Leyla Okhai

Leyla Okhai is an exceptional keynote speaker renowned for her deep expertise in race equity, mental health, and inclusive leadership. As the Founder and CEO of Diverse Minds UK, she has spent over two decades championing workplace wellbeing and culture change, bringing both academic insight and personal lived experience to her talks. A passionate advocate and engaging communicator, her TEDx Talk, ‘The Connection Between Race, Culture and Mental Health’, has resonated widely, offering practical solutions to systemic workplace challenges and raising awareness about the impact of culture on mental wellbeing.

Leyla’s professional journey began after earning a BSc (Hons) in Food Science from the University of Leeds in 2003. Her interest in inclusion was sparked early, serving as the Vice-President Welfare at Leeds University Union from 2003 to 2004. She then volunteered with theEuropean Voluntary Service, working in a socio-cultural centre in Spain, helping immigrants gain employment and language skills - an experience that shaped her global perspective. Leyla’s commitment to equity and representation was further deepened during her time at the University of Oxford, where she first worked in student recruitment before becoming the university’s first advisor for race and religion in its Equality and Diversity Unit, spearheading a range of innovative race equity initiatives.

Throughout her career, Leyla has held significant leadership positions, most notably as Head of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre at Imperial College London. There, she led a team implementing strategic institutional change and created the College’s mental health and wellbeing vision. In 2017, she founded Diverse Minds UK, a consultancy offering coaching, training, and strategic support. Her business has been recognised with awards including the 2019 Woman Who Award in the Services Category and Outstanding Diversity and Inclusion Business of the Year from the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce. In 2021, her Diverse Minds Podcast was named Best Diversity and Inclusion Podcast at the Podcasting for Business Awards. Leyla has also served as a Council Member at the University of Leeds from 2018 to 2024 and currently leads the Collective Leadership Group at Hatch Enterprise UK.

Audiences hire Leyla Okhai because of her unparalleled ability to connect mental health with culture, identity and systemic inequality. She speaks on vital topics such as mental wellbeing, race equity, inclusive leadership, intersectionality, and South Asian identity. With South Asian Heritage Month approaching and the theme of Roots to Routes at its core, Leyla’s voice is more relevant than ever. Her warm delivery, informed by deep expertise and a wealth of personal insight, makes her a vital addition to any event.