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
Blaire Palmer is the authority on disrupting the future of leadership, and wants to provoke senior leaders to think more critically about the idea of work and leadership itself.
After starting her career as producer of the BBC’s Today programme, she took the leap from this safe and respected job to train as one of Europe’s first corporate coaches and start her own company. Since then, she has worked with many multinational corporations and organisations such as Mattel, Airbus, Roche Pharmaceuticals and the FA.
Blaire can help make sense of the perfect organisational storm of generative AI, hybrid working and the long tail of the pandemic, growing understanding of mental health, the rising cost of living and cost of supply, and global unrest.
Bianca Miller-Cole is an award-winning Entrepreneur and personal brand expert; having founded the ‘go-to’ business for harnessing workforce potential.
The business has an impressive list of clients including HSBC, Accenture, AMEX, CMS LLP, PWC, Barclays, EY, Google, LSE, UAL, BT, KPMG to name a few. Bianca was honoured as a ‘Forbes 30 under 30’ for her commitment to e-commerce and retail via her diverse hosiery brand, which she pitched in the final of The Apprentice in 2014.
Bianca Miller-Cole ’s business influence also resulted in her being awarded a Top 10 ‘Power Profile Leader’ via LinkedIn out of 20 million members, alongside Richard Branson. She appears in the Top 50 Future Leaders lists for the Financial Times HERoes (women only) and EMpower (ethnic minority) lists for her success in business. She is the co-author of the bestselling book Self Made: The Definitive Guide to Business Startup Success and uses her spare time to mentor a growing community of budding entrepreneurs.
Dr Ozak Esu is a multi-award-winning professional electronic and electrical engineer and STEM advocate from Nigeria.
Growing up in Nigeria, motivated Ozak to pursue engineering by the challenges posed by electricity shortages. Her aspirations revolve around making meaningful contributions to the development of enduring and sustainable solutions.
“Developing a new method, improving an existing engineering method, mastering a new software, technique, opportunities to travel for work, and successfully managing a project from concept design to construction excite me.”
Benita Matofska is a world-renowned keynote speaker, award-winning social entrepreneur, and future-change consultant, helping businesses and leaders thrive amid disruption. She delivers bold, actionable insights on leadership, innovation, AI, automation, smart cities, and business transformation—always grounded in people, purpose, and measurable impact.
Author of Generation Share—named by Forbes as a top read for building a positive future—Benita translates complex global trends into clear, practical strategies for resilience, sustainability, and growth. Her mission is simple yet powerful: to future-proof organisations while creating lasting social, economic, and environmental value.
With over a decade of research and innovation experience, Benita has inspired global audiences at leading events. She has also appeared on major international platforms, including TEDx, BBC World, Channel 4 News, UNESCO, Discovery Channel, CNN, and Number 10 Downing Street.
Benita’s work has been recognised with multiple accolades, including Ogunte Best Social Business Leader (UK & World), NatWest Venus Entrepreneur of the Year, Inspirational Woman of the Year, and the Cabinet Office/Nesta Innovation in Giving Award.
An RSA Fellow and influential media commentator, Benita is known for delivering more than talks—she creates unforgettable experiences that spark real change and leave audiences ready to transform their businesses and the world.
Dr Misha Engineer MBBS BSc (Hons) MBA has significant experience in building resilience.
From NHS doctor to joining the family business to starting her own high-growth, social impact business, achieving considerable success and selling her stake within 6 years of inception; Misha has been recognised independently by the London Business School Review as one of the ‘30 People Changing the World’.
Dr Michelle P King is an international expert on inequality and organisational culture, a bestselling author and award-winning speaker.
She is a senior advisor to the UN Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign and previously held the position of Director of Inclusion for Netflix, and Head of UN’s Women’s Global Innovation Coalition, working to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Dr King holds a PhD in Organisations and Management and has been named a Top 100 Woman at Davos, a LinkedIn Top Voice for Workplace Equity, and shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Talent Award. She currently leads Performance, Culture, Learning and Talent at HSF Kramer, having previously held roles at Netflix and UN Women. Her work has featured in Harvard Business Review, The Economist, and CNBC.
She regularly provides keynotes, fireside chats and masterclasses with leading companies like Fifa, Guardian, Amazon, Dior, FedEx and Morgan Stanley. In 2020, Michelle founded The Culture Practice, a global consultancy which provides organisational leaders with inclusion coaching needed to create cultures that value difference.
Belinda Parmar OBE is an expert in Human Leadership in AI, a diversity campaigner, CEO of The Empathy Business, and a Non-Executive Director for the Ministry of Defence.
As one of the world’s leading authorities on empathy, technology, and business performance, she uses the science of empathy to change the way companies transform their organisations, focussing on leadership, operations, and communications. She has spent over 20 years helping global companies, including Lexus, Lloyds Bank, Barclays Bank, AGL, Toyota, and Aston Martin, turn empathy from a soft aspiration into a hard commercial advantage.
She is the creator of the Global Empathy Index which was published in the Harvard Business Review- the first index to measure empathy and inclusion at scale.
A dynamic entrepreneur and keynote speaker, Belinda has a proven track record in delivering change management programs for major businesses and governments. Recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, Belinda has spoken at Davos and has received an OBE for serves to women in tech.
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson is one of Britain’s greatest Paralympians, having competed in five Paralympic Games and winning 11 gold medals, 4 silvers and 1 bronze.
She is widely acknowledged as one of the most gifted and courageous sportswomen of her generation.
Tammi is also a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords, motivational speaker and broadcaster. In recognition of her service to sport, Tanni was made a Dame in 2005, while in 2010, Tanni became a life peer and was conferred as Baroness Grey-Thompson with a position as a crossbench peer in the House of Lords.
Dr Makaziwe Mandela was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and is the eldest daughter of Evelyn Mase and Nelson Mandela.
After attending high school in Swaziland, she went on to study for her BA degree in Social Work at Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape, followed by her Honours Degree in Sociology at the University of Natal in Durban.
Dr Makaziwe Mandela is an inspiration to all, a passionate campaigner and speaker for diversity and inclusion, female empowerment, social justice, economic deprivation and education.
Baroness Floella Benjamin is a much-loved TV presenter, stage actress, author, producer, businesswoman, and diversity speaker.
She is probably best known for being the iconic presenter on BBC’s children’s programmes Playschool (1976-84) and Playaway (1977-84), through which she became a nationwide star.
Thanks to her media career and charity work, FFloella Benjamin was awarded a BAFTA Special Lifetime Award in 2004 and the J.M. Barrie Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not BIG enough.”
BBC Bitesize science presenter Ayo Sokale possesses an array of talents and expertise, placing her at the cutting edge of the ever-evolving scientific, environmental and media landscape. She is a civil engineer, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, CEO, and the Former Deputy Mayor of Reading.
Ayo Sokale is widely recognised as one of the fastest engineers to achieve Chartered status. With an extensive background in delivering flood risk management projects, managing teams, supervising engineers, and influencing policy through key committees, Ayo is a dedicated advocate for engineering and sustainability. She works as a Major Project and Programme Delivery Business Manager for The Environment Agency.
With experience in engineering, sustainability, diversity, mental health and the environment, Ayo Sokale is the perfect inspirational and motivational speaker for a range of engagements.
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a passionate space scientist, television presenter, author, and STEM speaker.
In 2009, Maggie was awarded an MBE for her services to science education. Her first TV programme, Do We Really Need the Moon? (2011) brought her to the attention of the masses and showed that space science needn’t be difficult to access and understand. The show earned her the Talkback Thames New Talent Award in December 2011.
She has since won several awards for her expertise, including the ‘Out of the Box Thinking Award’ by Yale University, and the William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize by the Institute of Physics for her public engagement in sciences.
She has also been named an honorary doctor of science by the University of Bath, University of Leicester, and Loughborough University, and has been recognised on the UK Powerlist’s ‘Top Most influential Black People’ three times.
Former Blue Peter presenter Ayo Akinwolere is a BBC journalist, presenter, speaker, and multiple BAFTA nominee and RTS Award winner.
He also has his own production company – Milk First Productions – which he founded in late 2020 and has since released the documentaries Yorkshire Cop: Police Racism and Me (2021), and Wolf on the High Street (2021).
Ayo spent five years presenting Blue Peter, from 2006-2011, and was always up for a challenge, no matter how dangerous. This included bungee jumping from a helicopter at 11,000 feet and completing the deepest open water swim at the time.
With such an established presence on our screens, Ayo has become a popular choice to host private and corporate events and conferences. With his extensive experience and endless enthusiasm, Ayo is a safe pair of hands for event organisers.
Ayishat Akanbi is a fashion stylist and visual expressionist. Since making her entrance onto the fashion scene in 2010, she has been a stylist for high profile celebrities in music, sport, TV and film.
Ayishat Akanbi has worked with several clients on ITV’s The X Factor, including JLS and their member Aston Merrygold when he was a judge on Sky’s So You Think You Can Dance. She has garnered the attention of many music artists and TV personalities due to her unique ability to understand an individual’s political, psychological and artistic beliefs and use this to influence their style.
Combining her passion for fashion with her belief in socio-political ideas, Ayishat has an influential voice in both the academic and creative worlds.
Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent is a record-breaking, award winning adventurer, writer and broadcaster specialising in telling environmental and humanitarian stories from remote parts of the world.
Prior to 2018, Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent worked as a freelance television producer, having worked on BBC’s World’s Most Dangerous Roads, ITV’s Tom Hardy’s Poaching Wars, Joanna Lumley’s India, and Joanna Lumley’s Silk Road Adventure.
Antonia has journeyed to remote parts of the world and shared her travels, including trips to Vietnam, Laos, north-eastern India, Thailand and Russia.
She is a regular contributor to publications including The Telegraph, and The Guardian, and has produced documentaries for Radio 4 on subjects as diverse as snow leopards, the Black Mountains, the Vietnam War, community conservation in Nagaland and traveller communities in the UK.
Dr. Cristiana Pace is a leader and innovator in motorsport with a focus on sustainability and change management strategies.
Cristiana has made her mark in a 20 year career, which has seen her become the first woman to work alongside the FIA technical department in Formula 1, make key contributions to the FIA’s safety legacy and work with Williams Advanced Engineering to advance and utilise motorsport technology both in the industry and far beyond the racetrack.
In 2021, she was voted one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering by WES and The Guardian for her involvement with the Covid Appeal having worked on the development of the Oxford Box, a shield designed to protect NHS staff and patients during the intubation process. She is also an ambassador of the Silverstone Technology Cluster. Cristiana is a Chartered Engineer of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and a Fellow of the Women in Engineering Society (WES).
She is a well-respected speaker on technology transfer, motorsport, e-mobility, STEM and diversity.
Anthony Sinclair is the founder and owner of Sign Source, an online tool that reinvents how to learn sign language, and brings deaf awareness in a user-friendly and convenient way.
With a personal journey filled with challenges and triumphs, Anthony brings a unique perspective to his presentations, inspiring audiences to embrace diversity and create a more inclusive society.
Anthony was named the winner of the 2022 Belfast Telegraph Digital/Social Media Award. He often holds an Olympic medal, winning gold in the mixed doubles tennis at the 2007 Deaflympics in Taipei.
Karen Blackett OBE is the UK Country Manager for WPP and Chairwoman of MediaCom UK and Ireland. She is a renowned business leader with an impressive track record in creating vibrant cultures, energising teams and consistently delivering business growth and success.
Named by Vogue as one of the 25 Most Influential and Inspirational Women of 2018 and ranked top of the EMpower 100 Ethnic Minority Executive Leaders list, Karen was appointed the national Race Equality Business Champion by then-Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018.
Karen is now a popular keynote speaker who can energise teams and promote diversity in the advertising and media industry to create a vibrant company culture.
Given a 10% chance of survival after falling ill following a school trip, ‘Miracle Man’ Anthony Bennett is now a popular motivational speaker. His open and honest talks about his he had to learn to walk and talk again after fighting for his life make him one of the most inspirational speakers on the circuit.
From surviving impossible odds and overcoming everything that was thrown at him, Anthony now motivates audiences in schools and businesses.
Dr Amit Patel is an author, disability rights campaigner, motivational speaker, and independent accessibility consultant.
He is registered severely sight impaired (blind) having lost his sight to keratoconus in 2013. Amit has appeared in various online and print media in the UK and around the world, as well as featuring on BBC London News, ITV London News, Channel 4 News, Channel 5 News, and Sky Sunrise. He is a regular contributor to the BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio 4, BBC 5 Live, and BBC London Radio.
June Sarpong OBE is an award-winning author, TV Presenter and Director of Creative Diversity at the BBC.
She has enjoyed a career spanning over 20 years, in which she has become one of the most recognisable faces on British television. She began her career at Kiss 100 before moving on to MTV UK & Ireland and T4 where she interviewed the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
She has hosted events such as the 2005 Make Poverty History event, the MOBO awards on several occasions, presented at the UK leg of Live Earth in 2007 and hosted Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations in front of 30,000 people in London’s Hyde Park in 2008. June has interviewed some of the world’s biggest names including HRH Prince Charles, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and George Clooney.
From human rights to feminism to workplace discrimination, June’s pioneering influence has sent positive ripples throughout British business, politics and society. She has spoken at a number of high-profile events – including the DNA Summit – to share her unique understanding of inclusion and diversity.
From child prodigy to MBE, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon is Head Stemette and co-founder of Stemettes, the award-winning social enterprise inspiring the next generations of females into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) roles via a series of events, talks and opportunities.
She completed her GCSEs whilst in primary school, won a scholarship to study mathematics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore at the age of 13, and was awarded a Masters degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Oxford at age 20, becoming one of the youngest people ever to do so. Unsurprisingly, Anne-Marie’s career has continued to soar.
In 2018 alone, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon was named in Forbes’ list of the Top 50 Women in Tech in the World, voted the 5th most influential woman in IT by Computer Weekly and was the recipient of the prestigious Barclays UK Woman of the Year Award.
Named amongst the top 10 BAME Leaders in Tech by The Evening Standard, Anne-Marie’s impact in STEM is unmatched. A champion for women in the sector, she discusses the future of work, why technology needs diversity and company culture transformation.
Anita Brightley-Hodges is a family business advisor, mentor, exceptional mediator, coach, keynote speaker, and champion of women.
With over 35 years of experience in working with families, Anita has the experience and passion to ensure your event goes without a hitch.
Anita Brightley-Hodges has spoken at events all around the world, appearing at leadership conferences, award ceremonies, university courses, networking events, on radio shows, and podcasts, and has worked for clients including the University of Oxford, EY, Campden Wealth, Saïd Business School, and KPMG.
Juliette Foster is an award-winning TV and radio presenter who has enjoyed a high-flying broadcasting career presenting flagship programmes at some of Britain’s biggest broadcasters.
At Sky News, she fronted the breakfast show Sunrise and Sky News at Ten, after initially presenting their business bulletins.
