Anj Handa

Anj Handa – Founder of Inspiring Women Changemakers & Inclusion Speaker

Anj Handa is the Founder of Inspiring Women Changemakers, an inclusive community of changemakers who stand for fairness and safety for women. Recognised in Forbes as one of the ‘10 Diversity & Inclusion Trailblazers You Need to Get Familiar With’. Anj is a keynote speaker and an authority on Good Governance and Inclusive Leadership.

Her focus is on creating inclusive cultures and positive social change: how to get and keep people engaged with your organisation’s mission.

With expertise in UK leadership and governance practice and as a professional lobbyist,she has a wealth of knowledge to share. Multilingual, she also brings a global perspective from working in and with international teams and diplomatic assignments.

In her talks, Anj draws on her own experiences when speaking about diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership and governance, covering little-explored themes such as psychological safety, emotional correctness, and healthy boundaries.

For the last two decades, Anj has worked with organisations in the UK, Europe, and the US, working collaboratively to create better opportunities for people in business and society and lobbying to change policy that hinders them. She advises organisations on how to attract and retain diverse talent and develop highly effective, globally savvy leaders. Her clients include Sky Business, Regeneron, the NHS, Leeds Beckett University, Restless Development, CIMA and The Chartered Management Institute.

Anj believes that her authority to speak on diversity within leadership must be reflected by her own example. In addition to running her social business, as a Non-Exec Director, she has Board level experience of the design and implementation of diversity, inclusion and social impact programmes.

Named as one of Grant Thornton’s 100 Faces of a Vibrant Economy, described by i-news as ‘a bloody brilliant woman’ and winner of the AFSA Positive Action Award, Anj was also named in the UK Charity Times 2023 International Women’s Day list for the capacity-building she undertakes with organisations within the charity sector.

Her recent non-exec roles include Chair of of arts organisation Freedom Studios and Independent Governor and Committee Chair at Leeds Arts University. As such, she belongs to only 1% of Black and brown women in the UK holding Governance roles at this level.

Anj teaches the personal and professional lessons gained throughout her career and her experience of leading a high-profile legal and media campaign. She inspires others to make a change in themselves, their workplaces and communities, and the wider world.

Speaking Topics –

Her talks focus on three key areas and can be tailored to your objectives. These are:

• Radical Self-Care for Changemakers
• Navigating the Labyrinth: Shattering the Myth of the Glass Ceiling
• Why you’re not harnessing diverse talent – and what to do about it

Additionally, Anj’s global changemaking work has been featured in Generation Share by Benita Matofska and Sophie Sheinwald, a visual storybook featuring 200 global changemakers, the largest ever collection of changemaker stories. Her work on Female Genital Mutilation and asylum also been included in Eradicating FGM in the UK by Guardian writer Hillary Burrage, and Refugee Tales by Comma Press.

ANJ HANDA KEYNOTE TALKS

Navigating the Labryinth – Shattering the Myth of the Glass Ceiling

• Anj’s journey and her ‘why’
• Building your support network inside and outside work
• Learning the ‘rules of the game’: Gender equality in the workplace and why gender pay gaps and other barriers to progression occur
• Introducing the labyrinth – an explanation as to why the labyrinth is a better metaphor than the outdated notion of the glass ceiling
• The masks we wear at work – why ‘covering’ holds us back and when we have imposter syndrome – or something else.

Anj was an absolute superstar, with a VERY short turnaround time Anj delivered a fantastic and tailored keynote at our International Women’s Day event. I’d highly recommend Anj and her approach to the glass ceiling. It was thought-provoking and really did fit the theme this year. Thanks for all your hard work and collaboration. Olivia Ogbomo, Senior Project Manager at Innovate UK

Self Care for Changemakers

• The Power of Storytelling – Anj’s Story
• Putting your own oxygen mask on first – why self care is essential, not a ‘nice to have’ if you are to show up as your most effective and engaged self
• The impact of change on our physical and mental wellbeing – introducing the concept of a double change curve using the pandemic as context
• Build your resilience toolkit – tools and techniques to help you navigate change (e.g. Eisenhower Matrix)

Why you’re not harnessing diverse talent – and what to do about it

• Why any diversity, equity and inclusion initiative must be led from the top
• Intersectionality and the importance of understanding multiple characteristics
• Why making your products and services accessible benefits all
• The importance of inclusive language – are people deselecting themselves because of your communications?
• Allyship v employee networks