Speakers

Deirdre LaBassiere is an award-winning governance strategist, public speaker, and a fearless champion of conscious leadership. With over two decades of cross-sector experience spanning the NHS, housing, charity, and private sectors, she is recognised for fusing rigour with heart: bringing clarity, accountability, and soul into the boardroom.

Deirdre serves as Chair of the Legacy Centre of Excellence, Europe’s largest Black-owned business and arts centre and WAITS (Women Acting in Today’s Society), where she leads pioneering work on holistic refuge, housing justice, and the social, economic, and personal empowerment of Black and global majority women. She is also the first Black woman to chair the historic Lunar Society in its 250-year history and now chairs the West Midlands advisory board for Common Purpose.

As a speaker, Deirdre brings her signature blend of warmth, wisdom, and conviction, amplifying the voices of entrepreneurs building businesses rooted not just in profit, but in purpose, identity, and lasting impact.