Lenora Billings-Harris

Lenora Billings-Harris is an internationally recognised diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) speaker, consultant, and author, currently leading UbuntuGlobal as President and CEO, a consulting firm she founded to help organisations foster inclusive multicultural workplaces. Motivated by a passion for social justice and racial equality, Lenora is dedicated to empowering individuals and organisations to break down barriers of bias and discrimination. Her dynamic presentations address topics such as unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, cross-cultural communication, and strategies for achieving racial equity within corporate environments.

Lenora began her career by holding management roles in two Fortune 100 corporations, where she experienced first-hand the barriers and challenges minorities faced in business settings. Her subsequent role at the University of Michigan’s Graduate School of Business, where she managed executive development seminars, further developed her skills in leadership training. Inspired by these experiences, Lenora founded UbuntuGlobal in 1986, becoming a pioneering voice in diversity education. Through UbuntuGlobal, she has significantly shaped diversity strategies across countless international corporations and institutions, promoting meaningful dialogue and action on racial equality.

In recent years, Lenora has earned remarkable recognition for her contribution to the field. In 2006, she broke historic ground by becoming the first African American President of the National Speakers Association (NSA). She later served as President of the Global Speakers Federation from 2014 to 2015, amplifying her global influence. Lenora was honoured with the prestigious Cavett Award by the NSA in 2016, the highest accolade in the professional speaking industry in the United States. In 2018, she made history again as the first African American woman inducted into the Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE) Speaker Hall of Fame.

Lenora’s insightful and practical approach makes her one of the most respected voices on racial equality and inclusion today. Organisations worldwide seek her expertise because of her ability to authentically connect with diverse audiences and translate complex DEI concepts into actionable strategies. Lenora is frequently hired because she provides invaluable guidance on creating environments where diversity is celebrated, inclusivity thrives, and racial equity becomes embedded within organisational culture.