Their career as a financial services technology speaker came to an abrupt end following their change in gender. Faced with considerable discrimination, Rikki completed a master’s degree in gender research and established themselves as one of the leading diversity and inclusion speakers in the UK, delivering keynote presentations and workshops on transgender awareness, unconscious bias and gender equality, including two successful TEDx talks. Rikki draws extensively upon their own experience and that of the many trans and non-binary people they have helped and supported over the past 20 years and was recently awarded the prestigious PSAE (Speaker Hall of Fame) award.

An international, award-winning Virtual/Keynote speaker specialising in LGBTQ issues, Rikki Arundel has been entertaining and educating audiences for 40 years. Today they identify as a “trans feminine non-binary person” preferring they/them pronouns and speak from their lived experience and research into Trans and Non-Binary issues and LGBT History.

Rikki’s professional speaking career began in the early nineties following a successful corporate career as a senior executive in sales, marketing and PR, first in the financial services industry and then in information technology. They had quickly discovered that delivering inspiring speeches packed with stories was the most effective way to connect with prospective buyers and became a regular and popular speaker at industry events and exhibitions, particularly the Life Insurance Association.

After starting their own business in 1990, Rikki was invited to help relaunch the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management, leading the development of their regional meeting programme, keynote speaking at the first two Successful Selling Conferences and receiving a prestigious BESMA award. At the same time Rikki became a consultant with the Insurance Trading Exchange where they chaired and keynoted a monthly conference programme throughout the UK for 10 years helping to move Independent Financial Advisers from a paper-based business to electronic trading.

In 1995, frustrated by the lack of any development or support for professional speakers in the UK, Rikki joined the National Speakers Association in the USA and attended their annual convention. Inspired by their experience they recruited a team of enthusiastic speakers and founded the UK and Ireland Professional Speaking Association (PSA), becoming its first president and a Fellows of the Association.

Then in 2002, Rikki stunned the speaking world and brought their career as a successful Sales and Technology speaker to an abrupt end when they announced that they were changing gender becoming the first openly transgender professional speaker. Faced with considerable discrimination they changed their field of expertise completing a master’s degree in Gender Research at the University of Hull University and engaging in LGBTQ+ politics, becoming passionate about LGBT History and speaking regularly at universities around the UK.

On leaving university, Rikki founded, and became CEO of, a social enterprise providing support for trans people and training and consultancy on equalities, particularly transgender awareness, to employers throughout the public, private and voluntary sectors. At the same time, they became very active in local and regional community leadership, serving as a representative, board director or trustee for a variety of charities, local government bodies and government committees, and contributing to the development of the UK Equalities Act 2010.

Rikki continues to play a significant role in helping to change attitudes to transgender people as a leading UK speaker on LGBTQ and diversity issues, including delivering two successful TEDx talks. They draw extensively upon their own experience and that of the many trans and non-binary people they have helped and supported over the past 20 years and have been recognised with the prestigious PSAE (Speaker Hall of Fame) award from the PSA.  Rikki was also selected as one of 50 LGBT icons in the 2017 UK Pride 50^th anniversary celebration of the decimalisation of homosexuality in the UK.

The Covid-19 pandemic reconnected Rikki with their technology expertise, enabling them to easily shift to delivering virtual presentations and workshops on Transgender Awareness, LGBTQ History, Unconscious Bias and Presentation Skills.  Working extensively with organisations, particularly multinational organisations, who are keen to raise awareness of gender and LGBTQ inequality and create a more inclusive workplace, Rikki has developed a reputation for engaging audiences through entertaining and inspiring stories, a talent that enabled them to win the 2021 PSA Annual Comedy Night Competition.