brand that gives women the tools and confidence to identify, build and love their look. Its service-focused approach is in seven flourishing UK stores and its fast-growing digital presence.
Sohail is an award-winning news anchor and correspondent at Al Jazeera.
Since joining the network in 2005 his work as a correspondent in Asia has won many commendations, including international awards and an Emmy nomination for his coverage of ‘Nepal In Ruins’.
Sir Trevor Phillips is an award-winning broadcaster, writer and former politician, currently a non-executive director of Mind Gym.
He was awarded an OBE for services to television in 1999, followed by a Knighthood in 2022 for his services to equality and human rights. He was also awarded the French order of the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur in 2006 for his work on integration and community cohesion.
He has been involved in some of the most talked-about programmes on television, including Has Political Correctness Gone Mad? (2017) and Things We Won’t Say About Race That Are True (2015). He also regularly writes for the UK’s biggest newspapers, including The Times, The Daily Mail, The Sun and The Sunday Times, and has written about race, diversity, politics, mental illness and grief – Trevor lost his daughter in 2021 aged 36 from anorexia.
He is also a regular panellist for Sky’s The Pledge (2016-), its flagship debate show as well as appearing on political programmes including Question Time (1980-) and Radio 4’s Today programme.
Maggie Alphonsi is arguably one of the most popular and well-known faces of international women’s rugby and women’s team sports in general. Before announcing her international retirement in 2014, she represented her country an impressive 74 times, scored 29 tries, won a World Cup and helped England win a record-breaking seven consecutive Six Nations crowns.
Maggie Alphonsi is also a household name in the media, commentating on live rugby matches and featuring in a range of media outlets including Stella magazine and The Telegraph newspaper, as well as Children in Need, The Wright Stuff, Good Morning Britain, and A Question of Sport.
Establishing a reputation as a successful woman in a male-dominated sport is no easy feat, and combined with racial discrimination, gave Maggie the toughest of challenges to face. When booked as a speaker, her extensive anecdotes provide inspiration in the world of elite sports, leadership, pressure management and diversity.
Tech pioneer and endurance runner, Simon Wheatcroft, refuses to let blindness hold him back. Whether he is competing in ultra-marathons, climbing mountains or going about his day to day life, he combines the use of technology and his fundamental belief and trust in his own abilities and body to overcome what many would consider insurmountable barriers and achieve his goals.
Simon’s unique blend of ferocious drive, along with his background in technology and psychology, enables him to push the boundaries of possibility and challenge the audience to explore what they can achieve.
Sian Gabbidon is a renowned British businesswoman, motivational speaker, business consultant, and the first black female winner of BBC’s The Apprentice, following her series 14 success.
She started her business, Sian Marie, from her bedroom and built it into a global brand with seven-figure retail partnerships, demonstrating her ability to turn a vision into a thriving business. She also co-founded Twenty Twenty Digital, one of the UK’s fastest growing e-commerce agencies.
She now shares her story as an in-demand speaker and presenter on all aspects of business stat-ups to a wide range of audiences. Sian is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners, sharing her journey and expertise to help others achieve their business goals.
Shola Kaye is a communication, inclusive leadership and empathy at work expert, author, and award-winning diversity speaker on a mission to create happy, engaged and productive workplaces. She also speaks about emotional audacity, empathy, emotional intelligence, belonging with boldness and heart, brave communication, and bold action.
In today’s tech-enabled workplaces, she focusses on the human element, helping organisations prepare for the future by putting people first and sometimes, doing and saying things that others are afraid to. This is known as: EMOTIONAL AUDACITY™.
EMOTIONAL AUDACITY™ = Empathy + Brave Communication + Bold Action.
When workplaces are bold and inclusive, people thrive, teams soar, and lasting change happens. Shola is a LinkedIn Learning instructor, and her clients include The United Nations and Deloitte. Her work has been featured in a range of industry journals.
Shola’s keynotes are frequently described as engagingly practical, easily implementable and inspiring. She shares moving stories, accessible case studies and actionable insights gained from working with international corporations across a wide range of industries, and sessions may be modified for leaders or for broader audiences.
Female Broadcast Journalist Shiulie Ghosh is an award-winning journalist with a career spanning more than 20 years.
She has worked for some of the best known television news broadcasters in the world, including the BBC, ITV News, Aljazeera and TRT World.
Shiulie is an experienced host and moderator who has worked with high-profile clients and industry leaders around the globe.
Shaun Wallace is best known for being The Dark Destroyer on the TV quiz show The Chase (2009-). His TV quizzing started in 2004 when he appeared on Mastermind, and since then he has appeared on a number of high-profile shows including Countdown (2019), Catchphrase (2019), and The Weakest Link (2001).
Alongside his quizzing, Shaun is a barrister at Great James Street Chambers, having been called to the Bar in 1984. He has taken part in hearings at the Old Bailey, and at several magistrates’ courts in England, Wales, and Scotland. He is also a member of the South Eastern Criminal Bar Association. Owing to his heritage, he has been a member of the Jamaican Bar since 1999.
Alongside his TV exploits, he is an active keynote speaker, especially in the area of social enterprise and education aimed at inspiring young disadvantaged audiences to fulfil their dreams. He is often hired to speak at Black History Month events where he offers up his own experience with racism.
Shaun Flores is a mental health advocate, four-time TEDx speaker, author, and consultant.
With over 40,000 followers across social media platforms, Shaun is an influencer who uses his creativity to inspire and educate his followers on topics of inclusion, masculinity, identity, and mental health.
Diagnosed with OCD aged 27, he discovered that only 89p per person is spent researching OCD, even though 1 in 100 people have the condition. He works with charities and companies to promote the importance of mental health research, treatment, and support.
With a traumatic background and front-line experience of negative mental health – severe OCD, grief, eating disorders – Shaun is an informative, honest, and passionate speaker who will provide an inspirational experience for every audience.
Shappi Khorsandi established herself as one of the country’s finest comedians in 2006 with her sell-out Edinburgh show, Asylum Speaker.
This show lead to the publication of her childhood memoirs, A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English, her best selling literary debut.
In typical Shappi style, this show told the story of how her family were forced to flee Iran and gain asylum in the UK. Her father’s popularity as a satirist attacking the regime has ensured they cannot return to Iran.
As Shappi says, “obviously there’s free speech in Iran, but little freedom after you’ve spoken.”
Sally Bundock is a globally recognised news presenter, known best for being on BBC 1, BBC News Channel, and BBC World News.
Covering news, business, finance, and current affairs, Sally’s programmes are watched by a daily audience of more than 100 million around the world.
Sally has presented The Briefing, Business Today, and BBC’s flagship business programme Work Life, where she covers key business stories and interviews some of the world’s leading CEOs.
Lord Chris Holmes is a member of the House of Lords, an ex-Paralympic swimmer, and a proficient keynote speaker.
Awarded an MBE at age 20 for his services to swimming for disabled people, Chris was one of the UK’s most successful Paralympians, winning an astonishing 15 medals.
As well as his swimming awards, he has been named the Midlands Today Sports Personality of the Year, and Bass Midlander of the Year in 1992, was presented the SAF Paul Zetter Award in 1996, and was named Sports Personality of the Year Variety Club of GB in 1997.
A politician with more than a bit of varied life experience, Lord Chris Holmes has knowledge of elite sport, inclusion, wellbeing and the workplace, technology, and politics, and can offer an informative but entertaining keynote speech for all clients.
