1. Ruchika T. Malhotra (formerly Ruchika Tulshyan)

Based in Seattle, WA, USA

Founder of Candour, author of Inclusion on Purpose — MIT Press's number one bestselling book of 2022, described as "transformative" by Dr. Brené Brown — and, most relevantly to this review period, author of Uncompete: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success, published November 4, 2025 by Viking/Penguin. More than 300,000 people have taken her LinkedIn Learning course "Moving DEI from Intention to Impact." A regular contributor to both Harvard Business Review and the New York Times, her HBR article "Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome" (co-authored with Jodi-Ann Burey) was among the top-read articles in HBR history. Her Thinkers50 Radar recognition and consistent Hive Learning "Most Influential D&I Leaders" appearances over four years confirm her standing. Throughout 2025-2026, her monthly Inclusion Is Leadership newsletter continued publishing to a large and engaged readership. One of the most practically impactful inclusion voices working today.

 

 

2. Ibram X. Kendi

Based in Washington, D.C., USA

National Book Award winner, MacArthur "genius grant" recipient, and the author of How to Be an Antiracist — one of the most consequential books in the modern DEI canon. In January 2025, he joined Howard University to lead its newly founded Institute for Advanced Study, investigating the African diaspora. Malcolm Lives!, his biography of Malcolm X for young readers, was published in May 2025. Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age — examining how great replacement theory moved from the margins to the centre of global politics — is published March 17, 2026. His CNN interview in March 2025 on DEI, Malcolm X, and America's political regression was widely shared throughout the profession. At a moment when antiracism is under political attack, Kendi continued publishing, speaking, and building institutional infrastructure without compromise.

 

 

3. Vernā Myers

Based in Baltimore, MD, USA

Vice President of Inclusion Strategy at Netflix and founder of The Vernā Myers Company, and the originator of one of the most-quoted lines in modern diversity discourse: "Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance." Throughout 2025-2026, Myers remained one of the most visible and credible voices on what genuine inclusion inside large organisations actually requires, as opposed to what it looks like in communications. Her TED Talk has over 5 million views. Her practical frameworks for moving beyond diversity programming to actual inclusion culture change continued to be widely deployed in corporate and non-profit contexts during the review period.

 

 

4. Dolly Chugh

Based in New York City, NY, USA

Professor at NYU Stern School of Business and author of The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias — one of the most accessible and practically useful books on how well-intentioned people perpetuate bias without realising it. Throughout 2025-2026, Chugh's work on "bounded ethicality" — the gap between who we think we are and what we actually do — became more urgently relevant as the DEI rollback exposed how many leaders who considered themselves allies took the path of least resistance. Her LinkedIn presence throughout the period was consistent and high-engagement, and her writing remained some of the most shareable in the profession.

 

 

5. Michelle Kim

Based in San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA

CEO of Awaken, author of The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change (2022), and one of the most practically rigorous voices on the mechanics of DEI programme design, accountability, and measurement. Throughout 2025-2026, Kim's work on what separates performative DEI from structural change was among the most practically cited in the profession at a moment when the difference became existential. Her LinkedIn content throughout the review period addressed the political headwinds directly, offering practitioners frameworks for defending and evolving their work rather than retreating from it.

 

 

6. Cynthia Owyoung

Based in San Francisco, CA, USA

Former VP of Inclusion, Equity and Belonging at Netflix, author of All Are Welcome: How to Build a Real Workplace Culture of Inclusion that Delivers Results (2022), and one of the most operationally experienced and credentialed corporate DEI executives currently publishing and speaking. Throughout 2025-2026, Owyoung remained an active voice on what genuine inclusion infrastructure inside large organisations requires — covering everything from how to build belonging metrics to how DEI leaders can sustain their work through political headwinds. Her book, built on her Netflix experience, is one of the most practically cited DEI resources among CHROs and People leaders navigating the profession's most challenging era.

 

 

7. Jennifer Brown

Based in New York City, NY, USA

Founder of Jennifer Brown Speaks, author of Inclusion: Diversity, the New Workplace & the Will to Change and How to Be an Inclusive Leader — two of the most widely used practical frameworks in corporate DEI training — and host of The Will to Change podcast. Throughout 2025-2026, Brown remained one of the most active and generously sharing voices in the inclusion space, continuing to publish content, train practitioners, and speak at major conferences on what inclusive leadership requires in practice. As a gay woman who has built her career on authentic inclusion rather than corporate checkbox DEI, her voice carries particular credibility at a moment when authentic commitment is being separated from performative compliance.

 

 

8. Y-Vonne Hutchinson

Based in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Founder and CEO of ReadySet, a DEI strategy and consulting firm, and author of How to Talk to Your Boss About Race: Speaking Up in the Era of Anti-Racism — one of the most practically useful books published for professionals navigating race conversations in the workplace. Active throughout 2025-2026 as a speaker, consultant, and public voice on what effective DEI strategy requires in both favourable and hostile political environments, Hutchinson's combination of legal training, consulting experience, and genuine practitioner rigour makes her one of the most credible operational voices in the profession. Her work equips both individuals and organisations with the specific language and frameworks they need rather than the aspirational statements that characterise much DEI communication.

 

 

9. Minda Harts

Based in New York City, NY, USA

Author of The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table and Right Within: How to Heal from Racial Trauma in the Workplace, founder of The Memo LLC, and Assistant Professor at NYU Wagner. Throughout 2025-2026, Harts remained one of the most vocal and practically useful voices for women of colour navigating workplaces — her Secure the Seat podcast continued, and her work on racial trauma in professional settings gained renewed urgency as the political environment made workplaces less psychologically safe for many employees of colour. One of the most important voices at the intersection of inclusion and career development.

 

 

10. Lily Zheng

Based in San Francisco, CA, USA

DEI strategist and author of DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right (2022) — one of the most practically rigorous books published in the DEI space, notable for its commitment to evidence over ideology. Throughout 2025-2026, Zheng's work on how to build DEI programmes that survive political pressure — because they're built on measurable outcomes rather than narratives — was among the most practically cited content in the profession. Their consistent LinkedIn presence and willingness to challenge both conservative DEI rollbacks and progressive DEI orthodoxies makes them one of the most genuinely useful voices in the space.

 

 

11. Kenji Yoshino

Based in New York City, NY, USA

Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor at NYU School of Law and author of Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights — the book that introduced the concept of "covering" (the ways people hide or downplay aspects of their identity at work) into mainstream DEI thinking — and co-author of Authentic: How to Be Yourself at Work Without Being Fired. Throughout 2025-2026, his research on covering, authentic leadership, and civil rights became more urgently relevant as the political environment increased pressure on LGBTQ+ employees and employees of colour to suppress their identities professionally. His Deloitte collaboration and his legal scholarship continued to give his work a credibility and rigor that few DEI practitioners can match.

 

 

12. Dr. Tiffany Jana

Based in Richmond, VA, USA

CEO of Doc Jana LLC, author of Overcoming Bias and Subtle Acts of Exclusion — the latter widely regarded as one of the most practically useful books for managers on the everyday microaggressions that undermine inclusion — and one of the most active and direct practitioners in the field. Throughout 2025-2026, Jana continued her work advising organisations, publishing content, and speaking plainly about what the DEI rollback means for the employees it was supposed to protect. A consistent, grounded voice for practitioners who need frameworks that survive political headwinds.

 

 

13. Liz Kofman-Burns

Based in Stockholm, Sweden

Co-founder of Peoplism, a DEI firm focused on practical, data-driven approaches to creating equitable workplaces, and one of the most operationally rigorous voices in the profession. Throughout 2025-2026, her work on how to measure DEI outcomes, how to set goals that go beyond representation metrics, and how to build accountability structures that function under political pressure was among the most widely shared practitioner content. Her commitment to evidence-based DEI practice makes her work especially durable at a moment when the profession is being forced to justify itself more rigorously than ever.

 

 

14. Joelle Emerson

Based in San Francisco, California, USA

Co-Founder and CEO of Paradigm, the DEI strategy firm that has advised some of the most complex organisations in the world — including Slack, Airbnb, and Survey Monkey — on building inclusion that actually changes culture rather than just policy. Throughout 2025-2026, Paradigm's published research on what works in DEI programmes and what doesn't became some of the most cited material in the profession at a moment when practitioners desperately needed evidence rather than ideology. Emerson's voice — as both practitioner and researcher — is among the most credible in the field.

 

 

15. Trier Bryant

Based in Denver, CO, USA

Founder and CEO of Pathfinder — the consulting firm designed on building productive, successful, and thriving organizations with people-centric solutions — and a former Goldman Sachs and Twitter executive who has built her practice on the specific intersection of equity and workplace culture. Throughout 2025-2026, Bryant's work on how organisations can build accountability systems that make equity real — not just declared — and her partnership with Kim Scott gave her one of the most compelling practitioner frameworks in the market. Her LinkedIn presence throughout the review period was consistent and high-engagement, particularly with executive audiences.

 

 

16. Aubrey Blanche

Based in Sydney, Australia

Former Global Head of Diversity and Belonging at Atlassian and Culture Amp, and one of the most technically rigorous and data-oriented practitioners in the DEI space. Throughout 2025-2026, her work on how to measure inclusion, how to build equitable systems rather than just diverse headcounts, and how to make the business case for equity using outcomes data continued to be among the most practically influential content for HR leaders and DEI practitioners. Her frankness about what doesn't work — and why most DEI programmes fail — makes her one of the most honest and therefore most useful voices in the space.

 

 

17. Claude Silver

Based in New York City, NY, USA

Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX — one of the most unusual corporate titles in the world, and one of the most genuinely practised — and a speaker and coach on the intersection of psychological safety, belonging, and business performance. Throughout 2025-2026, Silver remained one of the most visible voices on why inclusion is not an HR programme but a leadership practice, with her LinkedIn content consistently generating strong engagement among both DEI practitioners and general business leaders. Her ability to translate inclusion into the language of business performance rather than social justice has made her framework unusually durable in the current political environment.

 

 

18. Ben Hecht

Based in USA

Former CEO of Living Cities — one of the most consequential organisations working on racial equity in American cities — and one of the most practically experienced voices on what systemic change requires at the intersection of business, government, and civil society. Throughout 2025-2026, as federal DEI commitments were rolled back, Hecht's work on how cities and businesses can maintain and advance equity goals through local and private-sector action became more rather than less relevant. A practitioner operating at the intersection of inclusion and economic systems change.

 

 

19. Nadia Rawlinson

Based in Chicago, IL, USA

Former Chief People Officer at Slack and board director at multiple organisations, and one of the most senior and experienced HR-to-DEI practitioners in the technology industry. Throughout 2025-2026, Rawlinson continued writing and speaking about what genuinely inclusive organisations look like from the inside — built on psychological safety, equitable systems, and leadership accountability rather than programmes and pledges. Her seniority and operational experience give her credibility with C-suite audiences that many DEI practitioners struggle to reach.

 

 

20. Mita Mallick

Based in New York, NY, USA

Former Head of Inclusion, Equity and Impact at Carta, former Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Carta and Unilever, LinkedIn Top Voice, co-author of Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths To Transform Your Workplace, and one of the most prolific and practically grounded corporate DEI voices on LinkedIn — with a large, highly engaged following built on daily content that translates inclusion principles into concrete organisational action. Throughout 2025-2026, Mallick's writing, speaking, and public commentary on what genuine inclusion inside corporations requires — and why so many well-intentioned programmes fail — continued to make her one of the most useful and widely shared DEI voices for the HR and people leaders who most need actionable guidance. Her combination of senior operating experience at major consumer brands and genuine communication gift makes her one of the most accessible and credible practitioners in the field.

 

 

21. Derrick Johnson

Based in Jacksonville, MS, USA

President and CEO of the NAACP — the oldest and most consequential civil rights organisation in the United States — and one of the most visible voices on the intersection of civil rights, corporate accountability, and workplace equity throughout 2025-2026. As the federal government rolled back DEI commitments and state legislatures continued restricting diversity programming in education and workplaces, Johnson's consistent and direct public voice on what these rollbacks mean for working people made him one of the most important inclusion voices of the review period. A practitioner operating at a scale and with a mandate that few other leaders on this list can match.

 

 

22. Alexis McGill Johnson

Based in New York, NY, USA

President and CEO of Planned Parenthood and one of the most powerful voices on the intersection of reproductive rights, racial equity, and organisational leadership. Throughout 2025-2026, her work at the front line of the intersection of healthcare access, inclusion, and systemic equity — during a period of significant political pressure — made her one of the most consequential inclusion voices in America. Her public leadership, media presence, and ability to hold the intersection of multiple forms of equity simultaneously gave her an important perspective that the DEI profession needs.

 

 

23. Kellie Wagner

Based in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Founder and CEO of Collective, a DEI strategy consultancy working with companies including Slack, Figma, and The New York Times, and one of the most operationally focused and data-driven practitioners in the profession. Throughout 2025-2026, Wagner remained an active LinkedIn voice on how companies can build DEI programmes that survive leadership changes, budget cuts, and political pressure — because they are tied to measurable business outcomes rather than goodwill. Her practical, unsentimental approach to inclusion work — which insists on clear goals, accountability structures, and honest measurement — makes her one of the most useful voices for organisations trying to distinguish genuine inclusion commitment from compliance theatre.

 

 

24. Pooja Jain-Link

Based in New York, NY, USA

Executive Vice President at Coqual (formerly Center for Talent Innovation) and one of the most data-driven researchers on the business case for inclusion and equity in corporate America. Throughout 2025-2026, Coqual's published research on what organisations with genuinely inclusive cultures do differently — and the measurable business outcomes that follow — continued to be among the most practically cited evidence in the profession. Her work gives DEI leaders the data they need to make the case to CFOs and boards at a moment when programme funding is being cut.

 

 

25. Daisy Auger-Domínguez

Based in Brooklyn, NY, USA

Author of Inclusion Revolution: The Essential Guide to Dismantling Racial Inequity in the Workplace and Chief People Officer at Digital Asset, and one of the most direct and practically experienced voices on what building genuinely inclusive workplaces actually requires from the inside. Throughout 2025-2026, her LinkedIn presence, speaking activity, and published work continued to make her one of the most cited practitioners in corporate DEI. Her intersectional lens — bringing together race, gender, and organisational culture — and her willingness to name what isn't working gives her voice an authenticity that resonates with both practitioners and the communities they serve.

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Congratulations to All 25 Honourees

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Think a DEI leader leader belongs on next year's list? 

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Nominations for the 2027 Industry Leaders Top 25 can be made here https://www.theindustryleaders.org/nominate

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Selections are made at the sole editorial discretion of The Industry Leaders based on publicly available information. Inclusion or exclusion does not constitute an endorsement, and positions within the list do not reflect a definitive ranking of merit.