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Baroness Ruth Hunt is a leading voice in diversity, equity and inclusion, best known for her transformative leadership in LGBTQ+ advocacy and cultural change across sectors. With a deep-rooted commitment to systemic equality, Ruth has worked for over two decades at the intersection of policy, civil society and organisational leadership. A highly respected crossbench peer in the House of Lords, she brings courage, clarity and compassion to conversations on social justice, while championing inclusive environments where all individuals can thrive.
After studying English Language and Literature at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, where she was elected President of the Oxford University Student Union, Ruth began her professional journey in the higher education sector at the Equality Challenge Unit. There, she supported institutions in tackling discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2005, she joined Stonewall – Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ equality charity – initially as a Senior Policy Officer, quickly rising through the ranks to become Head of Policy and Research, then Director of Public Affairs, and ultimately Chief Executive in 2014. Under her leadership, Stonewall expanded its remit to include trans people, marking a historic shift in the charity’s focus and firmly positioning Ruth as a progressive force in equality campaigning.
At Stonewall, Ruth oversaw campaigns that reached across sectors – from education to sport, health to the military – partnering with organisations like the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Accenture. She led high-impact initiatives including the Rainbow Laces campaign, tackling homophobia in football, and shaped policy development through research into LGBTQ+ health, faith and aging. Ruth’s approach was grounded in humility, collaboration and strategic vision – qualities that continue to define her leadership today. In 2019, she was appointed Baroness Hunt of Bethnal Green in Theresa May’s Resignation Honours, becoming the youngest crossbench peer in the House of Lords at the time.
Since stepping down from Stonewall, Ruth has co-founded Deeds and Words, a consultancy helping public, private and third-sector organisations embed collective leadership and psychological safety into their cultures. Her work empowers senior leaders to move beyond hierarchical models and towards values-led, inclusive practice. As a keynote speaker, Ruth shares her expertise with authenticity and moral courage – inviting audiences to lean into difficult questions, build allyship, and commit to long-term change. Her talks are a powerful call to action for individuals and organisations striving to live out their values in today’s complex world.
“Ruth was incredible and we had fantastic feedback – I’ve had a few emails from people saying how much they enjoyed her talk. She was a lot of fun and to be honest only scratching the surface so it’s something I want to explore further. She did a great job.”
“The talk was incredibly captivating, useful and interesting. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far.”
“She’s such a wonderful speaker; her approach really suited us as an organisation and created space for people to feel comfortable sharing and asking questions. I’ve had lots of great feedback trickle in already. It’s been a real pleasure to work with Ruth, and I am feeling very smug about our choice of speaker!”
“I just wanted to drop you an email to say thank you so much for speaking at our conference. After wrapping up our activities for Pride Month last week, we continue to be flooded with a deluge of positive reflections and reactions from your talk. It was both an honour to hear such an authentic perspective and personally very inspiring. As a non-binary person whose goal for the last seven years has been to achieve legal recognition for non-binary people in the UK, it was so comforting to hear my concerns and struggles validated. Thank you again, and if there is anything Pride can do for you, or if there is anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.”
“We are very pleased with the talks that Ruth gave. We also received great comments from our employees. We appreciated Ruth’s professionalism and smooth briefing. She was interested in what we wanted to achieve with our Pride campaign and how she can support our objectives. All in all, big thanks to Ruth and to you for connecting us to her!”
“The event went brilliantly, Ruth was engaging and lots of people really resonated with her.”
“Ruth was a fantastic speaker who provided a real insight into the inner workings of the House of Lords’ policymaking process on LGBTQ+ matters and beyond. In particular, she also chose not to mince words about the worrying rise of discrimination towards trans people right now – something that should absolutely not be controversial but one society & other corporations are evidently making so.”
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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