Leyla Okhai doesn’t just challenge exclusion, she has created a business that is centred on inclusion.
As the founder of Diverse Minds UK Ltd, Leyla has spent almost two decades proving that true inclusion is not a policy, but a practice. Her work aims to transform organisations from universities to industry giants, embedding mental health, race equity, and inclusive leadership into the DNA of how they operate. Leyla journey began as a child where she was bullied and marginalised as school. Her career started in places it was most needed, within institutions built to silence. As the University of Oxford’s first dedicated advisor on race, religion and belief, she broke ground launching initiatives that brought cultural sensitivity and psychological safety to spaces that had long resisted both.
At Imperial College London, Leyla led the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Centre, partnering with Stonewall, Race for Opportunity, and the Business Disability Forum to turn rhetoric into action. But Leyla’s influence doesn’t stop at the institutional level. Through Diverse Minds, she consults globally, helping organisations like Tetra Tech, ASOS and Interactifs move beyond tokenism towards transformative change. Opening conversations about cultural awareness, where personal, team and organisational culture coalesce to be a force for positive change.
Raising her voice as part of the South Asian diaspora on her award-winning Diverse Minds Podcast is a key strand of her work. Leyla takes on the urgent topics others avoid, bridging the gaps between mental health, equity, and leadership. A podcaster for nearly six years, her episodes cover a wider range of topics to support leaders to create change.
As a TEDx speaker and board member for Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage and Pedestrian, Leyla believes in the arts as a way to create opportunity. Her honours, whether listed in Diversity Power List 2023/2024 or celebrated for The Best Diversity and Inclusion Podcast are testament to the breadth of her impact.
But what truly defines Leyla is her unwavering drive to create systems that work for everyone. Where others settle for incremental progress, she encourages others to take leaps for change. She shifts frameworks, pushes for inclusion, and turns barriers upside down to make space for transformation. Leyla Okhai isn’t just making workplaces better—she’s making them possible for everyone.
