020 8914 8966
020 8914 8966
Michelle King candidly shares her own personal experiences and decades of research to reveal the invisible barriers women face at work. Drawing on her exposure to companies that are structured to enable only men to succeed, she suggests that our denial towards gender inequality is hurting women, and challenges the idea that women can improve their way to success. Bravely, Michelle offers the essential message that women are extraordinary as they are, and don’t need fixing - workplaces do.
Tamara, Co-founder, Jimmy Choo
Michelle King – Founder & Managing Director of Equality Forward
Michelle King is a renowned thought leader on diversity, equity, and inclusion, celebrated for her work in reshaping workplace cultures worldwide. As Founder and Managing Director of Equality Forward, she equips leaders with the strategies to build truly equitable organisations. She also hosts the popular The Fix podcast, which has amplified global conversations about tackling invisible barriers at work. Recognised with awards including LinkedIn Top Voice for Equality, Michelle is a sought-after keynote speaker who inspires audiences to rethink workplace systems and create cultures where every individual can thrive.
Speaker Topics:
- The Number 1 Skill You Need to Future-Proof Your Career… That No One is Talking About
- How Inequality Works at Work
- Why DEI Efforts are Failing (and What We Can Do About It)
- Why DEI is an Invitation for Leaders to Lead
- Why Inequality Costs Men, and What They Can Do About It
- Overcoming The Greatest Barrier To Women’s Advancement At Work: Gender Denial
- Are Robots Going To Take Your Job? Three Ways to Future-Proof Your Career
- Understanding How Workplaces Work: The Four Ways to Advance at Work Without Losing Yourself
- How to Make Your Workplace Work for Everyone (including you!)
- Paying It Forward: How to Find Meaning at Work
- How to Future-Proof Your Career: Discover How to Develop the Skills You Need to Survive the New World of Work
- Unlocking Trust: Discover Why Building Trust is the Key to Creating High-Performing Teams & Effective Leaders
- What You Really Need to Get Ahead: Hacking the Four Informal Systems That Determine Your Career Advancement
- How Informal Networks Work: Learn How to Build & Maintain Connections to Advance Your Career & Find Meaning at Work
- How to Build Self, Other and Organisational Awareness at Work: Discover What Your Co-Workers Really Think About You!
- How to Manage Your Informal Development at Work: Discover Why You Need to Manage Your Development & How to Do This
- How to Manage Your Career & Find Meaning at Work: Learn What You Need to Do to Navigate & Advance in This New World of Work
Credentials and Impact
Michelle began her career in 2002 as an HR Consultant with PwC before progressing to senior roles with Fonterra, Suncor Energy, and BHP Billiton. These early positions equipped her with deep expertise in workplace culture, corporate affairs, and people strategy. She then moved into global leadership, serving as Head of Integrated Strategy for Gender Innovation and Senior Manager of Development for Diversity and Employee Engagement at UN Women, where she shaped international initiatives advancing gender equality.
Building on this, Michelle became Director of Inclusion at Netflix, integrating inclusive practices into the streaming platform’s worldwide operations. She later served as Managing Director of ECCI and Chief People Officer at ODI Global, guiding executive teams on organisational change. In 2025, she was appointed Global Director of Performance, Culture and Talent at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, continuing her mission to transform workplace culture at scale.
Beyond her corporate work, Michelle has empowered the next generation of women leaders through her role as Advisory Board Member for Girl Up, a United Nations Foundation campaign. Her impact has been recognised with awards including the Inspiring Innovator Award from Women Tech Founders, LinkedIn Top Voice for Equality, the Axiom Business Book Award Silver Medal, and Porchlight’s No.1 Business Bestseller accolade. She also holds a PhD from Cranfield University and five degrees from the University of California.
Publications and Media
Michelle is a prolific voice on workplace equality, contributing regularly to Forbes and other leading outlets. She is the author of ‘The Fix’ and ‘How Work Works’, both acclaimed for addressing systemic barriers and workplace culture. Her insights reach wide audiences through The Fix podcast, with more than 100,000 downloads, and she has featured in major media platforms including the BBC, Bloomberg, and The Economist, sharing expertise on leadership, gender, and inclusion.
Why Book Michelle?
Booking Michelle King means securing a globally respected authority on workplace equality who combines academic expertise with real-world leadership. She has advised and spoken for top organisations, including Amazon, LinkedIn, Dior, Netflix, and Travis Perkins, delivering presentations that move beyond surface-level diversity discussions to uncover and address systemic cultural barriers.
Michelle’s talks are both practical and inspiring, offering leaders tangible steps to build workplaces where all employees can thrive. She brings credibility from her global leadership roles at Netflix, UN Women, ODI Global, and Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, alongside her award-winning research and recognition as a LinkedIn Top Voice for Equality.
A captivating storyteller, Michelle delivered the TEDx Chelsea Park talk “It’s Not You, It’s Your Workplace,” which continues to resonate with audiences worldwide. Whether addressing gender denial, intersectionality, or leadership development, Michelle empowers audiences with the tools and vision to create lasting change.
To book Michelle to speak at your event, call SpeakOut on +44 (0) 20 8914 8966. Alternatively, complete our contact form to begin your enquiry
