Wema Hoover
Leverage Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Transformational Change
Topic Categories:
Fee Range: Contact Speaker Exchange Agency
- Global Diversity
- Equity & Inclusion Leader
- Executive Coach
- Culture Curator
- Former Google Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
*Fee ranges are presented as a guideline only. Speaker fees are subject to change without notice. For an exact quote, please contact your Speaker Exchange Agency representative.
Wema Hoover is a culture and DEI expert who has dedicated her career to serving as a catalyst for change and as a transformational leader. Her expertise centers on diversity, equity, & inclusion, authentic leadership and women’s empowerment with a reputation for creating systemic organizational change into people, processes, and products on a global scale.
Her deep experience spans multinational, market-leading consulting, pharmaceutical, and technology enterprises with a high degree of cultural awareness having lived in the US, Europe and Asia and leading globally dispersed teams. As a trusted C-suite and board-level advisor, Wema has leveraged her background leading global DEI efforts for companies like Google, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Bristol-Myers Squibb to help inform and guide corporate leadership through evolving corporate culture, creating inclusive work environments and integrating DEI and sustainability to build high performance organizations and drive business results.
As a DE&I thought leader, Wema served as a member of the Coqual (Center for Talent Innovation) Hidden Brain Drain Task Force where she provided best practice D&I research working across global markets in China, India, and the US. In addition, Wema is a National Member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and a sought-after speaker on DE&I topics for organizations including The Conference Board, Working Mother, and Diversity Best Practices.
Wema is also an executive coach who holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Management and a Master’s-level Certificate in Organizational Change Management both from New School University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rutgers University and a certification as a Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) through the Human Resources Certification Institute.
In this interactive and engaging 45-minute keynote, Wema will share how female leaders can build skills to empower themselves and others through self-advocacy, tapping into their full talent, skills and ability in work and life to elevate, advance and be successful in any environment. This keynote will explore how female leaders can create value both personally and professionally through effective advocacy skills by harnessing their competence, abilities and personal life experiences to excel and by managing common pitfalls and derailers that get in the way. These derailers, such as imposter syndrome, over-analyzing readiness to take new opportunities and believing their life choices are obstacles instead of being their greatest assets will be explored and dispelled as myths. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to address unconscious bias, discover how to successfully leverage emotional intelligence and identify ways to embrace personal power and purpose to lead authentically, grow, develop and thrive in the workplace and environment. Attendees will ultimately learn how to use these strategies in work and life to create value for themselves and others through game-changing advocacy skills to reach their full potential in everything they do.
Format (1-hour event):
Keynote: 45 minutes
Live Q&A: 15 minutes
Expected Outcomes:
- Harness full spectrum of skills and lived experiences and to learn, lead and grow
- Empower self and others through using emotional intelligence as an asset and strategy
- Identify and mitigate unconscious bias and microinequities affecting women
- Develop a culture of allyship and support through mentoring and sponsorship
- Understand personal strengths and power to lead authentically
- Build workplace practices that empower & develop women at every level
- Create a new norm and framework to amplify the voice, success and impact of women
In this keynote session, Wema demonstrates how to harness diversity to unlock an organization’s skills and abilities through inclusive practices leading to increased employee engagement and collaboration, breakthrough thinking and enhanced innovation. Wema also discusses unconscious bias, how to create a culture of belonging, overcoming unconscious bias, cultural competence, and global leadership.
During this keynote presentation, Wema focuses on developing an organization’s capabilities to leverage the unique abilities, skills and leadership qualities of women through sponsorship, advocacy and intentional inclusion.
Wema explains the critical link between emotional intelligence and inclusion. This discussion explores the practical ways to build EQ in leaders, activate inclusion and promote equity to address racial injustice and embed equitable practices in organizational culture. Wema also discusses unconscious bias: how to identify it, how to acknowledge it, how to overcome it and how to prevent it.
Keynote discussing practical ways for Black women to turn their perceived obstacles into valuable assets to become extraordinary professionals, leaders enabling them to thrive and succeed.
Keynote focused on proven strategies to attract, retain and develop diverse talent internally and externally to build future talent pipelines. This discussion highlights ways to create cultures of belonging for diverse talent to stay and thrive.
Keynote focused on understanding and addressing the impact the global pandemic has had on employee’s well-being and mental health. This discussion highlights ways to integrate inclusion, equity and belonging to drive sustainable practices to support employee’s overall health and well-being.
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