Keynote Speaker · DEI
Shama Hyder speaks on inclusive leadership, representation, and who gets a seat at the table as AI enters work. She builds the talk for leadership conferences, ERG events, women-in-industry tracks, and association meetings. Check availability for your event date.
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Why DEI Organizations Choose Shama
Shama's diversity keynote ties inclusive leadership and representation to AI adoption. Leaders leave with practical ways to bring more of their people into that shift.
Experience Leading Through Change: Shama built and led Zen Media for 17 years before selling the company. She has delivered keynotes for EMAAR and SEMA and advises leaders at Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce, and JPMorgan Chase.
Telling the Story Well: In her Inc. column on telling ESG and DEI stories, Shama's test is impact over intention. It is a useful check for any leader talking about DEI work in public.
Current Academic and Industry Work: Shama is a Professor at Link School of Business and was named to the 2026 TIME100 Creators Leaders category.
Ideas in Print: Shama is the author of the forthcoming Seven Signals (2027), The Applied AI Business Playbook, Momentum, and The Zen of Social Media Marketing. Her talks connect themes from that work to leadership and representation in the AI era.
Women and AI · Data Shama cites
Nearly 35%
Women's share of senior leadership hires, 2022
33%
The same share in 2025
22%
Women are less likely than men to use generative AI
In her March 2026 video for International Women's Day, Where Are the Women? The AI Gap No One Talks About, Shama put two trends side by side. LinkedIn data shows women's share of senior leadership hires peaked in 2022 at nearly 35% and fell to 33% in 2025. Harvard research across 143,000 people in 25 countries shows women are 22% less likely than men to use generative AI.
Shama argues the two trends are connected, and her answer is direct: "AI is not a tech skill. It is a thinking tool." Her message to women who hang back because they don't see themselves as technical: you do not have to be. Get in the room.
Figures are from LinkedIn and Harvard research, as cited by Shama in the video. Watch Where Are the Women? on YouTube →
“Shama Hyder spoke at our 2024 Women in Industry Conference on the topic of AI. Her session was engaging, interactive and had lots of tangible takeaways for our attendees. She is wonderful to work with. If you are looking for a speaker who will make AI learning fun and approachable, book Shama today!”
AnnaMarie Kendall
Marketing and Communication Manager | MHEDA
Topics
A session for women-in-industry tracks on the gap in who uses AI at work. Many women pause over ethics questions before they start using AI. Shama's point is that the people who move now will be running the table in five years.
A keynote for women, underrepresented leaders, and teams examining representation at work. Shama draws on 17 years of building and leading Zen Media before selling the company to discuss leadership, visibility, and change.
A discussion of representation and decision-making as organizations adopt AI. Shama examines the questions leaders can ask about who shapes a system, whose perspective is represented, and how people participate in technology decisions.
For senior leaders and boards examining how representation connects to strategy and organizational decisions. Shama draws on her work advising leaders at Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce, and JPMorgan Chase.
Shama draws on 17 years of building and leading Zen Media before selling the company, her work advising leaders at Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce, and JPMorgan Chase, and her role as Professor at Link School of Business.
Inclusive leadership, representation, and the gap in who uses AI at work. Shama shapes each talk around your audience and event goals.
Shama built and led Zen Media for 17 years before selling the company. She has delivered keynotes for EMAAR and SEMA and was named to the 2026 TIME100 Creators Leaders category.
This keynote is designed for leadership conferences, employee resource group events, executive retreats, and company meetings focused on representation, leadership, and organizational change. Shama also advises leaders at Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce, and JPMorgan Chase.
Shama frames diversity as a leadership and decision-making topic. Her talks examine representation, participation, and the questions leaders should ask as AI becomes part of hiring, customer experience, and day-to-day operations.
Contact Shama's team at team@shamahyder.com or submit a request through the booking form at shamahyder.com/check-availability. Her team can confirm availability and discuss the audience, format, and event goals.
Ready to Book?
Every keynote is custom-tailored to your audience and industry. Contact us to check availability.
