Valerie Alexander

CEO of Speak Happiness, Global Keynote Speaker on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Million-View TEDx Speaker on Unconscious Bias & Trusted Advisor to Fortune 500 Organisations

  • Former investment banker & technology attorney
  • Founder of AI platform Goalkeeper
  • Screenwriter, director & producer of commercial campaigns
  • Speaker for law firms, universities & global conferences
  • Visiting Professor at UC Berkeley School of Law

Discover Valerie Alexander’s biography of published work below.

How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace (Despite Having “Female Brains”)
Happiness as a Second Language A Guidebook to Achieving Lasting, Permanent Happiness
Happiness as a Second Language: A Guidebook to Achieving Lasting, Permanent Happiness
Success as a Second Language: A Guidebook for Defining and Achieving Personal Success
Success as a Second Language: A Guidebook for Defining and Achieving Personal Success

When Valerie Alexander is booked for events, they are known to discuss the following speaking topics:

Outsmarting Unconscious Bias
Advancement of Women in the Workplace
Happiness as a Strategic Business Advantage
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Valerie Alexander is a globally recognised Diversity and Inclusion keynote speaker, workplace happiness expert and culture strategist, known for her work on unconscious bias and inclusive leadership. Valerie helps organisations build environments where people feel valued, respected and empowered to contribute fully. Her approach combines behavioural science with practical business insight, enabling leaders to create cultures that prioritise equity, belonging and performance.

Valerie’s career journey is uniquely diverse, spanning law, finance, technology and entertainment. After studying Law and Environmental Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, she began her career as an Attorney specialising in business and technology, before moving into investment banking with SG Cowen & Company. She later held senior leadership roles including VP of Business Development at PixelWorks Networks, developing strategic partnerships in the tech sector. Valerie then transitioned into the creative industries, becoming a Screenwriter, Director and Producer of over 50 commercials and films, including campaigns advocating for equality such as ‘Say I Do’ and ‘The Wedding Matters’.

Her achievements extend across multiple industries, reflecting both innovation and social impact. Valerie is the CEO of Speak Happiness, where she advises global organisations on improving workplace culture, inclusion and retention. She is also the Founder and former CEO of Goalkeeper, an AI-powered platform designed to strengthen relationships and communication. Valerie is a bestselling author of ‘Happiness as a Second Language’ and ‘How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace’, and her TEDx talk ‘How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias’ has surpassed one million views, becoming a widely used educational resource. She has delivered keynote presentations for leading organisations including Nike, NASA and Coca-Cola.

As a keynote speaker, Valerie is known for translating complex ideas into engaging, actionable strategies. Valerie speaks on unconscious bias, diversity, equity and inclusion, workplace happiness and the advancement of women, helping organisations understand how bias forms and how it can be addressed. Her sessions provide leaders with tools to amplify underrepresented voices, rethink outdated systems and create fairer opportunities. Valerie’s engaging style, combined with her depth of expertise, makes her a trusted partner for organisations seeking meaningful, lasting change in diversity and inclusion.

Official Testimonials

Valerie Alexander is regularly booked to engage audiences at events, read their latest feedback below:

CFA Montreal recently invited Valerie to speak about unconscious bias in the workplace. Valerie is an excellent presenter – she delivered a powerful, eye-opening, thought-provoking virtual presentation to our members, translating science into day-to-day examples and providing practical, valuable guidance on how to effectively outsmart unconscious biases. She kept everyone engaged through polls, animations and visuals, and the audience loved her energy and passion. Valerie is a pleasure to work with. Extremely professional, gracious and accommodating, she took the time to understand our organization’s needs. I highly recommend Valerie!”

Ioana, Investments at University of Montreal Pension Plan 

Diversity and inclusion are topics that are very close to my heart. We recently invited Valerie to speak to my leadership team about the same topic. Valerie took us through a journey and it was a humbling experience when we realized how unconscious bias sets in and how much more we have to do! We covered topics that can be uncomfortable but Valerie’s mastery in helping our teams guide through those moments was amazing! She is an amazing presenter, used remote conferencing tools to perfection and kept our whole management team engaged throughout the session”

Sharath, CEO, Vindicia 

Simply sensational! Valerie delivered a very inspiring, thought-provoking conversation to our 700 participants on elevating their professional effectiveness (as women). This was by far the most engaged our audience has been in a virtual program all year!”

Jessica, Executive Vice President of Sales, Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty 

“Valerie is a terrific presenter. She gave an inspiring virtual talk to my group of attorneys that helped me change my outlook to a more positive one instantly. She made full use of the tools available on zoom, shared screen, PowerPoint, polls of the members, etc. She uses mnemonic devices and clever lists to help you remember what she says. It was a complete presentation on happiness for lawyers. She’s definitely one of the top speakers we’ve had, and we’ve had quite a few. In a word, she’s memorable.”

Martin, Los Angeles Business and Real Estate Attorney 

We recently had Valerie as the main speaker for our F5 Women’s EIG (Equality Inclusion Group) virtual events. This was one of our first virtual events, and working with Valerie made it so much easier. Not only was she great to work with, but she was also very well received by our employees globally. Her enthusiasm and energy came across even though it was all virtual! Valerie took the time to understand our company and make her presentation personable to F5 to help encourage us to think differently. The feedback from the audience was amazing! I would highly recommend Valerie for any virtual or face to face events and I look forward to working with her again in the future”

Aine, Senior Regional Marketing Manager EMEA, NGINX

“Valerie was supposed to present to us in person in March 2020 — then we had to pivot once the pandemic hit us. Valerie didn’t miss a beat– she was gracious, flexible, and adapted her keynote to 100 of our leaders virtually– as a master in the Zoom setting I must say. Her specific examples were spot on and she delivered a message with confidence, without shame and blame, and in an approachable and actionable way to our organization. I highly recommend Valerie and her visualization exercise alone is so worth getting her to speak to your audience”

Sheila, Executive Vice President, People-Culture-Inclusion

To enquire about Valerie Alexander for your event or corporate function, simply contact us via agent@diversity-inclusion-speakers.com or call a booking agent on 0203 9816 297.