Book IWD Speaker: Maya Toussaint

Social Impact Leader, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Champion, ERG & Culture Specialist

Maya Toussaint is a dynamic social impact leader and DEI advocate with over 20 years of experience in recruitment, HR, and program management. Known for her big laugh, bold hair, and knack for making tough topics approachable and ability to bring people together, Maya combines empathy and humour to tackle complex topics like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with real-world practicality. She’s delivered engaging sessions for organizations like LinkedIn, Shopify, and Amazon and currently drives social impact at a leading legal tech company, Clio.

Maya is from Montréal, Québec, and was recognized as one of Concordia University’s 50 Under 50, where she also studied journalism.

While Maya has led discussions and keynotes around a variety of topics, the most popular themes/topics are around

• Navigating Difficult Conversations
• Creating Diverse and Inclusive teams
• Power & Privilege
• DEI + Mental Health
• Inclusive Leadership
• Social Impact & Giving Back (volunteerism)
• Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging: creating safe spaces for employees to thrive
• Fireside Chat/General session with Q&A on a given topic
• Culture Building for Leaders

Maya launched the first Black Employee Resource Group at LinkedIn (Black Inclusion Group) in 2016, and at Clio (BLAC) in 2025 and is a founding council member of the Concordia University Black Alumni Network.

While you can get a sense of her career on LinkedIn, here is a brief of her background:
20+ years Recruitment & HR
16+ years facilitation and training
9+ years DEI specific training
5+ years Branding + Marketing with a DEI lens
Worked at Electronic Arts, LinkedIn, Shopify, Amazon and now Clio!

She loves connecting in person! But with the virtual world she is very comfortable using:
Zoom, Teams, Webex, GoogleMeet, Chime, Broadcast, Skype, Bluejeans and GoToMeeting

Maya is based in Montreal, Quebec, is fully bilingual (English & French) and loves to travel.

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