Gayathri Shukla

Gayathri Shukla

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Calgary, Alberta

Leadership, Diversity and Human Centred Design Expert

Gayathri Shukla is a dynamic, thought-provoking speaker who offers story-based solutions that empower people to become more inclusive and impact-driven. Gayathri Shukla masterfully harnesses the power of storytelling to help diverse teams discover their unique strengths, while building skills in empathy in an inspiring way.

GAYATHRI SHUKLA BIOGRAPHY

Gayathri Shukla is a dynamic, thought-provoking speaker who inspires individuals to rise to their personal and collective potential. She is the Founder of a social enterprise, where she masterfully harnesses the power of storytelling to help diverse teams discover their unique strengths while building skills in empathy. Gayathri Shukla is known for her keen ability to see issues from different perspectives and unearth creative solutions for business leaders and professionals.

A Professional Engineer with over 17 years of experience in the energy sector, Gayathri Shukla started her career in Fort McMurray, Alberta. As one of the few Indo-Canadian women working in an industrial environment, she honed the practice of navigating diversity early on. Gayathri Shukla stood out not only for her exceptional technical contributions but also for re-inventing her skills multiple times throughout her career. After building hands-on experience in her technology discipline, Gayathri Shukla pivoted into project management and led the schedule integration efforts for Fort Hills, a $17B greenfield oil sands facility. The safe and timely start-up of this facility was seen as an industry first.

Gayathri Shukla also obtained an Executive MBA program at Queen’s University, while simultaneously balancing her duties as a full-time employee and a parent of young kids. In her MBA project, Gayathri Shukla focused on how to unleash innovation by tapping into the wisdom of stakeholders’ lived experiences and stories. This work was recognized at Suncor’s executive levels and informed the creation of a new transformation department. Gayathri Shukla most recently spearheaded digital strategy and innovation programs within this department, which has resulted in game-changing operational improvements for the Mining workforce.

Gayathri Shukla is currently a Fellow for Financial and Economic Inclusion at the Public Policy Forum. She was awarded two grants in 2021, one for a video storytelling project called Unlikely Friends to build empathy amongst differences, and the second for the development of a book, Landed, Transformative Stories of Canadian Immigrant Women.

In her personal life, Gayathri Shukla is a proud mom to two school-aged kids and an active volunteer in the community. She serves on the Board of the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association. An accomplished Toastmaster, she presents regularly at community and campus events. She has also led Suncor’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative as Co-Chair, curating networking and educational opportunities for over 150 members.

Gayathri Shukla is passionate about championing women in STEAM professions and building cross-cultural connections. Having lived in 3 countries by the age of 15, and travelling extensively to many others, Gayathri Shukla has developed a deeply personal sense of global citizenship and interconnectedness. She currently runs a consultancy agency providing story-based training advisory for women in science, technology, arts, engineering and math.

 

Videos

Podcasts

Play

Calgary Eyeopener Podcast

The Eyeopener

Calgary Eyeopener with Loren McGinnis, Angela Knight

Gayathri Shukla Topic Presentations

the art of inclusive leadership

  • Virtual PresentationKeynote PresentationWorkshop SessionHalf Day TrainingFull Day Training
  • This presentation supports an organization’s EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) goals, by leveraging the power of stories to build a culture of belonging in diverse workplaces. This can be followed up by an optional workshop where participants practice storytelling skills hands-on to reflect on lived experiences and appreciate their diversity.

    Research has shown that companies with diverse workforces are more likely to financially outperform their peers. A study by McKinsey quantified this impact to the effect of 15% and 35% for gender and racially diverse companies, respectively. While diversity is a competitive advantage, it can also bring about challenges in the absence of inclusive leadership. Successful leaders understand that in today’s increasingly diverse workplaces, a culture of trust is necessary for companies to thrive.

    The need to be seen, heard and valued is universal. Learning how to communicate authentically, understand, and listen to employees is thus a critical leadership capability. Ultimately, it shapes a sense of belonging in which all levels of the org chart are empowered to make meaningful contributions.

inside-out transformation

leverage the power of storytelling

Testimonials

Thank you for being a part of the Responsible Gambling Council’s (RGC) first-ever virtual conference and delivering an excellent presentation. Discovery 2021 was centred on the principles of reinvention and recommitment. The themes of hope, humanity and courage that were woven into your keynote address were incredibly meaningful. Your use of stories and real-world examples was not only timely but extremely relevant for the gambling industry as well as the communities that we live in.   Not only was your presentation the perfect way to kick off our conference, but you also made it possible for us to reconnect with each other both professionally and personally. You challenged all of us to...

Shelley White

CEO, Responsible Gambling Council (RGC)
Responsible Gambling Council (RGC)

I would highly recommend Gayathri Shukla as a public speaker. Gayathri presented at Scovan Engineering’s International Women’s Day Forum 2021. Gayathri presents with an unrelenting authenticity that grips audience members. Her passion for personal storytelling, through Campfire Kinship, translates with ease in her own storytelling on stage. Speaking from the heart, she uses cadence, pause, and personal examples to hook the audience and has them hanging on her every word. Gayathri Shukla speech has had a major impact on those who had the privilege to hear it. Gayathri has a gift that should be shared with others. I sincerely recommend Gayathri for future speaking engagements where she...

Valerie Stewart

VP Strategy and Development
Scovan Engineering

I could not have found nor experienced a more inspiring message to take with me as I begin this journey we are all on. Thank YOU. I was reminded of your wonderful and inspiring life story as well as the beauty and insightful way you have for sharing that story with others, and how you are and will be an inspiration for many women (and men) whom you come into contact with in your life and through your various vocational experiences throughout your career.

Audience member

International Women’s Day Event

Articles & Media

Unlocking the Power of Storytelling

Ethical Entrepreneur Magazine.

In this increasingly complex world, what if stories held the key to our self-healing? Could stories stitch up our wounds so we could better serve ourselves and others? Gayathri Shukla understands the life-changing power of stories and she is bringing a unique experience to fellow Calgarians who wish to tap into their own narratives. “I truly believe that when we can share our authentic stories, we start to celebrate what makes us unique, and we also celebrate our unity and diversity,” shares Gayathri.
View
Is Storytelling Key to Better Leadership?

Ethical Entrepreneur Magazine.

Gayathri Shukla believes that stories hold incredible power to shape our understanding of ourselves, and our understanding of others. Her social enterprise, Campfire Kinship Storytelling Inc., is utilizing the potential of storytelling in innovative ways to create transformation within individuals and the broader community. “Campfire Kinship offers story-based solutions to help people reclaim their unique stories, perspectives, and their authentic voices, while finding a sense of belonging with others,” she says.
View
Gayathri Shukla

Calgary arts development

For Gayathri Shukla, a Calgary-based writer, founder of Campfire Kinship, and EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) strategist, the initial goal was to get between 10 and 12 stories for the anthology. “Once the call was put out, we received over 60 submissions and 37 of those made the final selection.” Each selected author was also invited to partake in a series of writing workshops led by Gayathri, in a method called Guided Autobiography that uses creative exercises and prompts to help jog memories and inspire creativity, helping people get their life stories and memories out of their heads and onto paper.
View
‘Falling in love with Canada’: new book tells female immigrants’ stories

Global News

A new book is allowing readers to learn what it’s truly like to be a female immigrant in Calgary. “I’ve been told this book is like an emotional guide to immigration, because of the range of emotions that it covers,” said author Gayathri Shukla. “Women who have come as refugees, stories of some women who moved for economic reasons as a skilled worker or as a student. And we also have stories of women who were born in Canada to immigrant parents.”
View
Global News

SBC

Local book highlights journeys of Canadian immigrant women
View

Books

Landed, Transformative Stories of Canadian Immigrant Women
Landed, Transformative Stories of Canadian Immigrant Women
Landed is a collection of personal stories about the transformative experience of immigration. Written by 37 women from 30 countries of origin, each story is a unique expression of the gritty choices and hard-won lessons to belong and become. Together, the stories highlight the exquisite fabric of...

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How to book Gayathri Shukla for an event?

Gayathri Shukla keynote speaker is an expert presenter and has a wide range of experience speaking to a wide variety of audiences and organizations. Gayathri Shukla delivers keynotes, workshops & training sessions. They may also host or emcee events. Hire Gayathri Shukla from Calgary, Alberta for your event to inspire the audience to take action and make change in their work and their lives. Your workplace will benefit from our keynote speaker and their keynote talks and speeches will shift the mindsets or behaviours for the audience members in Canada. 

Interested in booking Gayathri Shukla for an event?

Are you looking to hire Gayathri Shukla for your event? Gayathri Shukla Calgary, Alberta is a dynamic and engaging speaker that offers audiences researched content paired with expertise and a dynamic speaking ability. Gayathri Shukla is also a Canadian corporate consultant and coach and facilitates workshops and training sessions for a corporate audience. Gayathri Shukla is an expert keynote presenter and speaks on wide variety of topics. Hiring a great speaker for your event is important and working with a thought leader like Gayathri Shukla from Speakers Canada's roster will engage audiences into the content of the presentation to bring awareness and a fresh perspective for their approach to their work and their lives. Book Gayathri Shukla to educate, motivate and activate the audience through an interactive and entertaining presentation at corporate meetings and gatherings.

Known as a popular key note speaker in Canada, Gayathri Shukla creates life changing experiences for the participants with practical insights and strategic advice they can implement right after the session. Working with a one our leading expert speaker like Gayathri Shukla from Calgary, Alberta offers organizations a fresh perspective to assist the people of the organization. No matter if it is a government, association, or business crowd, Gayathri Shukla is a perfect speaker for your event. Through unique practical insights for trending topics and years experience speaking to different organizations, Gayathri Shukla focuses on changing individuals to make better decisions at work and their lives. No matter if you are holding an in person or virtual event, having an influential speaker such as Gayathri Shukla will engage, motivate, and activate the audience to make a change in their lives and inspire action for results to meet organizational goals. Your workforce will benefit from Gayathri Shukla's presentations and speeches, with measurable results set to shift the people of the organization and core direction of the company. Book Gayathri Shukla speaker for your annual general meeting, conference, summit, or convention in Canada.

How much does it cost to hire Gayathri Shukla for a keynote presentation or virtual event?

Gayathri Shukla is an expert professional key note speaker with a lot of experience speaking and delivering engaging talks to organizations and audiences in Canada. Each of Speaker Bureau Canada's talent have different ways to assess their fees, and Gayathri Shukla speaker fee ranges depending on the size of the audience, event format (in person or virtual), event location, and if the organization booking them is a non profit, association, government department/government agency or business/corporation. The speakers we work with are flexible with their fees, and it is important for us to learn more about your event before we approach them, as it is our role to work for you, and to help you find a speaker within budget. 

Please contact Speakers Bureau of Canada and provide us with your event details so that we can contact Gayathri Shukla to check availability or confirm the pricing and associated costs to hire a great speaker like Gayathri Shukla for your event. As Gayathri Shukla's agent and as a Canadian top speaker bureau and talent agency for speakers, we are able to propose each event opportunity from each host organization's behalf to try to help you get in touch with Gayathri Shukla and confirm them for your in person or online meeting/event. We can also provide and advise on the booking process and potentially negotiate their fee. Speakers Canada is a client focused speaker agency, and we work for you in finding good speakers for your team meetings and booking processes.

Gayathri Shukla Disclaimer

Speakers Bureau Canada assists companies and event planning teams seeking to hire talent like Gayathri Shukla for speaking engagements, virtual meetings, conference appearances, training sessions and workshops facilitations. Our Canadian speakers bureau does not claim to exclusively represent Gayathri Shukla, however they are represented by Speakers Canada, and we work with them closely for their Canadian speaking opportunities and bookings. As Canada's top speaker bureau, we represent Canadian motivational keynote speakers and professional guest speakers that will be available on your upcoming events date and location that are withing the budget. Our talented bureau speaker booking agency can help find business speakers or celebrity speakers that aligns with each organization, audience, event theme and the topic themes you hope for the speaker to address in their presentation. 

When SBC receives a request to book Gayathri Shukla we provide you with their speaker fees, travel costs and check their schedules. We work closely with the host organization's event planning team and the speaker to handle the logistics and to relay or negotiate associated costs. Our talented team members then will work with our talent directly or their agent/manager/assistant to confirm the Canadian speaker fee and travel expenses, so that event planning teams can receive an official quote for the speaker appearing at the event. Speaker fees and travel costs vary per speaker and our role is to contact Gayathri Shukla about your event, after we have connected with the event organizers to learn all the event details and/or conference program. Each booking request is unique since session durations and audience sizes can vary which may affect the speaker's fees. If you are looking to hire Gayathri Shukla, we recommend filling out the booking request form so a booking agent from Speakers Bureau Canada can get in touch with our talent to help you coordinate with your team to engage the speaker for a successful event.