Mohsin Zaidi Keynote Speaker

Author of award winning book, A Dutiful Boy (Penguin, 2020),
Advocate for LGBT rights, BAME representation and social mobility
Named a top future LGBT leader by The Financial Times, and featured in The Lawyer Magazine Hot 100

Mohsin Zaidi's Biography

Mohsin Zaidi is an award-winning author, commentator, qualified lawyer and keynote speaker on diversity, inclusion, mental health and justice.

Mohsin’s memoir, A Dutiful Boy (Penguin, 2020) won the Polari Prize, the Lambda Literary Award and was named Guardian, GQ and New Statesman Book of the Year. The Guardian described his book as ‘a profound meditation on the power of the human heart to transcend the contradictions of diverse cultures and create something new…utterly compelling…providing a lesson of acceptance for us all, and for the future of our multicultural society’ and The Times called it a book that will save lives.

Mohsin is an advocate for LGBT rights, BAME representation and social mobility, and he sits on the Stonewall board. Mohsin regularly features on Sky News, and contributes to media publications including CNN Style, Bustle, Mr Porter and Newsweek, among others. He was listed by The Financial Times as a top future LGBT leader and in The Lawyer Magazine Hot 100.

Mohsin was the first person from his school to go to Oxford University, and subsequently qualified as a lawyer at Linklaters. He is a director at advisory firm Hakluyt. Previously, he worked at a UN War Crimes tribunal in The Hague and as Judicial Assistant to Lord Sumption and Lord Wilson at the UK’s Supreme Court.

LGBTQ+ / Pride

Mohsin speaks passionately about being a minority within a minority, intersectionality and what pride means to him. Subjects include racism and sexism within the queer community, how to combat it and the positive impact that living as one, rather than dividing yourself into parts, can have on your wellbeing. He also articulates the power of allyship and what workplaces can do to build more inclusive environments for their LGBTQ+ employees.

Mental Health

Mohsin addresses the stigma around mental health within ethnic minority communities and draws a parallel between it and a cultural stigma around discussing mental wellbeing in the workplace. Through very personal and at times harrowing tales, Mohsin articulates the case for honesty in personal identity within yourself but also at work and amongst colleagues.

Social mobility

The single most pressing issue of diversity facing society and businesses is the one to which we give the least attention. While measures of equity on race/gender/sexuality move in the right direction, the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. Through personal experience of growing up in a council house and going to a school ridden with gang violence (a school from which he became the person to go to Oxford University), Mohsin addresses the issue of class bias and discusses what we can do about it.

Book group

Q&A around the critically acclaimed memoir ‘A Dutiful Boy’, drawing on all the strands Mohsin writes and speaks on.

He is an award-winning author, lawyer and commentator whose work explores identity, justice, inclusion and the realities of modern multicultural society.
He translates deeply personal experiences into powerful insights on diversity, belonging, mental health and social mobility.
He brings exceptional credibility through a distinguished legal and public affairs career spanning the UK Supreme Court, international justice and advisory work at the highest levels.
He is a compelling and thoughtful speaker whose honesty, intelligence and emotional depth create meaningful connections with audiences.
His insights equip organisations and individuals to foster more inclusive cultures, challenge prejudice and better understand the human impact of identity and belonging.

Videos of Mohsin Zaidi

Mohsin Zaidi Talks About A Dutiful Boy | The Big Scottish Book Club | BBC Scotland

Mohsin Zaidi on The Four Pieces of a Life | BoF VOICES 2021

Books by Mohsin Zaidi

A Dutiful Boy

Comments & Testimonials

“Mohsin’s speaker session at Bain was incredibly powerful. We had an outpouring of positive feedback after the talk – from people expressing both their gratitude for having the chance to be part of an open conversation on critical intersectional topics, and their praise for Mohsin as a powerful storyteller. If you’re an organization that cares about DE&I and mental health you MUST get Mohsin to come for a session with your people.”

Som Holliday Partner, Bain

I hosted an event between PwC and NatWest where Mohsin talked about his book and the themes in it with PwC's Head of Client Experience…[it was] one of the largest events we have ever had in the Diversity and Inclusion space both virtually and in person. I have had a huge amount of positive feedback after the event that it was an incredibly important set of topics to cover (including social mobility and mental health) and that it was great that our company had taken the time to discuss them. Mohsin was a pleasure to work with - helped us prepare appropriately and spent a good amount of time with the facilitator to get her up to speed. He was brilliant on the day and helped us navigate through some difficult yet important questions.

Susan Smith PWC

“Mohsin brought every bit of himself to the discussion and let the audience in on the conflict that was raging inside of him for a long time. He deeply moved his listeners and made them re-think what they can do to make their environments more inclusive. He is witty, thought-provoking, eloquent and worth every minute of your time"

Saleh Panahi Blackstone

"I have engaged Mohsin as a speaker twice, once at BBC Studios for its Inclusion Summit in 2017 and again at The LEGO Group in time for National Coming Out Day in 2020. Mohsin is an engaging and charismatic speaker on D&I topics including social mobility and mental health, who gives his audience pause for thought and opens up valuable discussions within organisations. Mohsin's professional experience means he is a great collaborator in terms of designing a keynote session or panel discussion, and in both instances I've seen Mohsin tailor his content to specific audiences. The feedback on both his appearances has been excellent."

Charlie Henniker LEGO Group

We were delighted to have Mohsin talk to clients, partners and staff as part of a joint LGBT+ History Month event with Combar, Techbar and the Chancery Bar Association. Having read from A Dutiful Boy, Mohsin answered questions for nearly an hour – candidly engaging across many of the themes and stories so poignantly told in his memoir. He has a way of tackling difficult subjects such as mental health, intersectionality and class authentically, and in a completely non-preachy way. And he was a delight to deal with.”

David Stone, Partner Allen and Overy LLP