Elizabeth Nyamayaro
Political Scientist; Humanitarian; Founder of @HeForShe Movement
SPEAKER FEE RANGE: $17,000–$25,000 [FEE NOTE]
TRAVELS FROM: New York
RELATED TOPICS: Black Speakers, Economy, Humanitarian & Philanthropy, LGBTQ +, Political Perspective, Women's Equality
• Humanitarian and Voice for Global Social Change
• Special Advisor, United Nations World Food Programme
• Founder, HeForShe Global Solidarity Movement for Gender Equality
• Author of 'I Am A Girl From Africa'
• Special Advisor, United Nations World Food Programme
• Founder, HeForShe Global Solidarity Movement for Gender Equality
• Author of 'I Am A Girl From Africa'
Elizabeth Nyamayaro is an award-winning humanitarian and United Nations Special Advisor for the World Food Programme. Born in Zimbabwe, Elizabeth has worked at the forefront of global development for over two decades, improving the lives of underserved populations, and has been instrumental in fighting global inequalities, advancing social justice, and challenging the status quo to accelerate women’s rights around the world – through her leadership roles at the World Bank, World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and UN Women.
Elizabeth is the mastermind behind HeForShe, a United Nations global solidarity movement for gender equality that took the world by storm, generating more than 1.2B conversations on social media and galvanizing men in every single country in the world in just five days. With her TED Talk garnering more than 1M views in its first weeks alone, Elizabeth is a prominent thought-leader and has engaged at global forums such as World Economic Forum in Davos, Cannes Film Festival, Skoll World Forum, Harvard, Oxford, the British Parliament, among others.
Named by The Female Lead in 2021 as one of 67 Women Changing the World, and as Apolitico’s 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy in 2018 & 2019, Elizabeth has been touted by The New York Times as “one of only two women transforming Davos.” She has been featured in Vogue, Fast Company, Wired, Fortune, Elle, BBC, and CNN. She has also served as a Glass Lions jury at Cannes Lions and has received the PR Council Trailblazer Award for Social Impact and the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Global Women’s Rights Award.
A Political Scientist by training, Elizabeth holds a Masters of Science in Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science and leadership education from the Harvard Business School. She wrote a memoir about her life and experiences in, I Am A Girl From Africa.
Elizabeth is the mastermind behind HeForShe, a United Nations global solidarity movement for gender equality that took the world by storm, generating more than 1.2B conversations on social media and galvanizing men in every single country in the world in just five days. With her TED Talk garnering more than 1M views in its first weeks alone, Elizabeth is a prominent thought-leader and has engaged at global forums such as World Economic Forum in Davos, Cannes Film Festival, Skoll World Forum, Harvard, Oxford, the British Parliament, among others.
Named by The Female Lead in 2021 as one of 67 Women Changing the World, and as Apolitico’s 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy in 2018 & 2019, Elizabeth has been touted by The New York Times as “one of only two women transforming Davos.” She has been featured in Vogue, Fast Company, Wired, Fortune, Elle, BBC, and CNN. She has also served as a Glass Lions jury at Cannes Lions and has received the PR Council Trailblazer Award for Social Impact and the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Global Women’s Rights Award.
A Political Scientist by training, Elizabeth holds a Masters of Science in Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science and leadership education from the Harvard Business School. She wrote a memoir about her life and experiences in, I Am A Girl From Africa.
- An Invitation to Allyship: How to Support Those Seeking Social Equity
Realizing that social change happens when those in power align with those seeking equity, Nyamayaro invites us to be critical allies in the movement for social justice and equality. She founded HeForShe, the United Nations global solidarity movement for gender equality, based on a simple idea: that what we share is much more powerful than what divides us. In this talk, Nyamayaro uses this truth to inspire and teach us how we can be allies to those seeking justice. - Engaging Communities for Change
Elizabeth Nyamayaro is a social change-maker. She knows how to create a movement toward lasting change, and how to enact the difficult work of changing mindsets, finding and supporting allies, and keeping the movement filled with optimism. Born in Zimbabwe, Elizabeth has worked at the forefront of global development for over two decades improving the lives of underserved populations and has held leadership roles at the World Bank, World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and UN Women, and is a former United Nations Senior Advisor on Gender Equality. She is the founder of HeForShe, the United Nations global solidarity movement for gender equality, in which she invites men to join in allyship with women in the movement for gender equality. She is also the founder of AfricaYouth.org, Africa's largest youth movement to tackle some of the continent's challenges with the power and enthusiasm of its own next generation. - Ubuntu: Africa's Greatest Gift to the World
Ubuntu is the African philosophy that what unites us is greater than what separates us. Elizabeth explains how Ubuntu is not a simple platitiude, but instead a radical philosophy that can be used in the most contentious circumstances, from international diplomacy to social justice movements. Ubuntu is Africa's greatest gift to the world and a global call for solidarity and unity in an ever divided and divisive world. - Be True to Yourself: Your Story Matters
Speaking directly to the often-marginalized communities, Elizabeth reminds us that where you are born, and your current circumstance should not determine your destiny nor limit your dreams. No matter how crazy your dreams may seem, they are valid and worthy of pursing.
She shares how she questioned everything about herself when she was growing up; was her skin too dark, her hair too curly, her accent too thick, her dreams too ambitious. She came to realize that the qualities that were once a source of insecurity are in fact some of her greatest strengths. In this talk she uses her story to inspire each of us to embrace our own story, always remembering that despite any of our insecurities that being your true self is enough.
We can help ideate, source and book speakers that aren't on our website, too. Leave an inquiry or call us at