Rikki Arundel
Rikki Arundel is an entertaining Virtual/Keynote Speaker, Presentation Skills Coach and Diversity Expert, and was the founder of the UK and Ireland Professional Speaking Association.
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Rikki Arundel's 2024 biography
Their career as a financial services technology speaker came to an abrupt end following their change in gender. Faced with considerable discrimination, Rikki completed a master’s degree in gender research and established themselves as one of the leading diversity and inclusion speakers in the UK, delivering keynote presentations and workshops on transgender awareness, unconscious bias and gender equality, including two successful TEDx talks. Rikki draws extensively upon their own experience and that of the many trans and non-binary people they have helped and supported over the past 20 years and was recently awarded the prestigious PSAE (Speaker Hall of Fame) award.
An international, award-winning Virtual/Keynote speaker specialising in LGBTQ issues, Rikki Arundel has been entertaining and educating audiences for 40 years. Today they identify as a “trans feminine non-binary person” preferring they/them pronouns and speak from their lived experience and research into Trans and Non-Binary issues and LGBT History.
Rikki’s professional speaking career began in the early nineties following a successful corporate career as a senior executive in sales, marketing and PR, first in the financial services industry and then in information technology. They had quickly discovered that delivering inspiring speeches packed with stories was the most effective way to connect with prospective buyers and became a regular and popular speaker at industry events and exhibitions, particularly the Life Insurance Association.
After starting their own business in 1990, Rikki was invited to help relaunch the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management, leading the development of their regional meeting programme, keynote speaking at the first two Successful Selling Conferences and receiving a prestigious BESMA award. At the same time Rikki became a consultant with the Insurance Trading Exchange where they chaired and keynoted a monthly conference programme throughout the UK for 10 years helping to move Independent Financial Advisers from a paper-based business to electronic trading.
In 1995, frustrated by the lack of any development or support for professional speakers in the UK, Rikki joined the National Speakers Association in the USA and attended their annual convention. Inspired by their experience they recruited a team of enthusiastic speakers and founded the UK and Ireland Professional Speaking Association (PSA), becoming its first president and a Fellows of the Association.
Then in 2002, Rikki stunned the speaking world and brought their career as a successful Sales and Technology speaker to an abrupt end when they announced that they were changing gender becoming the first openly transgender professional speaker. Faced with considerable discrimination they changed their field of expertise completing a master’s degree in Gender Research at the University of Hull University and engaging in LGBTQ+ politics, becoming passionate about LGBT History and speaking regularly at universities around the UK.
On leaving university, Rikki founded, and became CEO of, a social enterprise providing support for trans people and training and consultancy on equalities, particularly transgender awareness, to employers throughout the public, private and voluntary sectors. At the same time, they became very active in local and regional community leadership, serving as a representative, board director or trustee for a variety of charities, local government bodies and government committees, and contributing to the development of the UK Equalities Act 2010.
Rikki continues to play a significant role in helping to change attitudes to transgender people as a leading UK speaker on LGBTQ and diversity issues, including delivering two successful TEDx talks. They draw extensively upon their own experience and that of the many trans and non-binary people they have helped and supported over the past 20 years and have been recognised with the prestigious PSAE (Speaker Hall of Fame) award from the PSA. Rikki was also selected as one of 50 LGBT icons in the 2017 UK Pride 50th anniversary celebration of the decimalisation of homosexuality in the UK.
The Covid-19 pandemic reconnected Rikki with their technology expertise, enabling them to easily shift to delivering virtual presentations and workshops on Transgender Awareness, LGBTQ History, Unconscious Bias and Presentation Skills. Working extensively with organisations, particularly multinational organisations, who are keen to raise awareness of gender and LGBTQ inequality and create a more inclusive workplace, Rikki has developed a reputation for engaging audiences through entertaining and inspiring stories, a talent that enabled them to win the 2021 PSA Annual Comedy Night Competition.
Their career as a financial services technology speaker came to an abrupt end following their change in gender. Faced with considerable discrimination, Rikki completed a master’s degree in gender research and established themselves as one of the leading diversity and inclusion speakers in the UK, delivering keynote presentations and workshops on transgender awareness, unconscious bias and gender equality, including two successful TEDx talks. Rikki draws extensively upon their own experience and that of the many trans and non-binary people they have helped and supported over the past 20 years and was recently awarded the prestigious PSAE (Speaker Hall of Fame) award.
An international, award-winning Virtual/Keynote speaker specialising in LGBTQ issues, Rikki Arundel has been entertaining and educating audiences for 40 years. Today they identify as a “trans feminine non-binary person” preferring they/them pronouns and speak from their lived experience and research into Trans and Non-Binary issues and LGBT History.
Rikki’s professional speaking career began in the early nineties following a successful corporate career as a senior executive in sales, marketing and PR, first in the financial services industry and then in information technology. They had quickly discovered that delivering inspiring speeches packed with stories was the most effective way to connect with prospective buyers and became a regular and popular speaker at industry events and exhibitions, particularly the Life Insurance Association.
After starting their own business in 1990, Rikki was invited to help relaunch the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management, leading the development of their regional meeting programme, keynote speaking at the first two Successful Selling Conferences and receiving a prestigious BESMA award. At the same time Rikki became a consultant with the Insurance Trading Exchange where they chaired and keynoted a monthly conference programme throughout the UK for 10 years helping to move Independent Financial Advisers from a paper-based business to electronic trading.
In 1995, frustrated by the lack of any development or support for professional speakers in the UK, Rikki joined the National Speakers Association in the USA and attended their annual convention. Inspired by their experience they recruited a team of enthusiastic speakers and founded the UK and Ireland Professional Speaking Association (PSA), becoming its first president and a Fellows of the Association.
Then in 2002, Rikki stunned the speaking world and brought their career as a successful Sales and Technology speaker to an abrupt end when they announced that they were changing gender becoming the first openly transgender professional speaker. Faced with considerable discrimination they changed their field of expertise completing a master’s degree in Gender Research at the University of Hull University and engaging in LGBTQ+ politics, becoming passionate about LGBT History and speaking regularly at universities around the UK.
On leaving university, Rikki founded, and became CEO of, a social enterprise providing support for trans people and training and consultancy on equalities, particularly transgender awareness, to employers throughout the public, private and voluntary sectors. At the same time, they became very active in local and regional community leadership, serving as a representative, board director or trustee for a variety of charities, local government bodies and government committees, and contributing to the development of the UK Equalities Act 2010.
Rikki continues to play a significant role in helping to change attitudes to transgender people as a leading UK speaker on LGBTQ and diversity issues, including delivering two successful TEDx talks. They draw extensively upon their own experience and that of the many trans and non-binary people they have helped and supported over the past 20 years and have been recognised with the prestigious PSAE (Speaker Hall of Fame) award from the PSA. Rikki was also selected as one of 50 LGBT icons in the 2017 UK Pride 50th anniversary celebration of the decimalisation of homosexuality in the UK.
The Covid-19 pandemic reconnected Rikki with their technology expertise, enabling them to easily shift to delivering virtual presentations and workshops on Transgender Awareness, LGBTQ History, Unconscious Bias and Presentation Skills. Working extensively with organisations, particularly multinational organisations, who are keen to raise awareness of gender and LGBTQ inequality and create a more inclusive workplace, Rikki has developed a reputation for engaging audiences through entertaining and inspiring stories, a talent that enabled them to win the 2021 PSA Annual Comedy Night Competition.
Rikki Arundel's 2024 talks & topics
Rethinking Sex and Gender
The huge increase in the visibility of transgender celebrities since 2015 has encouraged and inspired trans people of all ages to “come out.” And not just people changing gender. Many more people now identify as neither male nor female – defining themselves as gender non-conforming or gender non-binary.
As a result of this we are all increasingly likely to encounter trans and gender non conforming people as friends, colleagues, or customers. Sadly, there has also been a substantial increase in anti-trans activity encouraging people to discriminate which is leading to an increase legal complaints of discrimination and harassment.
This highly engaging and entertaining speech will enable to organisations to better understand the changing attitudes towards sex and gender, address gender conflict in the workplace, engage more effectively with trans and gender non conforming people and create a more diverse and inclusive, and therefore more profitable, work environment for everyone.
Rikki Arundel's 2024 speaking fees
- United Kingdom
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