Internationally renowned bias, diversity and inclusion expert, Risha Grant is also an accomplished speaker on sales and leadership, an author and a community correspondent for NBC KJRH TV News 2. Grappling with her own biases, having grown up in conservative Oklahoma as a woman of colour. Risha has first-hand experience of societal “isms”, discrimination and inequality. Motivated by her experiences, Risha made it a personal mission to showcase the value of diversity and inclusion, utilising her award-winning diversity and consulting firm, Risha Grant LLC.
An excellent communicator, having completed an AA in Mass Communication from Northern Oklahoma College, whilst on a full athletic scholarship. Risha went on to complete a B.S in Broadcast Journalism from Kansas State University. In 1998 she founded Risha Grant LLC, the only full-service diversity & inclusion, communications consulting firm in Oklahoma.
In her practice, Risha has helped countless organisations, motivating and educating them on best practices for diversity and inclusion. Working with U.S. Air forces, Samsung Electronics America, Reserve Bank of Kansas and NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder to name a few. An accomplished international speaker Risha has made several keynote speeches on diversity and inclusion. In addition, to being a contributor to Black Enterprise Magazine, she is also the author of That’s BS! How Bias Synapse Disrupts Inclusive Cultures.
Featured in prominent publications such as Forbes, The Financial Times and Bloomberg Media, Risha has also been honoured on numerous occasions. She has received numerous awards such as being named one of the Top 10 Most Powerful Women Leaders in HR by PeopleHum in 2021, 40 Top Women Keynote Speakers by Real Leaders, NBA OKC Thunder Changemaker Award and Top 100 HR Expert. Furthermore, she was named 1 in 9 Speakers Turning Crisis into Opportunity by Entrepreneur magazine in 2020 and in 2018 she won the Inclusive Leadership Award. Passionate for propagating the benefits of diversity and inclusion, with an abundance of knowledge, Risha Grant is the perfect speaker to book for anything diversity and inclusion related.
In February 2023 we sat down virtually with Risha Grant and discussed the key qualities of an inclusive workplace culture. Watch our Exclusive Interview with Risha Grant.
Books
That's BS: How Bias Synapse Disrupts Inclusive Cultures and the Power to Attract Diverse Markets
How to hire Risha Grant
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Risha Grant 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.
Risha's official speaking topics are listed below:
Get Rid of Your BS
- Create a successful diversity communications plan of action
- Communicate to diverse audiences
- Market to diverse groups vs. mainstream audiences
Build an Inclusive Culture
- Keys to attract and retain top diverse talent
- Strategies to showcase how an inclusive culture provides a competitive advantage
- The stuff she thinks is important (that you should write down) as you establish your inclusive culture
Attract Diverse Markets
- An understanding of diversity & inclusion
- A thorough awareness of biases
- A realization of how biases originated
- A recognition of the symptoms and results of bias
- Tools to address bias internally and externally
- Tips to navigate bias in the workplace
"D&I is hard work because we humans are complicated. The bottom line is when you need an extraordinary facilitator–who is clear-eyed, compassionate, and unafraid to work on implicit bias—call Risha. She steered the conversation to illustrate the unacknowledged, unaware white privilege that was underneath many of the exchanges among the participants, yet always created an environment of safety. Risha is uniquely equipped to lead your people forward into better territory where everybody wins" - Tony, Manager, Behavioural Health Service, Studenty Counselling and Mental Health Service, Harvard University
"Nestle Purina’s Women Leaders Forum invited Risha Grant to lead a (virtual) presentation to our members in August 2020. Risha’s presentation, Authenticity is Everything, was a candid discussion on how to identify and get rid of our biases so that we can show up as our authentic selves. The feedback from this discussion was overwhelming! Our members appreciated the safe space for discussion, asked thought-provoking questions that Risha answered truthfully, and walked away with tools on how to examine and overcome their own biases. Risha has such a dynamic personality that was felt even through the virtual environment (although I bet seeing her in person is even better!) and a disarming manner that made it easy for us to engage with her. If you’re looking for an energetic, no BS speaker to engage your organisation on some tough topics, hire Risha" - Leah, Director of Education and Programming, Nestle Purina Women Leaders Forum
"We loved having Risha as our Keynote Speaker for our 2020 Professionals of Color Conference. This year came with a lot of challenges, but Risha and her team made going virtual smooth. Risha’s content challenged the cultural norms and we appreciated her openly speaking her truth and experiences" - Amway
"We just completed her session and it was the most well-received of our 3 keynotes, in my opinion. She knocked it out of the park. Or, to use a basketball reference, she was draining 3’s all speech long. She did a fabulous job. I truly appreciated her storytelling and transparency. It allowed our team members to connect with her" - Reginald, Chief Diversity Officer & SVP NA Field Human Resources, Signet Jewellers
- 2021 - Named as one of the Top 10 Most Powerful Women Leaders in HR by PeopleHum
- 2020 - Awarded the NBA OKC Thunder Changemaker Award
- 2020 - Named as 1 in 9 Speakers Turning Crisis Into an Opportunity by Entrepreneur Magazine
- 2018 - Winner of the Inclusive Leadership Award
- 2017 - Winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award
- 2017 - Author of That's BS: How Bias Synapse Disrupts Inclusive Cultures and the Power to Attract Diverse Markets
- 2014 - Diversity & Inclusion Expert, International Speaker & Host of KJRH-NBC JustUs
- 1998 - Founder & CEO of Risha Grant LLC
- Named as one of the 40 Top Women Keynote Speakers by Real Leaders
- Featured in The Financial Times, the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Glamour Magazine, Bloomberg Media, HR News and Black Enterprise
- Named as a Top 100 HR Expert
- Named as one of the Engagedly Top 100 HR Influencers in 2019, 2020 and 2021
