LEADERSHIP, HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT
Tanya (Toni) De Mello is a human rights expert with a unique background in economics and finance. With experience working in both the private and nonprofit sectors, she has co-founded two NGOs and contributed to humanitarian aid work that took her to the United Nations.
With over 20 years of experience coaching and consulting on diversity, equity and inclusion, Tanya moves conversations beyond the basics to dig deeper. She explores the nuances of everyday experiences and challenges in the workplace and in our communities. By moving past definitions and handouts to help folks wrestle with the material in their daily lives, her trainings move beyond transaction to transformational. When participants leave, they have strategies that will work for them, and take into account their current situations and limitations.
Tanya’s lectures focus on personal narrative, weaving together her work at the United Nations on three continents, in local and international big business and government services, and arguments at the family dinner table. In doing so, she creates an intimacy that allows participants to move forward in their learning. This style has led to praise for Tanya’s ability to give a keynote or training that all people can digest and apply almost immediately.
TANYA INSPIRES CONVERSATION & COLLECTIVE EXCELLENCE
keynote talks
motivational talks
business and workplace consulting
languages of fluency: English, French and Spanish
MAJOR SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
My global speaking engagements, including a TEDx Talk and The Walrus Talks, reflect a commitment to making complex ideas accessible to broad audiences.
TEDxUW | Here’s How You Get a Job at the UN
This talk explored the vision that the greatest impact comes from focusing one’s passion on small ways to affect change rather than plotting one’s way to fancy titles in the UN.
Audience: 5,000, with more than 400,000 views on YouTube since
Key topics: impact, focus on local change
Location and date: University of Waterloo, January 2018
The Walrus Talks | The Future
This talk explored the challenges we face in hearing one another in conversation and in argument and the challenge of accepting ambivalence in others and in ourselves as the first step to hearing each other.
Audience: 1,000, with more than 2,500 views on YouTube since
Key topics: living with ambivalence, hearing different views
Location and date: Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto, June 2018
PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF INFLUENCE
I consistently seek to influence policy and practice through both ideas and action.
With Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto, 2025
With Stephen Lewis, a Canadian politician, humanitarian, and author, 2023
With Kathleen Wynne, former premier of Ontario
With Angela Davis, 2017
With Anita Hill, 2018
With Madeleine Albright, 2006
With Jenn Hollett and Olivia Chow, 2015. Photo by Mitchel Raphael
With Vance Jones, 2016
TESTIMONIALS
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“Hearing Tanya De Mello speak is always a treat. An expert in her field of human rights and social justice, she brings a precision and passion to every presentation. The only thing better than watching her in action, is watching the audience watch Tanya. Her talks wake people up and get them thinking.”
— Jennifer Hollett, Executive Director at The Walrus
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“Tanya De Mello is an outstanding speaker who brings a big personal presence and inspiring approach to her remarks and training. She is also an award-winning equity and diversity advocate who meshes her firm principles with concrete experience in resolving human rights concerns.”
— Peggy Nash, Former Member of Parliament, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Faculty of Arts and Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University
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“Tanya De Mello is smart and idealistic with a deep understanding of economics — this combination is what is needed so that we can change directions from the past decades”
— David Suzuki, Environmental activist, Canadian academic, science broadcaster
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“Tanya De Mello is a bright, committed, creative and open-minded mobilizer and I saw this on her first day at the UN. She is a leader for change, social equity, humanitarian beliefs and political awareness.”
—Felipe Camargo, Principal Emergency Coordinator, United Nations Commissioner for Refugees
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“I first met Tanya De Mello when I was the Dean of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Her intelligence, compassion and energy lit up the place; before she graduated, I told her to run for office. And I’m still waiting to see how high she soars.”
—Anne-Marie Slaughter, former Director of Policy Planning under U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, international lawyer, foreign policy analyst, political scientist and public commentator
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“An eloquent, untiring advocate of dignity and fairness who does the work and shows us how we can start small, today.”
—Joe MacInnis, Canadian physician, author, poet, underwater diver (the first scientist to dive in the waters beneath the North Pole) and member of the Order of Canada
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“Toni’s data driven, thoughtfully researched presentation provided a solid backbone for an excellent training session which engaged our entire firm. She was dynamic and positive, speaking with both humour and vulnerability in a way that resonated powerfully with our firm. What I did not expect, and what made all the difference, was Toni’s ability to go beyond the academic material and to engage with the individual members of our firm, disarming skeptics, engaging allies and creating an atmosphere where everyone felt that they could be part of positive action and could reflect further on equity and inclusion.”
—Dale Lastman, Chair of Goodmans LLP
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“De Mello has created a chain of actions which have touched—directly and indirectly—most, if not all members. As a result, our campus community has started discussing diversity and equity with an increased sense of awareness and respect. Before Tanya’s arrival, these voices used to remain within the confidential confine of my room, but now they are heard at every level. As a result, she is one of the most recognized faces in the community. The initiatives and sincere partnerships that her office has developed in the past two years have broken new grounds on our campus, started new campaigns and created and maintained a vibe of inclusivity.”
—Dr. Tayyab Rashid, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and author of “Positive Psychotherapy: Clinician Manual”
CONTACT TANYA
To schedule a talk or consultation with Tanya for your organization, or to learn more, please fill out this form.
Or connect with Tanya on LinkedIn.
Featured photo by Joanna Glezakos / Vengenza