Dumi Senda
Inspiring speaker affectionately known as “The Rags to Impact Coach” who went from a life of low prospects in Zimbabwe and working as a labourer for ten years in the UK to Oxford university graduate, ICF-accredited coach, and workplace equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) specialist.
Dumi Senda's videos
What Dumi Senda's clients say
"Excellent moderation and facilitation by Coach Dumi Senda at the National Inclusion Event arranged by TSB and co-hosted with Eversheds Sutherland. Your approach and style to the presentation was enthusiastic, spirited, engaging and your energy levels raised the room! Look forward to working with you in the future."
"Dumi delivered which is undoubtedly the best training session I have ever participated in. The training was on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and 3 hours really flew as I was enjoying the training so much. It was very interactive and engaging with a number of activities that enabled and encouraged participants to share and debate on several areas of EDI thereby creating a fantastic environment for all attendees. Thanks to this training I have improved my knowledge of EDI on a practical level, and I now feel more empowered to apply EDI on my daily interactions at the workplace. I highly recommend Dumi. Training with Dumi is an unparalleled learning experience! Thank you!"
"Dumi came to the RNLI to deliver an EDI session F2F earlier this year which was superb! He was so engaging and widened all of our understandings of what diversity can mean and the positive impacts it can have within the workplace. Far exceeded my expectations! He was also a great listener and used coaching skills/questioning throughout the session to really deep dive on certain topics. I came out of the session feeling very enthused and positive about the future. Huge thanks Dumi :)"
"I had the pleasure of hosting Dumi on behalf of The 93% Club Cambridge University where he delivered a workshop on self-branding and levelling-up your LinkedIn profile. Keeping the workshop interactive through polls and audience participation, Dumi helped our members to understand the value of owning their stories and journeys and utilising these to their advantage. The feedback from our members after the event has been glowing; I couldn’t recommend Dumi’s empowering workshops more!"
"I am very pleased to have met with Coach Dumi during his self-branding workshop, with the 93% Club Cambridge. His ethos of maintaining your authenticity as you progress through your career, and holding yourself accountable with “No Excuses” resonates deeply. I hope to learn more from his motivated and aspirational mindset as I embark on my own journey of self-branding, just as he did. A truly remarkable role-model."
"Dumi delivered a session for the University of Liverpool students involved in the UP programme. He was a natural and highly engaging speaker, providing an insight into his own background as well as some hints and tips for the students to access career opportunities in elite industries. Dumi is an expert in the diversity and inclusion space and provided an excellent session for us at Liverpool."
"I hosted Coach Dumi at the 2020 Oxford Muslim Access Conference as part of the SEO London Careers talk. I found his talk to be highly insightful with his unique take on the psychological foundations of careers' success, a component that is often underappreciated in such events. As a naturally charismatic and captivating speaker, and combined with his inspirational personal story, he is a highly compelling diversity coach."
"My first encounter with Dumi was nothing short of life changing. His story, journey and methods of communication are were apt to what I need at this junction in my life. What is most electrifying about our encounter is Dumi’s passion to empower me so that I too can empower others. I call this a divine connection and a life long one that I’ll never take for granted. I’d personally recommend Dumi as a coach to anyone, with my own stamp of approval (personal stamp that is). This isn’t just a recommendation but rather a message to say I am an ‘Advocate’ for the work Dumi does."
"Coach Dumi is an incredibly inspiring individual whose story carries so much power. He was able to give me the much needed clarity I needed with my career. He probed me with the right questions by allowing me to deeply reflect on my core values and see the bigger picture at hand with what I want to achieve on a long-term basis. He is very approachable, warm and engaging. He is an attentive listener and really cares about the people he coaches. I highly recommend him."
"Coach Dumi is a rare breed of outstanding humility and wisdom. At The Standard 2019 he left an immeasurable impact on all the attendees including the guest speakers. My desire is that young people become inspired to become more than their present condition, when I saw young men milling around Dumi for mentorship and guidance, literally queuing, I knew impact had been made! The ability to sit with the attendees, talk with them and get to know their stories in such a personal way was incredibly striking! I cannot recommend Dumi enough as a motivational speaker and a coach for excellence! My team and myself remain inspired!"
Available for
Languages:
- English
Dumi Senda's 2024 biography
Dumi Senda’s Speaking Style and Message
Three words describe Dumi’s speaking style: energy, energy, and energy! With a message that helps people to take personal responsibility for their development and impact through connecting with their core values and sense of self and purpose.
His personal motto is “Never let your background keep you in the background!”
As Dumi puts it, “My life was going nowhere fast! Then I looked myself in the mirror and realised that the world doesn’t owe me my success. Deciding to shake off my victim mentality put me in the driver seat of my life. And, as they say, the rest is history!”
Dumi has extensive experience of delivering keynote addresses, moderating conferences and events, chairing panels, and curating and facilitating bespoke training and workshops for teams and groups. He also coaches leaders and teams to collaborate better, resolve conflicts and enable colleagues to be their best and authentic selves in the workplace.
Dumi covers topics related to but not limited to workplace diversity and inclusion, such as:
- How to be an Inclusive leader (leading with authenticity and empathy)
- Bringing your whole self to work
- Connecting conduct and practice with values of respect
- Being consciously inclusive and tackling bias
- Creating belonging in the workplace
- Career development and the value of your story
- Transformational change and bringing everyone along
Professional Experience
Dumi is currently the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Lead for BBC England, a patch with 3000+ employees across TV, radio, audio, and online platforms. He has led the development and implementation of a transformational D&I strategy for BBC England at a time when the BBC is going through the biggest systemic change in over 3 decades to “digital first”. Prior to this, Dumi held senior leadership roles with organisations such as RightTrack Learning, where he trained 10 000+ people on diversity and inclusion. He also worked for a non-for-profit, SEO London, where he helped students from underrepresented backgrounds to break into the corporate sector at elite firms.
Dumi has extensive experience spanning multiple sectors and 5 continents working with organisations on transforming workplace practices and cultures to work for all their people. Some of the top brands Dumi has collaborated with include the UN, Goldman Sachs, and Google. In 2021, Dumi was headhunted to be a LinkedIn Learning Instructor and has developed and recorded a LinkedIn course on Belonging in the Workplace.
Additionally, Dumi has founded Titese Ltd, a consultancy which delivers blended online and in-person EDI learning for teams. Clients have included NGOs, universities, and small to medium enterprises (SMEs). In 2022, Dumi was elected President of the Oxford Black Alumni Network (OxBAN), which connects alumni across the globe and helps to broaden access and success for people of Black heritage at the university of Oxford.
Recognition and Awards
umi has been invited to the UK Prime Minister’s official residence No. 10 Downing Street in recognition of his impact on workplace inclusion. He has been nominated for the BAFTA awards and received the Zimbabwe Achievers award for Most Inspiring leader.
Publications
Dumi has contributed to a Penguin-published book titled “Everyday Ubuntu” foreworded by the global Human Rights icon the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu. His debut children’s book titled “The Day the Sun Promised to Smile FOREVER!” was published by Ariel Foundation International and proceeds from sales went to Innocence in Danger, an international children’s foundation founded under the auspices of UNICEF. Dumi also has two poetry collections and several anthology contributions to his name.
Dumi Senda's 2024 talks & topics
How to be an Inclusive leader (leading with authenticity and empathy)
Bringing your whole self to work
Connecting conduct and practice with values of respect
Being consciously inclusive and tackling bias
Creating belonging in the workplace
Career development and the value of your story
Transformational change and bringing everyone along
Dumi Senda's 2024 speaking fees
- United Kingdom
Specific fees fall within the ranges shown. These are presented as a guide only and are subject to change without notice.
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