One of the best parts about my job as a program consultant at Leading Authorities is that I am constantly learning new things. I work with a diverse set of speakers covering a variety of industries and a broad array of business and motivational topics\u2013which means that every day is different and that I\u2019m always learning and being challenged with new information and ideas. It\u2019s a lot of fun to help clients build their meetings and solve their organization\u2019s challenges along the way.<\/p>\n
I was recently inspired by one of my clients who put together a program with the theme \u201cDiversity Leads to Innovation.\u201d This client wanted to focus on the many reasons that working with a diverse group of leaders, thinkers, and coworkers ultimately leads to better and more effective ideas.<\/p>\n
I receive many topic requests around innovation, and a good amount around diversity. This was the first time I received a request for a speaker to address how diversity can lead to innovation, and I immediately took to and loved the theme. I was so impressed that my client had dedicated an entire internal conference around this theme that the challenge of finding them the perfect speaker led to my inspiration. It was truly motivating to see how much importance a company placed on this topic and how much they cared about their employees.<\/p>\n
Diversity leads to innovation touches on so many different sub topics: inclusion, communication, leadership, and growth to name a few. I put together a list of 16 speakers who touch upon this overarching idea as well as these smaller themes. Here is a list of speakers who talk about why diversity is so essential to innovation.<\/p>\n
I’ve compiled a list of 15 suggestions for keynote speaker who cover this trending topic:<\/p>\n
Read more about each of these dynamic keynote speakers on how to embrace diversity to drive innovation below and click on the links in each speaker’s description to navigate to their individual speaker profile pages to learn more about their experience, expertise, and speaking topics.<\/p>\n
Former Senior Vice President, Chief Global Diversity and Engagement Officer of Pepsico<\/strong><\/p>\n Deborah Shaw is an expert in navigating uncertainty, as well as the reasons why unlikely people can often be the source of our greatest new ideas. She\u00a0discovered strategies for success that formed a bridge from tough inner-city beginnings to award-winning entrepreneur and Fortune 50 senior executive and consultant. In 2004, Deborah founded the Rosado Shaw Group, LLC., a consulting and advisory firm focused on intervening in today’s complex challenges around culture, performance, talent engagement, and diversity. Since 1996, Deborah has delivered custom executive briefings, seminars, keynotes, and consulting to organizations that include Accenture, American Express, The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, IBM, Microsoft, New York Life, PepsiCo, Sam’s Club, Walmart, and many more.\u00a0 |\u00a0See more on Deborah Shaw here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Former Chief Marketing Officer at the National Football League and Former President and CEO of Pepsi Cola North America<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether serving as CEO, Chief Marketing Officer, or Chairman of the Board, Dawn Hudson has led an impressive career spanning high-level posts in media, retail, consumer goods, consulting, and healthcare at some of the biggest corporations in the world including the NFL, PepsiCo, Lowe\u2019s Home Improvement, Allergan, PF Chang\u2019s, the LPGA, and NVIDIA.\u00a0Hudson’s track record of success is packed with groundbreaking ideas born of an ability to see what\u2019s around the corner and an expertise in crafting revenue-boosting competitive advantages, and she is able to relate these themes to the importance of diversity. Hudson has been recognized as the \u201cMost Vital Leader in Tech, Media, and Marketing\u201d by\u00a0AdWeek<\/i>\u2014topping a list of 50 industry titans\u2014and twice as one of\u00a0Fortune<\/i>\u00a0magazine\u2019s \u201c50 Most Powerful Women in Business.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Dawn Hudson here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vice Chairman, Global Wealth Management and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley<\/strong><\/p>\n In her current role at Morgan Stanley, Carla Harris is responsible for increasing client connectivity and penetration to enhance revenue generation across the firm. She has extensive industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial, and healthcare sectors.\u00a0The recipient of numerous awards, including being named to\u00a0Fortune\u00a0<\/i>magazine\u2019s\u00a0list of \u201cThe 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America,\u201d Harris was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women\u2019s Business Council in 2013. She helps groups tap into their unique potential and understand why our individual gifts are at the core of our success equations. She is the author of two best-selling books,\u00a0Strategize To Win\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0Expect To Win<\/i>, and the creator of \u201cCarla\u2019s Pearls,\u201d the centerpiece of her speeches and television appearances.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Carla Harris here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Leadership and Organizational Dynamics Expert & Repeat\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0Best-Selling Author<\/strong><\/p>\n Born in Israel and raised in Texas, Ori Brafman specializes in unique approaches to problem solving, and imparts the lessons he has learned about approaching problems in new ways to diverse audiences globally. His ideas have been implemented by the US government, Google, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, the Chicago Bulls, the San Francisco 49ers, Amazon, Facebook, Family Business Network, and PWC.\u00a0Brafman is a multiple\u00a0New York Times\u00a0<\/i>best-selling author. His new best-selling book,\u00a0Radical Inclusion: What the Post-9\/11 World Should Have Taught Us About Leadership<\/i>, examines today\u2019s leadership landscape and argues that inclusion is no longer a \u201cnice-to-have\u201d but a strategic imperative in the digital world.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Ori Brafman here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Republican Strategist and Political Contributor to CNN, ABC News, & Telemundo<\/strong><\/p>\n Ana Navarro\u00a0is a top Republican strategist and political contributor for CNN and ABC\u00a0who served as the national Hispanic co-chair for Governor Huntsman\u2019s 2012 Presidential campaign, national co-chair of Senator John McCain\u2019s Hispanic Advisory Council,\u00a0national surrogate for Senator John McCain\u2019s 2008 Presidential campaign, as well as an ambassador for the United Nations\u2019 Human Rights Commission.\u00a0Ana is an advocate for changes in immigration policies and\u00a0sustained political outreach efforts for the Hispanic community.\u00a0Respected on both sides of the political aisle for her straight shooting and candor, Navarro frequently appears on top media outlets, such as\u00a0Meet the Press<\/i>,\u00a0Anderson Cooper 360<\/i>, and\u00a0The View<\/i>, to name a few, where she\u00a0shares her insights, as well as her personal journey to success.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Ana Navarro here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Renowned Political Strategist and Commentator & Former Interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC)<\/strong><\/p>\n Veteran political strategist, Donna Brazile, is the former interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the author of the New York Times bestseller\u00a0Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-Ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House<\/i>\u00a0and the 2004 best-selling memoir\u00a0Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics<\/i>. She is a co-author of the forthcoming book\u00a0For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics.\u00a0<\/i>Ms. Brazile has devoted her life to working for progressive change, responsible governance, and the advancement of all people in a society that is fair and equitable, as well as why great ideas often come from unlikely places.\u00a0Ms. Brazile loves working with young people, encouraging them to vote, to run for office, and to work within the system to strengthen it.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0See more on Donna Brazile here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Journalist & Television Personality<\/strong><\/p>\n Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart is a member of\u00a0The Washington Post\u00a0<\/i>editorial board, writes about politics and social issues for the PostPartisan blog, and hosts the\u00a0Post\u2019s\u00a0<\/i>\u201cCape Up\u201d podcast. He is also an MSNBC contributor who regularly serves as a substitute anchor.\u00a0He is also revered for his abilities as an expert panelist and moderator, who is particularly skilled at directing and navigating honest, meaningful conversations with high-level personalities. In addition to his work with the\u00a0Post,\u00a0<\/i>Capehart is a regular moderator of panels at the Aspen Ideas Festival and for the Aspen Institute, the Center for American Progress and at the Atlantic Dialogues conference and the Brussels Forum of the German Marshall Fund. In moving speeches, he shares his personal story and encourages audiences to not discount people who may seem different.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Jonathan Capehart here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Former Head of Communications at SpaceX, Former Executive Communications Manager at Facebook, & Former Executive at Google<\/strong><\/p>\n Dex Hunter-Torricke, son of refugees from Burma,\u00a0has managed communications for some of the most-influential and admired Silicon Valley leaders and corporations of our day. From 2012 to 2016, he led the executive communications team at Facebook and served as personal speechwriter for Mark Zuckerberg.\u00a0On stage, Dex expertly combines his experience working for some of the world\u2019s most innovative and technology-driven brands with his passion for social innovation to help companies shift towards a 21st\u00a0century business methodology. Dex takes audiences into Facebook\u2019s boardroom, Musk\u2019s open-concept cubicle, the famed Googleplex, and finally to the UN itself to share lessons on what it takes in today\u2019s environment to build highly-effective internal teams, how to use storytelling in modern communications, and what to make of the steady transition from local to global that\u2019s unfolded over the past decade.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Dex Hunter-Torricke here<\/a>.<\/p>\n World-Class Blind Adventurer<\/strong><\/p>\n Erik Weihenmayer is one of the most sought-after keynote speakers in the world. Despite losing his vision at age 14, he is an accomplished climber, paraglider, skier, and kayaker who never allows blindness interfere with his passion for pursuing an exhilarating and fulfilling life. Erik brings audiences a powerful message about harnessing the power of adversity and different life experiences as fuel for greatness, emphasizing the importance of building a strong \u201cRope Team,\u201d and illuminating how to develop a \u201cNo Barriers Mindset.\u201d\u00a0Erik\u2019s talks resonate with diverse audiences from graduating college students to large sales teams to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Erik\u2019s speaking career has taken him around the globe from the 2005 APEC Summit in Chile to the 2009 Presidential Inaugural celebration in Washington, DC.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Erik Weihenmayer here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Former United States Secretary of Transportation & Current Chief Policy Officer at Lyft<\/strong><\/p>\n Anthony Foxx is the Chief Policy Officer at Lyft who formerly served as the 17th\u00a0United States Secretary of Transportation and as mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. As Secretary of Transportation, he led an agency with more than 55,000 employees and a budget of $70 billion.\u00a0Secretary Foxx energized DOT\u2019s embrace of innovation to help solve these problems by launching the\u00a0Smart City Challenge, a national competition to implement bold, data-driven ideas that make transportation safer, easier, and more reliable in that city. In fast-paced presentations, Foxx encourages audiences to rethink what they know about “how things should be done.” He also worked to accelerate the Department\u2019s efforts to incorporate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology into new vehicles. As Chief Policy Officer at ride-sharing powerhouse Lyft, he works to develop government partnerships and serves as adviser to Lyft’s president and CEO.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Anthony Foxx here<\/a>.<\/p>\n First African American Female Combat Pilot<\/strong><\/p>\n Vernice \u201cFlyGirl\u201d Armour propelled herself from beat cop to combat pilot in a record-breaking three years and became America\u2019s First African American female combat pilot.\u00a0FlyGirl\u2019s first signature book,\u00a0Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter<\/em>, which was released by Penguin in 2011, chronicles the process she utilized to transition from beat cop to America\u2019s First African American Female Combat Pilot. She is an internationally-recognized inspirational leadership keynote speaker for premier leadership conferences and Fortune 500 companies, who helps groups develop a breakthrough mentality that prizes talent of all shapes and sizes.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Vernice Armour here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Researcher, Advisor, TED Speaker, & Best-Selling Author<\/strong><\/p>\n Originally from Israel and having previously spent 14 years as a vice president in marketing at Microsoft, Lior Zoref is currently a researcher and advisor whose work has been featured in\u00a0Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, NPR, The Huffington Post<\/i>, and more.\u00a0In his fascinating and highly-engaging talks, Dr. Zoref looks at the ways organizations and individuals can draw on wisdom of crowds to create a greater output with less effort. He shares techniques major corporations are using now to innovate and problem-solve in record time\u2014all by using the power of \u201cwe.\u201d\u00a0Zoref used stories of crowdsourcing in action\u2014including a poll of the audience\u2014to illustrate its power.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Lior Zoref here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Creator of “Poetic Voice” & Inspirational Speaker<\/strong><\/p>\n A schoolteacher turned actor, recording artist, two-time national poetry slam champion, entrepreneur, and award-winning poetic voice, Sekou is a multi-talented entertainer with over 2 decades of experience rocking diverse audiences.\u00a0It is no surprise that Forbes Magazine has called Sekou\u00a0\u201cthe de facto poet laureate of corporate America.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0His \u201cwow-factor\u201d is in high demand with the world\u2019s most successful organizations, including Google, Viacom, Toyota, Nike, Cisco, LinkedIn, Global Green, Paypal, ASAE, The Gap, General Mills, TEDx, and the NBA, to name but a few.\u00a0Sekou\u2019s talks on disruption are in such demand because they literally embody disruption on stage, charging audiences to disrupt themselves to access their individual innovation.\u00a0His keynotes on dynamic communication and storytelling show leaders how to deliver dense data through beautifully human presentations.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0See more on Sekou Andrews here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Expert on Marketing to Baby Boomers and Seniors<\/strong><\/p>\n With over 30 years of experience investigating the lifestyle and market trends of adults and Baby Boomers, Maddy\u00a0is a leading expert on the changing demographic trends currently shaping the marketplace, the workplace, and our lives. She is the co-founder of Age Wave, the nation\u2019s foremost thought-leader on population aging trends and their profound business, lifestyle, and cultural implications, and is regularly featured in prominent media publications, including\u00a0Bloomberg Businessweek<\/em>,\u00a0Forbes<\/em>,\u00a0Newsweek<\/em>,\u00a0TIME<\/em>,\u00a0and\u00a0U.S. News & World Report.\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0<\/em>See more about Maddy Dychtwald here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n CEO & Founder at GRAVITAS<\/strong><\/p>\n Named one of\u00a0Washingtonian Magazine<\/i>‘s “Best Dressed Women”, Lisa Sun is the founder and CEO of GRAVITAS\u2014a company whose origin story dates back to her first professional review from\u00a013 years earlier. The feedback that affected her? Being told that she \u201ccomes across as young and overly enthusiastic at times,\u201d\u00a0that she \u201clacked gravitas,\u201d and \u201cshould go buy a new dress, big jewelry, and great shoes.\u201d With those words in mind, Sun filed for a global patent to build shape-wear directly into dresses. Realizing the transformative power that clothing can have, Sun\u00a0launched GRAVITAS as a Confidence Company that offers innovative apparel and styling solutions designed to give every woman a confident sense of self.\u00a0\u00a0|<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0See more about Lisa Sun here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Are you interested in booking an inspiring speaker who can talk about using diversity to fuel innovation at your next conference?<\/p>\n To learn more about any of these speakers, or to check on any of their availability and fees for an upcoming event or meeting,\u00a0contact our team today<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n If you are looking for a speaker who covers a specific topic or you want to see different types of speakers in consideration for one of your upcoming events, meetings, or conventions,\u00a0we can help<\/a>.<\/p>\n We would love to learn more about the goals and objectives for your next client event and can\u00a0quickly send you a curated list of speaker recommendations custom fit around your particular event theme, topic, audience, etc.<\/p>\n You can also fill out the form below,\u00a0email us<\/a>, call 1-800-SPEAKER, or\u00a0live chat<\/a>\u00a0with a member of our team right now\u00a0to get customized speaker ideas tailored for your program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DAWN HUDSON<\/a><\/h2>\n
CARLA HARRIS<\/a><\/h2>\n
ORI BRAFMAN<\/a><\/h2>\n
ANA NAVARRO<\/a><\/h2>\n
DONNA BRAZILE<\/a><\/h2>\n
JONATHAN CAPEHART<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n
DEX HUNTER-TORRICKE<\/a><\/h2>\n
ERIK WEIHENMAYER<\/a><\/h2>\n
ANTHONY FOXX<\/a><\/h2>\n
VERNICE “FLYGIRL” ARMOUR<\/a><\/h2>\n
LIOR ZOREF<\/a><\/h2>\n
SEKOU ANDREWS<\/a><\/h2>\n
MADDY DYCHTWALD<\/a><\/h2>\n
LISA SUN<\/a><\/h2>\n
LOOKING FOR A DIVERSITY OR INNOVATION SPEAKER?<\/h1>\n