Meet six impressive Toronto storytellers and thought leaders who celebrate diversity and educate audiences through personal stories and in-depth expertise.
These Toronto-based speakers advocate for equality and acceptance, challenge conventional thought and encourage organizations to strive for workplace diversity and inclusion through their personal stories. We asked them about their approach as speakers, and what corporate groups might expect from their keynotes.
"People want to know what their organizations can do better, but they also want to know what they can do better—how they can be a better person tomorrow."
– Dr. Hadiya Roderique
Rethinking Accessibility
Who: Joel Dembe, Accessibility and Diversity Expert, Five-time Canadian National Wheelchair Tennis Champion, Paralympian
His story: Winning over 30 international titles, including Canada’s first international medal in wheelchair tennis at the 2015 Toronto Pan-American Games, Dembe was ranked as Canada’s top wheelchair tennis player from 2011–2015. He is the senior manager, corporate communications at RBC and co-chair of RBC REACH, an employee resource group that helps to create inclusive workplaces and was recently named to The Peak’s Emerging Leaders under 40 list.
Keynotes: Embracing Inclusivity: Unlocking the Potential of a Diverse Workforce; Rethinking Accessibility: Designing an Inclusive Workplace for All; The Power of Resilience: Lessons from a Paralympian's Journey.
Why: Sharing his inspiring story of overcoming adversity and navigating the world with a disability, Dembe encourages his audiences to rethink accessibility and offers effective strategies for cultivating and reaping the benefits of an inclusive workplace culture.
"There’s a tendency for many businesses to pigeonhole people with disabilities into certain roles. It’s natural to assume that someone in a wheelchair might want to be located at a fixed address or might not have the ability to travel, but that is absolutely incorrect."
– Joel Dembe
How do you address your personal experience with diversity and inclusion in the city of Toronto?
Having used a wheelchair for many years, and having lived in Toronto, it’s very easy for me to articulate some of the gaps in accessibility that occur. I use that experience more broadly as well, whether it's in employment, in travel or in recreational opportunities.
What key messages can an audience expect from your keynote with regard to diversity and inclusion?
I believe in the growth of our city to economic opportunity. There is a direct correlation between inclusion, specifically with people with disabilities and unlocking the potential of our cities. We need to be more proactive rather than reactive to disability inclusion, and the best way to do that is to harness accessibility as part of our business and development strategies, if we solve for disability first, you solve for everyone.
How do you tailor the topic of diversity and inclusion for corporate groups?
I think it’s important to talk to businesses about unlocking the potential of employees with disabilities by investing in accessibility, talent growth and skills, specifically for people with disabilities. There’s a tendency for many businesses to pigeonhole people with disabilities into certain roles. It’s natural to assume that someone in a wheelchair might want to be located at a fixed address or might not have the ability to travel, but that is absolutely incorrect. I travelled the world competing for Canada and think people with disabilities are more adaptable than anyone. We have to be! We’re faced with so many barriers on a day-to-day basis, so the notion of pivoting and being a bit more agile—two very overused business terms—are more aligned with what it’s like to be a person with a disability.
Watch Dembe’s TEDxMississauga talk, Let’s change the way we think about disability
Unlocking Belonging in the Workplace
Who: Ritu Bhasin, LL.B., MBA, Empowerment Speaker, Inclusion Expert, Author
Her story: Bhasin is the CEO of leading global diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm, Bhasin Consulting Inc., and a globally-recognized expert in leadership, workplace culture inclusion and belonging. Her many accolades include SUCCESS Magazine’s Women of Influence Award, the South Asian Bar Association Diversity Award and the City of Toronto’s William P. Hubbard Race Relations Award. Bhasin has just released her second book, We’ve Got This: Unlocking the Beauty of Belonging. Her first book, The Authenticity Principle: Resist Conformity, Embrace Differences, and Transform How You Live, Work, and Lead, is an Amazon bestseller.
Keynotes: Authentic Leadership: Unlocking the Power of Belonging in Organizations; The “How” of Inclusive Leadership: Transforming Organizational Cultures Through Allyship; Disrupting Bias: Overcoming Our Discomfort with Differences.
"From a young age, I committed my life to wanting to spread diversity, equity and inclusion through the work that I was doing or planned to do, to give people hope to live better, to feel like they could experience belonging, and to help give a voice to those who felt like they didn’t have a voice."
– Ritu Bhasin
Why: Driven by her personal experience with racism, cultural confusion and the pressure to conform, Bhasin provides insight on cultivating authentic leadership to foster workplace environments that are founded in authenticity, belonging, inclusion and empowerment.
How do you address your personal experience with diversity and inclusion in the city of Toronto?
My passion and commitment for doing this work is rooted in my own experience and journey growing up in Toronto. I was born of Indian immigrant parents who immigrated to Toronto directly in the early 70s [and] really struggled to move themselves up the social ladder. I had a front row seat to watching them struggle in their journey, but I had my own experiences growing up with racism and racist bullying in particular. Toronto has changed significantly since then.
From a young age, I committed my life to wanting to spread diversity, equity and inclusion through the work that I was doing or planned to do, to give people hope to live better, to feel like they could experience belonging, and to help give a voice to those who felt like they didn’t have a voice, which is what led me to become a lawyer and then ultimately now a professional speaker.
What key messages can an audience expect from your keynote with regard to diversity and inclusion?
I am known for providing really practical, concrete, hands-on strategies to help attendees walk out the door instantly equipped with the tools for being more inclusive and equitable in the way they live, work and lead. I take data, research, frameworks, tips, strategies and boil them down in a really practical, engaging and empowering way. I’m all about calling people in, and not calling people out. I want people to leave my sessions feeling really empowered, and better equipped with how to do better.
How do you tailor the topic of diversity and inclusion for corporate groups?
I’m a bespoke keynote speaker. Nothing that I do is off the shelf, every single session that I do is tailored to the organization and to the organization’s needs. Different industries have different DEI needs, so I will have a preparation call that enables me to do a deep dive into learning the particular audience so that I can ensure that my message is tailored. The other thing that’s really important is that sometimes groups will be just leaders or it will be a mixed audience — you’ll have senior leaders, emerging leaders or new people within the organization — so I can tailor the remarks to just leaders, or a broader more diverse audience.
Hear Bhasin speak about The Authenticity Principle.
Dismantling Barriers to Inclusivity and Equity in the Workplace
Who: Camille Dundas, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Byblacks.com, Keynote Speaker, Racial Equity Consultant
Her story: An educator in racial equality, specializing in anti-racism and allyship, Dundas is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of ByBlacks.com, a leading Black Canadian online magazine that has won three national ethnic press awards and received recognition from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She was also who was named one of the top 100 Accomplished Black Women in Canada in 2022.
Keynotes: How to Recognize and Confront Racism in the Workplace; How to Practice Allyship in the Workplace; How to Handle Microaggressions in the Workplace
Why: Sharing her own experience navigating microaggressions in the workplace and in life, Dundas’s keynotes and corporate DEI consulting is anchored in intersectionality, emphasizing the idea that effective diversity work goes beyond gender. She explains what allyship looks like and offers tangible steps to transforming our understanding of how this plays out in the workplace.
How do you address your personal experience with diversity and inclusion in the city of Toronto?
I spent the early years of my childhood in the 80s and 90s growing up in Toronto. I had friends of all ethnicities and it felt like a true reflection of Toronto's calling card as the most diverse city in the world. But looking back, I was acutely aware of the differences in how adults treated us along lines of ethnicity and race.
Today, there’s no doubt that Toronto is as ethnically diverse as ever, but it still can improve—particularly in tech and investment firms.
I came back to Toronto fresh out of journalism school, looking to live my dreams as a TV journalist. One local news station in particular, was known for its on-air diversity and still is. But, the public does not see what those journalists were dealing with behind the scenes. We had to constantly push back against biased reporting, the exclusion of Black success stories, the criminalization of the Black community in news reporting, and microaggressions from colleagues and from management.
"One of my key messages is to uncover our unique Canadian experience with institutional inequality, how it was created, and who benefited and who suffered from it. Only then can we start to really see how our workplaces have been set up to centre some groups and deprioritize others."
– Camille Dundas
What key messages can an audience expect from your keynote with regard to diversity and inclusion?
My keynotes are deeply personal because I have used all of my experiences with discrimination in the workplace to figure out the most important lessons in making Canadian workplaces more equitable and inclusive for all of us. I anchor my keynotes in extensive research on Canadian-specific history, statistics and real-life examples. One of my key messages is to uncover our unique Canadian experience with institutional inequality, how it was created, and who benefited and who suffered from it. Only then can we start to really see how our workplaces have been set up to centre some groups and deprioritize others. This helps us unlearn some of the biases we have all grown up with to give us a clear mental pathway to start dismantling the barriers to inclusivity and equity in the workplace.
How do you tailor the topic of diversity and inclusion for corporate groups?
When I’m working with a new client, it’s important to figure out where they are on their equity, diversity and inclusion journey. I also tailor my approach based on the type of audience in attendance. If I am delivering content to a C-suite group or a management group, then I may make the session more intimate and interactive so that participants can have the chance to express their challenges with EDI implementation, and I can in turn do some coaching within that session to help them achieve tangible outcomes.
A cornerstone of my educational approach is scenario-based learning. Over the years, I have been asked “What do I do in X situation”? And so I have collected so much data around real-life scenarios that play out in corporate life. I have crafted this data into short scenarios that I share with participants and give them a chance to decide how they would handle the situation if they were in it. Then I give guidance on the ‘least’ or ‘most’ effective responses and we discuss them as a group.
Hear Dundas’s keynote on Expanding Inclusion Through Intersectionality.
Disrupting Power Dynamics for Meaningful Change
Who: Jessie Wente, Broadcaster, Indigenous Advocate & Pop Culture Philosopher
His story: A celebrated film critic and broadcaster, Toronto-born and raised Jesse Wente is Ojibwe and a member of Ontario’s Serpent River First Nation. He was a columnist for CBC Radio’s Metro Morning for over 20 years, is the Strategic Advisor at the Indigenous Screen Office and the only First Nations person to ever hold the position of Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts. Wente was named to Maclean’s 2020 Power List, Toronto Life’s Most Influential Torontonians of 2020 and was awarded IABC/Toronto’s BMO Communicator of the Year in 2022. He is the author of Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance.
Keynotes: Diversity & Inclusion is a Necessity, Not a Choice; Unreconciled—Making Meaningful Change; Reconciling Representation: Indigenous People in Popular Culture
Why: A compelling storyteller, Wente inspires his audiences to consider diversity and inclusion into the future view of their organization, industry and country, using stories from his life and his family’s history.
"Every organization is on their own path, and I try to understand where they are and meet them there. I always use personal storytelling to strike home points about systemic issues, as it makes the issues more real and ultimately actionable."
– Jessie Wente
How do you address your personal experience with diversity and inclusion in the city of Toronto?
I tend to speak to my experience living here my whole life as a First Nations person. It tends to be a complex relationship and one that is seldom in the right relation.
What key messages can an audience expect from your keynote with regard to diversity and inclusion?
Typically, I talk about the limits of the traditional DEI framework. I prefer a right relations framework that centres relationships and seeks to disrupt the power dynamics that can remain in DEI frameworks.
How do you tailor the topic of diversity and inclusion for corporate groups?
I tailor all my talks to meet the needs of the organization while keeping to my central approach. Every organization is on their own path, and I try to understand where they are and meet them there. I always use personal storytelling to strike home points about systemic issues, as it makes the issues more real and ultimately actionable.
The Power of Workplace Diversity
Who: Dr. Hadiya Roderique, Diversity and Inclusion Advocate, Journalist, Lawyer, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto
Her story: Named one of Canadian Lawyer’s 25 Most Influential Lawyers in 2018, and recipient of a Rising Star award from the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, Roderique is renowned for her powerful 2017 Globe and Mail essay, “Black on Bay Street,” about her experience as a young Black woman working as a Bay Street lawyer.
Keynotes: Cultivating a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace; The Path to Inclusive Leadership; Becoming a Bias-Free Workplace; Building Stronger Teams by Embracing Diversity
Why: Roderique’s talks focus on the challenges and barriers to diversity and inclusion and demonstrate the power behind diverse and inclusive workplaces.
"I use my experiences to bring the data and statistics I use to life, to show that these numbers translate to people's actual experiences. Connecting theory to lived experience!"
— Dr Hadiya Roderique
How do you address your personal experience with diversity and inclusion in the city of Toronto?
My personal story and experiences, from my junior kindergarten teacher's refusal to believe that I could read already at age 4 to my recent experiences as a Black woman in predominantly white workplaces, are woven into my keynotes. I use my experiences to bring the data and statistics I use to life, to show that these numbers translate to people's actual experiences. Connecting theory to lived experience!
What key messages can an audience expect from your keynote with regard to diversity and inclusion?
My talks typically have three parts: Highlighting the problem, talking about how to approach the problem from an organizational lens, the personal impact of discrimination and exclusion, and how to approach the problem as an individual. People want to know what their organizations can do better, but they also want to know what they can do better—how they can be a better person tomorrow.
How do you tailor the topic of diversity and inclusion for corporate groups?
While many systemic issues and challenges are universal, different organizations are at different stages of tackling the complex issue of inclusion in the workplace. I have an in-depth conversation with the organizers to get background on the makeup of the organization, what steps they have taken so far, and what steps are on the horizon.
These nuances are woven into my talks—a group that has a robust hiring system from a DEI perspective will need less information on hiring, for example. As storytelling is core to a message that stays with participants, I also speak with the organizers to get a sense of which storytelling examples may resonate best.
Creating Inclusive Spaces
Who: Michael Bach, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Executive and Thought Leader, Author, Speaker
His story: An internationally recognized thought leader and expert in the fields of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, Bach is the founder of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), CCDI Consulting and Pride at Work Canada. He is also the author of best-selling and award-winning books: Birds of All Feathers: Doing Diversity and Inclusion Right and Alphabet Soup: The Essential Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion at Work. Bach was recently named as one of the “10 Most Influential DE&I Leaders Revamping the Future” by CIO Views Magazine.
Keynotes: The Smart IDEA: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility is Good Business; My Superpower is Privilege: Understanding Your Secret Weapon to Create Inclusive Spaces; Safety in Numbers: Ensuring your Space is a Safe Space
Why: Bach has more than 30 years of extensive experience working in the area of 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion and can speak on many topics related to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility. He brings a wealth of knowledge of leading practices for creating equitable workplaces in any industry.
"There is a significant amount of research that shows how a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace can have a significant positive impact on the top and bottom line of an organization.
– Michael Bach
How do you address your personal experience with diversity and inclusion in the city of Toronto?
I grew up in Toronto. As such, my entire context has been shaped by the city’s amazing diversity. When I find myself in more homogeneous spaces (like white-dominated or male-dominated rooms), I can start to feel uncomfortable. I embrace the diversity of others in all its forms.
However, I was also growing up at a time when homophobia was quite common. As a young queer person, I recall feeling unwelcome in what I considered to be “my” city. It was a lot of years before I felt comfortable with being open about my sexuality anywhere in the city. And truthfully, there are still parts of the city where I wouldn’t walk down the street holding my husband’s hand out of fear of how people might react. Inclusion isn’t universal, and we still have work to do before we are a truly inclusive city.
"My main message is always that diversity and inclusion is a critical ingredient to success for any organization. I never talk about it as 'the right thing to do' or as a moral imperative. [...] Diversity and inclusion isn’t about doing the right thing. It’s about doing the smart thing."
– Michael Bach
What key messages can an audience expect from your keynote with regard to diversity and inclusion?
My main message is always that diversity and inclusion is a critical ingredient to success for any organization. I never talk about it as “the right thing to do” or as a moral imperative. It’s not that I don’t believe it’s the right thing to do, but that argument never convinces people who are skeptical or object to the need for change. The moral imperative isn’t enough of a motivation for some people.
There is a significant amount of research that shows how a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace can have a significant positive impact on the top and bottom line of an organization. It doesn’t matter the type of organization—for-profit or non-profit, public or private, large or small, municipal, provincial, national or international—the impact is the same. A focus on diversity and inclusion can have a significant positive impact on the top and bottom line.
Diversity and inclusion isn’t about doing the right thing. It’s about doing the smart thing.
How do you tailor the topic of diversity and inclusion for corporate groups?
The message is always the same, but the examples change. When speaking to a bank’s senior executive, I talk about reducing voluntary turnover of employees, increasing employee engagement, increasing customer satisfaction and increasing positive brand recognition. If I’m delivering a presentation to a group of entrepreneurs, I use examples that are relevant to them, like how to attract a diverse customer base. But the key components are the same.