Yassmin Abdel-Magied is an engineer, author, broadcaster, and award-winning social advocate. Her powerful TED talk, “What does my headscarf mean to you” has more than 1.8 million views, and she has become an internationally renowned speaker on the topics o...

The road to real leadership is rarely a straight one. Among Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs, few have faced more obstacles than Zahra Al-Harazi. With a no-holds-barred attitude, Al-Harazi helps people and organizations realize their potential for succ...

As the Vice-Dean of Faculty Affairs and Equity at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), Professor Maydianne Andrade shows the strength diversity brings to an organization through actively promoting the hiring, retention, and success of a diverse and in...

Trey Anthony is a visionary creator, comedian, television writer, and award-winning playwright of international significance. The first African Canadian woman to have her own program on a primetime Canadian network, she is the writer of the critically acclaime...

Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour is a gutsy trailblazer, whose resume is an impressive collection of firsts—including being the first Black woman combat pilot in the US Armed Forces. Prior to that she worked as a police officer, served two tours of duty ...

Few people understand the importance of the arts and cultural sector better than Cameron Bailey. The artistic director and co-head of one of the world’s biggest and most important film festivals, he is responsible for the Toronto International Film Festival&...

The multi-talented Andrea Bain is an author, podcaster and on-air personality. A veteran TV host and broadcast news reporter, she is also the author of the book, Single Girl Problems, and host of her own radio show/podcast of the same name. Known as an insight...

On a mission to bridge the gap between young entrepreneurs and the digital future, Sinead Bovell strives to create conversations that will lead towards a progressive, informed, and thriving new era. She is a futurist and the founder of WAYE, an organization th...

When it comes to building teams, creating momentum, and employing winning strategies, Orlando Bowen is the real deal. A former professional football player and now high-performance coach, for the past fifteen years Bowen has used storytelling, fitness activiti...

Scott Burrows has lived the hero’s journey. Growing up as an all-star athlete, Burrows played college football at FSU and was a top-ranked kickboxing champion whose last fight was broadcast by ESPN. During the height of his athletic career though, Burrows su...

Canada’s 16th Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Joe Clark is one of the most widely respected Canadians in history. Clark reaches across divides — from chairing the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers campaign against apartheid, to winning unanimous agre...

Mike Downie is a multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker and the co-founder of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund. A celebrated and inspirational storyteller, Downie takes his audiences on a ride that explores how our stories define us, remind us of o...

With his extensive pop culture knowledge and an innate ability to ease his guests into intimate and candid conversation, Tyrone Edwards brings his expertise to Canada’s most-watched entertainment program as the anchor of etalk. A versatile presenter and ...

Motivated by her passion to correct societal “isms” like racism, sexism, classism, and plain old stupidism, it’s Risha Grant’s personal mission to expose the value of diversity and inclusion, while shining a light on the economic impact...

Rick Hansen, C.C., O.B.C., is a Canadian icon who has dedicated his life to awakening the world to the potential of people with disabilities. He is best known as the “Man in Motion” for undertaking an epic 26-month, 40,000 km journey around the world in hi...

Commonwealth Writers’ Prize winner and bestselling author of The Book of Negroes, Lawrence Hill speaks as well as he writes. With engrossing, poignant talks on diverse topics such as channeling creative energy, censorship, racial identity, mental health, an...

Sabrina Jalees’s comedy has taken the world by storm. Opening for the likes of Russell Peters and a headliner comic in her own right, Jalees never fails to draw laughter with her shoot-from-the-hip style. As a keynote speaker, Jalees tells her personal story...

Jamil Jivani tackles some of the biggest challenges in the world as a lawyer, community organizer, and teacher. With research and teaching appointments at Yale Law School and Osgoode Hall Law School, Jivani focuses on issues that impact youth, immigrants, and ...

Does your strategy reflect the new normal? We live in unpredictable times where the rules are changing and the formulas for success are disintegrating. Bestselling author and thought leader Frans Johansson shows organizations how to innovate, grow, and create ...

Earvin “Magic” Johnson has become the most powerful African-American businessman in the world. Having left the basketball court for the boardroom, Johnson has successfully parlayed his skills and tenacity on the court into the business world as Chairman an...

Dr. Ivan Joseph inspires people and teams to achieve more than they dreamed. An award-winning coach, educator, and leader, Joseph has spent his career leading cultural transformation, helping people believe in themselves, and creating cohesive teams. He speaks...

Katty Kay is the lead anchor for BBC’s World News America where she covers the full gamut of American and global affairs―reporting on US elections, the White House, Congress, Wall Street, global economies, and world trouble spots. Kay also frequently act...

Sarah Kay uses the power of spoken word to inspire creativity and self-empowerment in others. In her famous TED talk–a talk that inspired two standing ovations and has been seen by over seven million people online–she tells the story of her metamor...

As the oldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King III serves as an ambassador of his parent’s legacy of nonviolent social change. Motivating audiences with his message of hope and responsibility for ...

Spike Lee needs no introduction. In person, the provocateur and media icon is never at a loss for words. As one of the most outspoken African American voices, he talks candidly―and with authority―about issues of race in mainstream media and Hollywood, usin...

Elaine “Lainey” Lui has been breaking entertainment news since the launch of her world-famous celebrity gossip website, LaineyGossip.com, and as a correspondent on CTV’s Canada’s #1 entertainment show, etalk. Also a co-host on CTV’s The Social, Laine...

Colonel Nicole Malachowski defies stereotypes. The first woman pilot on the Thunderbirds, a combat veteran, and a White House Fellow, her distinguished 21-year Air Force career exceeded her wildest dreams. But the dream came to a quick end when a devastating t...

With a background in theatre, Anthony McLean delivers lively presentations on diversity, anti-racism, and mental health. He has delivered hundreds of inspiring talks across Canada, the US, and Australia. As a respected voice in his field, McLean has appeared o...

Nilofer Merchant is a renowned business strategist and innovator on a mission to reinvent work so that it actually works. A bestselling author, TED mainstage speaker, and recipient of the “Future Thinker” Award from Thinkers 50, Merchant says few companies...

Currently the President and Vice Chancellor of a large, multi-disciplinary post-secondary institution renowned globally for an ethos of trailblazing, Dr. Janet Morrison is an educator, thought leader, and change agent. She draws on her 35 years of experience l...

A passionate advocate for organizational change and lasting progress, Lekan Olawoye is a leader who is equally comfortable offering high-level business advice as he is passionately speaking about how to be an effective ally. His organization, the Black Profess...

Mario Rigby has always been driven to push the limits. Exploring his entrepreneurial and athletic ambitions since a young age, eventually he was drawn to a grander challenge that led him to pursue an adventure that would allow him to better connect with the wo...

As a young, black woman working as a lawyer on Bay Street, Dr. Hadiya Roderique delivered a wake-up call to corporate Canada in the form of her Globe and Mail feature essay, “Black on Bay Street.” Shared more than 13,000 times on Facebook, with the acc...

Jade Simmons is a creator of transformational experiences designed to activate audiences into becoming the biggest, boldest version of themselves possible. The world-class concert artist has been called a “musical force of nature” with an “un...

An award-winning journalist and author, and the First Ojibway woman to deliver the CBC Massey Lectures, Tanya Talaga is an acclaimed storyteller. Her book Seven Fallen Feathers, a national bestseller that introduced us to seven Indigenous high school students ...

Masai Ujiri is in his seventh season as President of the Toronto Raptors, leading the team to the most successful period in franchise history, including a NBA Championship. In June 2019, the Raptors won the first NBA title in the franchise’s 24-year hist...

An Indo-Canadian daughter of first generation East Indian parents, Varughese says her cultural background allows her to find “the best of both worlds” and shed light, knowledge, and, most importantly, universal humour into the changing workplace. H...

After escaping a decade of abuse living as a child bride in a forced marriage in Canada, Samra Zafar became a beacon of hope for many people facing exclusion, abuse, and gender-based violence. Now an award-winning international speaker, bestselling author, sch...