BIO

Yemi Akisanya has leveraged his 15 -year expertise as an effective global business leader and board member who has achieved significant success in changing corporate culture. His qualifications include taking up Global Head of DEI roles, providing consulting services, delivering keynote speeches and contributing to influential thought leadership. 

Yemi serves on the Board of Directors for i.c.stars, a program that provides workforce development and access to career opportunities for low-income adults. He is the current Chairman, Board of Directors for Digitalundivided; advocating to catalyze economic growth for Black and Latinx women entrepreneurs and innovators. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago State University Foundation. 

Yemi is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management MBA program. He also holds a Master of Science in Communication from Northwestern University, and a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Southern Illinois University.

I presented this keynote address on “The Business Case of Diversity: Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace” at the 2022 Customer Contact Week Nashville. We acknowledged the rising demand of social consciousness that consumers are demanding from organizations, employers, and stakeholders. Finally, we outlined how to identify 'your’ business case for DEI, with the strategies and actions that provide better business outcomes. 

I developed this interactive presentation while working with Leaders in the United Kingdom. The skill to build and manage diverse teams is limited to whether managers can evolve in a homogenous environment. With the mixed success of DEI training programs and initiatives, leaders of organizations are neither fully equipped nor trained to capitalize on the diversity dividend. Unless leaders have appropriate skills to manage differences, diverse teams can underperform homogenous teams.