Adeshola Akanji – Speaker
A highly accomplished and respected professional, she is a distinguished speaker dedicated to advancing advocacy, empowerment, and awareness through her personal experiences. She actively supports individuals in prioritising self-advocacy and promotes positive change within their communities. Notably, she has advocated for enhancements in the treatment pathway for autistic individuals with eating disorders.
She holds a degree in Biomedical Science from London Metropolitan University and brings 16 years of NHS experience, contributing significantly throughout her career. Currently, she serves as Group Co-Chair of the NHS Disability Network, NHS Senior Leader, Wellbeing Champion, and Inclusion Ambassador. In these roles, she champions equitable hiring practices, inclusive workplaces, and the well-being of staff and patients with long-term or hidden disabilities. She is also a member of the Disability Pioneer Supergroup, in collaboration with NHS Employers. Her articles on health, wellbeing, and disability have been published in the East London Observer, NHS Trust intranet, and various wellbeing newsletters. She was recognised with a nomination for the Barts Heroes Award for her contributions to health, wellbeing, and disability advocacy. As Disability Network Co-Chair, she contributed to the development of a new disability policy and the implementation of standard operating procedures for workplace accommodations.
Beyond her professional achievements, she is a confident and passionate public speaker, coach, and mentor. She offers public speaking, professional coaching, and mentoring services through her brand, Ultimate Royal, based in the UK. She is also a professional model, Miss British Beauty 2025 winner, and recipient of the prestigious Empowerment Award. Additionally, she hosts the BartsAbility podcast, which focuses on disability-related topics.
She has received nominations for numerous awards, including the Black Talent Awards, Women’s Awards, Beauty and Brains Awards, Influencer Magazine Awards, Divas of Colours Awards, Integrity Magazine Awards, and MBCC Awards. Her photograph was displayed alongside distinguished women in 2024 at the Louvre in Paris, home of the Mona Lisa.
Her collaborative work spans organisations and initiatives such as Neurodiversity Stories, Business Unzipped, HD Sunflower Filming, the National Disability Support Network, Divas of Colour, Brain in Hand, NHS England, SISTAS network, Black Inclusion Week, Divas with Disabilities Project, Black Rise (where she was Group Leader of the Week), PRECIOUS Platform, SHECAN World, ME Association, Scope, BEAT Eating Disorders, and the National Autistic Society.
She has participated in influential events and panels, including the “Unlocking Access to Work” webinar organised by Brain in Hand, which attracted 277 attendees. She was also interviewed by the host of Neurodiversity Stories on the topic “How Am I Still Standing? I Nearly Died,” with the conversation available on YouTube. Other engagements include an interview on the Business Unzipped podcast discussing mental health, presentations on Autism and ADHD during Disability History Month and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, co-presenting during the Hidden Disability Sunflower Lanyard webinar, and co-chairing the Dyslexia Forum in March 2025 during Neurodiversity Week, where she shared her personal experiences with dyslexia.
Her journey includes experiences related to disabilities and neurodivergence, as well as overcoming challenges such as ICU stays, homelessness, single parenthood, and workplace bullying and harassment.
She was honoured to be featured in Divas of Colour’s International Women’s Day initiative, “My Journey to Empowerment,” and participated as a speaker in the online summit “Entrepreneurs: Don’t Stop, Get It, Get It.” She was also invited to collaborate on a book recounting her life experiences and to present her story to producers. In April, she contributed to Brain in Hand’s campaign for World Autism Acceptance Day and month, aiming to challenge stereotypes around the autistic community. She is an active participant in the National Autistic Society’s Insight panel and completed a 5K walk for autism, reaching her fundraising goal in advance. Recently, she took part in the REAL ME campaign to raise awareness that chronic fatigue can affect anyone at any time.
She is a member and speaker of the esteemed SISTAS (Supporting Individual Sisters to Achieve Success) network, receiving valuable support and inspiration for her speaking engagements. She also participates as a member and speaker for the Southern Disability Support Network, now rebranded as the National Disability Support Network.
Additionally, she is a panel speaker on the PRECIOUS online platform for women of colour and a member and speaker for Divas with Disabilities, a global movement advocating for increased participation and authentic representation of Black and Brown women and girls with disabilities across media, entertainment, and civic engagement. She is honoured to present at Black Inclusion Week in May on the topic “No Voice Left Behind: The Intersectional Black Experience,” alongside other distinguished speakers, representing Black women with disabilities.