Renowned for her engaging, energizing, and down-to-earth style, Sema has a knack for nudging audiences just far enough out of their comfort zones for meaningful learning to take place. Fully bilingual, she delivers presentations in both English and French to diverse audiences across Canada and internationally.
A natural storyteller, Sema blends her background in business with a deep understanding of people and relationships - allowing her to connect with audiences not just intellectually, but emotionally. She often shares real, vulnerable moments from her own life, drawing on experiences as a woman of colour in corporate spaces, a former CPA turned DEI strategist, and a board leader navigating complex challenges. Her stories resonate with her audiences because they’re honest, relatable, and anchored in lived experience.
Sema has delivered keynote presentations, workshops, and talks at conferences, leadership retreats, corporate events, and global forums - reaching thousands of professionals around the world. Her topics include cultural identity, power and privilege, microaggressions, inclusive leadership, allyship, and how to turn good intentions into inclusive action.
“If your business runs on people, I recommend that you and your teams spend time with Sema.”
Andrew Bruce
CEO, Publicis Groupe Canada
“For any organization looking to enhance their diversity and inclusion efforts and are in need of a passionate and knowledgeable diversity trainer, Sema is undoubtedly the right choice!”
Patricia d'itri
former Head of Talent Management and Talent Acquisition on Innergex
“Thank you for your inspiring and engaging presentation at our forum. Your enlightening and straight forward way of communicating made a significant impression.
I really enjoyed how you helped us all to move out of our comfort zones, face up to our biases and commit to make change in our behaviours. Thank you.”
Ivan Vella
former CEO of Rio Tinto Aluminum
A Few of The Topics Sema Covers
the Allyship Advantage: Helping leaders create a competitive advantage
Allyship is not just a people issue — it’s a leadership advantage. This session helps leaders understand the influence they already hold and how to use it to build trust, strengthen teams, amplify diverse voices, and create high performance workplace cultures.
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Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Overcoming Barriers Through Allyship
Advancement shouldn’t depend on who has access — yet systemic barriers persist. This talk explores how allyship can dismantle those barriers, highlighting the concrete actions leaders can take to support women and underrepresented groups in meaningful, measurable ways.
Cultivating Psychological Safety in the Workplace
Teams can’t innovate or speak honestly without psychological safety. Participants will learn what safety looks like in practice, what undermines it, and how leaders can create environments where people feel respected, heard, and empowered to contribute.
Leading in a Multi-Cultural Context
Culture shapes how people communicate, collaborate, and lead. This session gives leaders the tools to navigate cultural differences with respect and curiosity, helping them build stronger relationships and more inclusive teams across diverse contexts.
The Impact of Small Moments: Understanding Microaggressions at Work
Microaggressions may seem small, but their cumulative impact is significant. This talk breaks down how microaggressions show up, why they matter, and how leaders can recognize, interrupt, and prevent them to foster a more respectful workplace.
Seeing Bias Clearly: What All Leaders Need to Know
Bias affects how we make decisions — often without realizing it. This session helps leaders identify the most common forms of bias, understand their impact on people and performance, and adopt practical strategies to reduce bias in key moments.
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