May 31, 2022
Leyla Okhai is the founder and CEO of Diverse Minds.
Enabling organisations to create mentally healthy and equal
workplaces through coaching, training, speaking and consultancy.
With a focus on practical mental health strategies, cultural
awareness and race equality to facilitate a positively productive
workplace.
Leyla’s current clients include ASOS,
Science Museum Group, JKR Global, Mother London, University of
London, UCL and FarFetch. She was appointed to the Council of the
University of Leeds in November 2018. In January 2021 her podcast,
the Diverse Minds Podcast won best Diversity and Inclusion Podcast
in the Podcasting for Business Awards. In 2019 Diverse Minds was
the winner of The Woman Who Award (Services Category) and The Asian
Business Chamber of Commerce’s Outstanding Diversity and Inclusion
Business of the Year.
From July 2012-April 2017, Leyla was the Head of Centre for Equality,
Diversity and Inclusion Centre at Imperial College London. She was
in charge of overall strategy and managing a team of staff working
on various projects and initiatives. The work she led there was
shortlisted for the Race for Opportunity 2014 award in Race
Equality: Transparency, Monitoring and Action category.
Leyla has over seventeen years’
experience in developing and implementing diversity, inclusion and
equality practices, primarily by working closely with senior
leadership teams. She has been responsible for embedding culture
change and moving vital agendas forward.