What makes Gregory Burns a credible DEI speaker?

Gregory Burns contracted polio at age one in Jerusalem, was paralysed, and was told he would never walk. He went on to compete in three Paralympic Games, win five world records, and two gold medals. He has spent thirty years advising corporations including FedEx, Cigna, Hilton, and InterContinental on disability inclusion — approaching DEI from lived experience rather than theory or research.

What is Gregory Burns' DEI keynote about?

Gregory's DEI keynote, "The DEI Story That Can't Be Questioned," presents the business case for hiring people with disabilities — not as an act of charity, but as competitive advantage. PWDs are among the most loyal, motivated, and resilient employees in any organization. The talk is built on thirty years of corporate advisory work and a life that embodies the inclusion argument.

Which companies has Gregory Burns advised on DEI?

Gregory Burns has advised FedEx, Ogilvy, Cigna, Hilton, and InterContinental Hotels on disability inclusion and DEI programs across Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

← Speaking

Diversity · Equity · Inclusion

The world’s largest
untapped talent pool
is hiding in plain sight.

Nobody told him the deck was stacked against him — and that made all the difference. Gregory’s inclusion work starts with one uncomfortable question: what signals are your people picking up, without a word being said? Not a talk about disability. A talk about potential — and how to build an environment where more of it gets through.

1B+

People with Disabilities

The World's Largest Underutilized Talent Pool

3×

Paralympic Games

Barcelona · Atlanta · Sydney

2×

Paralympic Gold Medals

Two gold medals. Zero excuses.

PLY

Paralympian for Life

International Paralympic Committee Certificate of Recognition

Disability Inclusion · Employer Advisory

Gregory has spent thirty years on both sides of this conversation — as an athlete the system underestimated, and as an advisor helping organisations close the gap. He brings that to the room not as theory, but as testimony. The employer advisory work is built on the same foundation as the keynote: what changes when you stop seeing the limitation and start seeing the person and their potential.

See Keynote Topics →

Nobody told him the deck was stacked against him — and that changed everything. Three Paralympic Games, five world records, two gold medals, and an international art career across sixty countries. Gregory didn’t navigate these odds despite his disability. He built a different way of moving through the world because of it.

He takes that into boardrooms not to inspire in the abstract, but to change something specific: how leadership teams think about the one billion people with disabilities who are, right now, being overlooked as a talent pool, a customer base, and a source of competitive advantage. He has had these conversations with Hilton, FedEx, Cigna, Ogilvy, InterContinental, Marriott, and Goldman Sachs. The conversation is always the same. The companies that get this right pull ahead.

There are a thousand DEI consultants. There is one Gregory Burns.

"Hiring people with disabilities is not charity. It fills a business need — and PWDs are among the most loyal, motivated, and resilient employees in any organization." — Gregory Burns

Signature DEI Keynote

The DEI Story That Can't Be Questioned

Corporations are spending billions on DEI. Most inclusion speakers approach it from the outside — as advocates, researchers, or consultants. Gregory approaches it from a place no credential can replicate: three Paralympic Games, two gold medals, and thirty years building an international career that the system said wasn’t possible. He has taken that story into the boardrooms of Hilton, FedEx, Cigna, Ogilvy, InterContinental, Marriott, and Goldman Sachs — and turned it into a conversation about why hiring people with disabilities is one of the smartest talent decisions any organisation can make.

The Business Case

Companies that lead on disability inclusion outperform their peers. Not because it feels good — because people who have spent their lives overcoming structural barriers bring resilience, creativity, and loyalty that cannot be manufactured. Gregory makes this argument with data, with story, and with the authority of someone who built an international career in art and athletics while navigating the world on leg braces and forearm crutches.

Best For

Corporate DEI forums, HR leadership summits, ERG keynotes and panels, and leadership off-sites focused on building inclusive culture. Audiences from 50 to 5,000. In person or virtual.

Format

45–75 minute keynote or fireside chat. Can be paired with a Team Art Experience for a combined half-day program that explores inclusion through the lens of creativity and collaboration. All talks are tailored to the event theme and audience.

Fees

Inquire about rates · International travel from Singapore.

Employer Advisory

Changing how companies think about hiring PWDs.

Gregory has worked with organizations across hospitality, finance, food service, and technology — challenging leadership teams to see disability inclusion not as compliance, but as competitive advantage. The message is direct: PWDs are among the most loyal, motivated, and resilient people in any workforce. The companies that understand this are the ones that pull ahead.

Companies Advised

Past Clients & Partners · DEI Advisory

AM Magazine Hong Kong — Swimming Champ Canvasses for a Job, 1994

In the Press · AM Magazine, Hong Kong · July 1994

“Companies need people who are different.”

In 1992, KFC — then part of PepsiCo — hired Gregory after the Barcelona Paralympics. Not as a token gesture. Because he was the right person for the job. This 1994 profile in AM Magazine Hong Kong captures that moment, and the argument Gregory has been making in boardrooms ever since: that disability is not a liability, and that companies which understand this pull ahead of those that don’t.

— Gregory Burns, AM Magazine Hong Kong, July 1994

Greg brings a candid, empathetic, and open style to this necessary conversation — he has amazed our staff with his ability to make this topic accessible and personal, sharing experiences that open up new understanding.

Kent Wertime

COO, Ogilvy Worldwide & CEO, Ogilvy Asia Pacific

The session run by Greg on Building Back Together in Putrajaya is extraordinarily impactful and is one of the most touching moments voted by our conference participants. The content is extremely relevant, the presentation is impeccable and the passion possessed by Greg is contagious. It inspires everyone of us.