Geffrye Parsons has honed his expertise to become the Founder and CEO of The Inclusion Imperative, driven by inclusion and its power as the key to organisational learning and superior business outcomes, and with exceptional expertise in LGBTQ+ inclusion and its intersectionality with other minority characteristics.
Having enjoyed a successful 35-year career working as a front office executive in financial services, most recently as a Managing Director for Macquarie Group, Geffrye has advanced LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion in leaps and bounds, and his endeavours in this space have been recognised with the LGBT+ Inspirational Leader Award at the British LGBT Awards. He is also included in The Guardian's Pride Power List 2022, has been named in the annual list of the Top 100 LGBTQ+ Executives globally three times (2018, 2019, 2021), and has twice been nominated for the Business Role Model Award at the PinkNews Awards (2018, 2022).
Geffrye has worked in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Netherlands. He began his career as an Assistant Audit Manager for Shipleys LLP, progressing to become a Senior Audit Manager for KMPG, before working as an Associate in Structured Finance for Asian Capital Partners, a boutique investment bank. Establishing a solid reputation in the world of finance and business, Geffrye later held the positions of Director and Head of Financial Engineering for both ABN AMRO and ING Bank, and Co-Head of Structured Capital Markets & Emerging Markets in the Fixed Income division for BNP Paribas.
After that, and prior to founding The Inclusion Imperative, Geffrye spent nine years as Managing Director in the Commodities and Global Markets division of Macquarie Group - where, alongside his executive front-office responsibilities, he chaired the LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group, and created revolutionary changes in the organisation's diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices, elevating Macquarie to number 1 on the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index for 2022.
Also during his time at Macquarie, Geffrye led the organisation to win the Business Equality Award at the PinkNews Awards in 2018 and to a shortlist nomination for the Top Inclusive Employer Awards at the British LGBT Awards in 2022. In 2022, Geffrye founded The Inclusion Imperative, through which he challenges received wisdom and organisational practices to foster cultural reinvention. Providing training, coaching and mentoring on diversity, equity and inclusion (especially LGBTQ+ inclusion), Geffrye promotes taking an intersectional approach and the value of authenticity and psychological safety in the workplace. A renowned agitator, disruptor and thought leader in the DE&I space, Geffrye has also spoken extensively on everything from hate speech, conversion therapy and disability to poverty, infertility and bullying.
Throughout his career, Geffrye has supported various charities and associations close to his passions. He is currently a Trustee of GiveOut and Diversity Role Models, as well as a Board Member of Pride in Tennis. He has also acted as a judge for both the British LGBT Awards (for which he is currently also a member of the steering committee) and the PinkNews Awards, and was also formerly a Trustee of London Village Network. Most recently, Geffrye has been a prominent star of several podcasts, having been featured on the Netwon Talks Podcast and the Finding The Unicorn In You Podcast. He was also recently featured on the front cover of CXO Magazine.
Using his experience, energy, creativity and knowledge, Geffrye is creating future generations of inclusive leaders and helping businesses to harness the power of inclusion in the workplace. Geffrye is now a highly sought-after speaker for a range of corporate and industry events. Willing to address challenging topics, Geffrye speaks at awareness-raising events, focussing on intersectionality and organisational learning by promoting authenticity and psychological safety. If you are looking for a thought leader with expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion (especially but not only LGBTQ+ inclusion), intersectionality, workplace culture, authentic leadership, psychological safety and inclusive organisational behaviour, don't hesitate in booking Geffrye Parsons as a speaker today.
How to hire Geffrye Parsons
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Geffrye Parsons for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Geffrye Parsons' official speaking topics are listed below:
Psychological Safety -
The talk explores the importance of psychological safety, and creating a sense of belonging, in the workplace and in teams. This includes:
- What psychological safety means
- What it is comprised of - identity safety, contributor safety, learner safety & challenger safety
- What it is not (i.e. it promotes constructive conflict rather than harmony)
- How it contributes synergistic value by encouraging organisational learning
- How and by whom it is created
Inclusive Leadership -
The talk explores the importance of inclusive leadership in organisations and teams. Based around my self-developed model, it explores:
- What inclusion is
- Why inclusion in the workplace matters
- How organisations suffer from a systemic lack of inclusion
- The distinction between management & leadership
- Leadership behaviours to role model inclusion: embodying EQ and CQ, valuing, promoting and leveraging difference, showing integrity and building trust
- The 9 Cs of inclusive behaviours (a development of Deloitte’s 6 Cs)
Allyship & Advocacy -
The talk explores the importance of allyship and advocacy behaviours in support of minority characteristics in the workplace. It covers:
- What allyship is
- Why allyship is needed
- The value-adding effect of allyship
- The business case: allyship’s commercial impact
- How allyship adds value in teams and workplaces
- The spectrum of allyship
- Allyship behaviours: ‘lending one’s privilege’
The Power of Empathy & Compassion -
The talk explores the importance of empathetic and compassionate leadership behaviours in the workplace. It covers:
- What is meant by empathy & compassion
- How this translates into practice in teams at work
- It's role in fostering psychological safety
- Translating empathy into action, i.e. compassion
- The role of authenticity in empathetic leadership
- Empathetic leadership behaviours
LGBTQ+ Inclusion 101 -
The talk explains the basics of being LGBTQ+ and the importance and ways of being inclusive of LGBTQ+ people at work. It covers:
- LGBTQ+ history
- LGBTQ+ terminology
- Key LGBTQ+ statistics
- How orientation, identity and expression can diverge from the heteronormative binary
- The business case for LGBTQ+ inclusion
- How to be LGBTQ+ inclusive, with allyship tips
Intersectionality Inclusion 101 -
The talk explains the importance of taking a holistic, intersectional approach to inclusion, emphasising the commonalities between minority characteristics and how to address the compounding barriers which multiple characteristics can create.
ERG & Diversity Committee Optimisation -
The talk explains how to make best use of employee resource groups (ERGs) and Diversity Committees. It covers:
- What ERGs and Diversity Committees
- The rationale underpinning them
- Their purposes, scope and objectives
- How they can add value
- How they should be organised and governed
- How they should work with internal and external stakeholders
- How to measure their success
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"What sets Geff apart is his deep knowledge and understanding of business and how inclusion has to be integral to support performance at the individual, team and organisational levels. I'm not sure I have met another consultant who is better able to understand how to help organisations move beyond performative inclusion." - Proud Science Alliance
"Geffrye is a fantastic speaker - very insightful, knowledgeable, experienced and passionate about all topics he covers, particularly LGBTQ issues, intersectionality, workplace culture, the power of staff networks, and the wider ED&I spectrum! He was a pleasure to work with." - Culture Shift
"We were hugely impressed by Geff’s passion, logical approach, in-depth knowledge, practical insights, and persuasive communication style at all levels" - Linklaters
"Geff is an incredible speaker! Very knowledgeable and engaging" - The Institute of Government & Public Policy
"Geff hosted an incredible educational event for our organisation. The talk was informative, engaging and catered for everyone. We’d love to work with Geff again!" - RBC Royal Bank of Canada
"Geff's delivery style is engaging, it brings to life the practical insightful inclusion content he delivers." - WorkLife Central
"The visibility with which Geff put LGBTQ+ equality on the agenda in the otherwise conservative and often difficult to change the world of banking is inspiring. In the process, Geff is changing the banking industry and the City as a whole. The impact of Geff’s visibility and actions is not just for a day or a month but will be felt for years to come. In my experience, a lot of people find it easy to pay lip service – Geff is one of the very few who takes action." - Krishna, Corporate Lawyer & Stonewall Role Model of the Year 2018
"Geff has a boundless and infectious passion for LGBTQ+ inclusion. What sets him apart is that he is committed to ALL LGBTQ+ people, not a subset. Geff is a truly intersectional practitioner and creates change so that everyone can better succeed. He is also a great mentor and teacher, happy to meet people wherever they are on their journey." - Sarah, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion EMEA, Macquarie Group
"Geff is one of the most high-energy and high-impact executives I have encountered in the area of LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion. Geff is deeply committed to helping the LGBTQ+ community. I genuinely could not hope to encounter an LGBTQ+ executive who is doing more for our community." - Elliot, MD & Senior Partner, BCG
"Geff has been a great advocate for inclusion within the workplace across the LGBTQ+ spectrum and through his openness and work with external initiatives such as ours, has demonstrated the importance both of being authentic and true to yourself at work, as well as working to ensure others can do the same, whether they face the same difficulties as you or not." - Jonathan, Co-Founder, London Bi Network
- 2022 - Shortlisted for the Business Role Model award at the PinkNews Awards
- 2022 - Named on The Guardian Pride Power List of the Most Influential LGBTQ+ People in the UK
- 2021 - Ranked in the top quartile of the Top 100 LGBTQ+ Executives
- 2019 - Ranked in the top quartile of the Top 100 LGBTQ+ Executives
- 2019 - Winner of the LGBT+ Inspirational Leader award at the British LGBT Awards
- 2018 - Ranked in the top quartile of the Top 100 LGBTQ+ Executives
- 2018 - Shortlisted for the Business Role Model award at the PinkNews Awards
- 2018 - Winner of the PinkNews Business Equality Award with Macquarie
- 2015 - Managing Director of Commodities & Global Markets for Macquarie Bank
- 2013 - Managing Director of Local Markets Structuring, Commodities & Financial Markets for Macquarie Bank
- 2006 - Structured Capital Markets, Emerging Markets & Fixed Income for BNP Paribas
- 2003 - Director & Head of Financial Engineering Asia/Europe for ING Bank
- 1996 - Director & Head of Financial Engineering Asia for ABN AMRO
- 1994 - Associate, Structured Corporate Finance for Asian Capital Partners
- 1991 - Senior Audit Manager for KPMG
- 1991 - Acting CFO for Enotria Wines
- 1987 - Assistant Audit Manager for Shipleys Chartered Accountants
- Steering Committee Member for the British LGBT Awards
- Judge for the PinkNews Awards & the British LGBT Awards
- Trustee of GiveOut & Diversity Role Models
- Board Member of Pride in Tennis
- Former Trustee of London Village Network
