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Ife Thomas is a trailblazing diversity and inclusion keynote speaker, neurodiversity advocate, and confidence coach, known for her infectious energy and transformative message. As a Black autistic woman raising two autistic sons, she brings a powerful mix of lived experience, behavioural science, and deep compassion to every stage she steps on. Ife’s work focuses on building inclusive cultures that empower neurodivergent and marginalised talent. Her mission is simple yet profound: to help people connect, collaborate, and lead with confidence and authenticity.
Ife began her career in the entertainment industry as a professional dancer and performer, gaining national attention through her appearances on The X Factor, BBC programmes, music videos, and commercials. A serious knee injury ended her performing career prematurely, but Ife’s determination and charisma shone through when she appeared on Big Brother in 2010, where she became a fan favourite. Leveraging her public platform, Ife pivoted into business and leadership, going on to serve as Executive Director of The Ladder Agency and later as Managing Director of The National Accountancy Network. She later founded the National Network of Chartered Accountants, showcasing her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence.
Passionate about mental health and wellbeing, Ife launched MindWorkOut, a company that delivers mindset training and emotional resilience programmes. She is also the author of the bestselling book ‘PowerLift Your Career: Everything You Need to Succeed’, a practical guide to self-leadership, and the creator of The Confidence Star, a widely used tool for building confidence in schools, workplaces, and healthcare settings across the UK. Her viral LinkedIn post ‘We Are All on the Spectrum… No, We’re Not’ sparked international discussion on autism and inclusion. In her TEDx talk ‘Own Your Shine’, Ife champions the importance of authenticity and self-acceptance in leadership.
Ife’s signature framework, FABULOUS, equips organisations with tools to foster flexibility, authenticity, and boldness in the workplace. She has delivered keynote talks for leading organisations such as Sony, eBay, BP, ClearScore, Snapchat, ITV Embrace, NatWest, Specsavers, Starbucks, Mind, and the NHS. Her sessions on confidence, inclusion, parenting neurodivergent children, and resilience are impactful, uplifting, and grounded in real-world insight. Through speaking, coaching, and writing, Ife continues to shift the narrative around diversity, equity, and inclusion—one powerful conversation at a time.
“We were delighted to have Ife Thomas as our keynote speaker at this year’s Warwick Inclusion Conference. Her session was incredibly inspiring and left our audience energised, motivated and engaged. Ife’s ability to connect with the audience and ignite a sense of purpose was truly remarkable. Beyond the fantastic presentation, Ife was also incredibly easy to work with. Ife was professional, approachable and went above and beyond to ensure the success of our event. From initial communication to the day of the event, Ife and her team made the entire process seamless. I would highly recommend Ife for any speaking engagement and hope to work with her again in the future.”
“Just wanted to send a huge THANK YOU to Ife for her time today. Her presentation was so inspiring – she made it so personal by talking about her own story and I think we all walked away with the inspiration to work better together as a team and grow ourselves as individuals. Please do pass along our appreciation.”
“Ife was great – very passionate and informative about her subject and it fitted well with celebrating World Mental Health Day. We would love her to come back again in the future.”
“Ife an infectious energy, and a real passion about helping others. Her inspirational way with words, along with the ways in which she explains things is mesmerising. Knowing that she studied her profession but also lives it in real life means she gives practical advice and can be empathetic with the parents she works with. Would highly recommend taking a listen to what this lovely lady has to say.”
The Diversity and Inclusion Speakers Agency has been one of the UK’s leading bureaus for inspirational figures of different races, genders, sexualities and abilities since 2020. We supply speakers for corporate and public events across the world, and cater to both in-person occasions and online webinars. Our roster includes athletes, psychologists, celebrities and more, to ensure that audiences of all industries receive tailored, impactful advice on diversity and inclusion.
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