{"id":78157,"date":"2020-01-15T10:38:37","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T09:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/comspeake-schaan.savviihq.com\/?post_type=speaker&p=41906"},"modified":"2026-03-02T12:12:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T11:12:40","slug":"kay-formanek","status":"publish","type":"sa_speaker","link":"https:\/\/speakers-academy.prod.level-level.nl\/en\/spreker\/kay-formanek\/","title":{"rendered":"Kay Formanek"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kay Formanek is a highly sought-after international speaker, advisor, author, and coach, with more than 35 years of experience in both the commercial and non-profit sectors. She focuses on culture, leadership, and inclusion, and is the author of Beyond D&I: Leading Diversity with Purpose and Inclusiveness<\/em>, regarded as a leading book in this field.<\/p>\n

Her background\u2014growing up in South Africa during apartheid and working across a wide range of cultures\u2014gives her a unique perspective on group dynamics, exclusion, and what it takes to achieve true inclusion. This experience forms the foundation of her focus on the connection between diverse talent, inclusive leadership, and sustainable organizational performance.<\/p>\n

Kay blends research-based insights with practical tools, neuroscience, and compelling storytelling. She coaches leaders worldwide on how to leverage diverse talent and build environments in which people can thrive.<\/p>\n

Whether delivering a keynote or facilitating an interactive workshop, Kay knows how to inspire her audience and move them to action. She effortlessly connects theory with practice, leaving participants with clear insights and concrete tools to translate inclusive diversity into real results. She creates a setting where participants feel comfortable exploring challenging topics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kay Formanek is a highly sought-after international speaker, advisor, author, and coach, with more than 35 years of experience in both the commercial and non-profit sectors. She focuses on culture, leadership, and inclusion, and is the author of Beyond D&I: Leading Diversity with Purpose and Inclusiveness, regarded as a leading book in this field. Her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":77491,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_trash_the_other_posts":false,"editor_notices":[]},"sa_speaker_category":[137,107,80,136,56,39,57,138,149,89,37,158,58,117,164,88,75,146,156,111,90,91],"sa_language":[249,250],"sa_employability":[211,188,203,173],"class_list":["post-78157","sa_speaker","type-sa_speaker","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sa_speaker_category-arts-culture-lifestyle","sa_speaker_category-behavioral-science","sa_speaker_category-change-management","sa_speaker_category-diversity-inclusion","sa_speaker_category-emancipation","sa_speaker_category-entrepreneurship","sa_speaker_category-generations","sa_speaker_category-governance-management","sa_speaker_category-inclusive-organizational-culture","sa_speaker_category-individual-development","sa_speaker_category-leadership-strategy","sa_speaker_category-lifestyle","sa_speaker_category-millennials","sa_speaker_category-neuroscience","sa_speaker_category-organizational-culture","sa_speaker_category-personal-leadership","sa_speaker_category-psychology","sa_speaker_category-successful-entrepreneurs-male","sa_speaker_category-sustainable-employability","sa_speaker_category-teamwork-communication-media","sa_speaker_category-work-happiness","sa_speaker_category-work-life-balance-leadership-strategy"],"acf":{"sa_introduction":"Kay Formanek is passionate about how inclusive diversity delivers exceptional performance. She is an internationally sought-after speaker, advisor, author, and coach with over 35 years of experience across the corporate and non-profit sectors. She specializes in culture, leadership, and inclusion, and is the author of the leading book Beyond D&I: Leading Diversity with Purpose and Inclusiveness.","sa_one_liner":"Diversity | Talent | Leadership","sa_name_title":"","sa_region":["europe","africa"],"sa_degree":"MBA","sa_stars":92,"sa_maglr_ids":null,"sa_publications":null,"sa_socials":null,"sa_subjects":[{"sa_subjects_title":"Building Psychological Safety","sa_subjects_information":"Psychological safety is not about harmony \u2014 it\u2019s about creating a space for feedback, disagreement, learning, and high performance. Kay draws on Amy Edmondson\u2019s work, illustrated with real-world case studies, to help leaders and teams recognize when psychological safety is weak and how to restore it.\r\n\r\nFormats: Keynote or Workshop"},{"sa_subjects_title":"Inclusive Leadership","sa_subjects_information":"Diverse perspectives translate into performance only in inclusive environments. Kay examines the leadership behaviors that create (or destroy) inclusive cultures, showing that leaders account for over 70 % of how inclusive an environment is perceived. She offers diagnostic tools and leadership practices to embed inclusion in everyday work.\r\n\r\nFormats: Keynote or Workshop."},{"sa_subjects_title":"Allyship & Responding to Microaggressions","sa_subjects_information":"Allyship is action \u2014 using your positional advantages (experience, voice, network) to support others facing barriers. Kay unpacks the notion of allyship through stories, self-assessments (the \u201cally continuum\u201d), and concrete tactics. The session includes exploration of microaggressions, in-group\/out-group dynamics, and how observers can \u201ccall in\u201d or \u201ccall out\u201d constructively.\r\n\r\nFormats: Keynote or Workshop"},{"sa_subjects_title":"Strategic Narrative for Diversity & Inclusion","sa_subjects_information":"Many organizations struggle with backlash or vague D&I efforts because the \u201cwhy\u201d is not clearly tied to mission and strategy. Kay helps organizations articulate the strategic case for diversity \u2014 linking inclusion with innovation, decision-making, retention, and mission. \u00a0She shares examples from commercial and non-profit sectors.\r\n\r\nFormats: Keynote or Workshop"},{"sa_subjects_title":"Neuroscience of Unconscious Bias & Mitigation","sa_subjects_information":"Bias is a normal human function; recognizing that is the first step. Kay explores System 1 \/ System 2 thinking, common biases in talent and decision-making, and methods to detect and mitigate bias at individual, team, and systemic levels. She also leads a certification track in bias mitigation for those who want deeper training.\r\n\r\nFormats: Keynote, Workshop, or Multi-session Learning Track."}],"sa_faq_items":null,"sa_minimum_price":"2500","sa_maximum_price":"4500","sa_banner_image_id":77498,"sa_videos":[{"sa_video_title":"United Diversity | Dirk Luyten & Kay Formanek | TEDxINSEAD","sa_video_embed":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bnnbT274OYQ"},{"sa_video_title":"Lead Your Future | Why do many young women not make it upto lead positions?","sa_video_embed":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Pql7dzJXVqU"},{"sa_video_title":"What does it take to increase diversity and inclusion in the workplace?","sa_video_embed":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Y0XTDZenggo"}]},"yoast_head":"\nKay Formanek - Keynote Speaker Diversity | Speakers Academy EN - new<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kay Formanek foster diversity in profit and non-profit companies, so as to unleash talent, creativity and potential within businesses and their leaders.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/speakers-academy.prod.level-level.nl\/en\/spreker\/kay-formanek\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kay Formanek - 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