Gender equality is not a women's issue
Karen Craggs is an Obama White House-recognized gender equality expert and one of Canada's most experienced women's empowerment keynote speakers. She has spent 25 years advancing gender equity across 70 countries, helping organizations understand what genuine gender equality requires from everyone.
25 years advancing gender equity, from Kenya to Canada
Karen's commitment to gender equality is personal before it is professional. Growing up in a multicultural family in Kenya, she experienced both the warmth of a family that celebrated difference and the reality of a society that treated people unequally based on their gender, race, and background.
That lived experience has shaped every aspect of her work. From designing Africa's first pan-African initiative for Women in STEM through the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, to speaking at the United State of Women Summit and being recognized by the Obama White House, Karen has spent her career turning gender equality from a principle into practice.
Her gender equality keynotes are notable for two things: their depth and their nuance. Karen addresses the structural barriers that hold women back alongside the cultural and interpersonal dynamics that sustain them. And crucially, she makes the powerful case that gender equality requires men and boys as active partners, not just bystanders.
Learn About KarenKaren's gender equality speaking topics
Each topic can be delivered as a keynote, workshop, or multi-session program. Particularly popular for International Women's Day events, leadership conferences, and professional association gatherings. Available globally, in person and virtually.
Gender Equality & Women's Empowerment
Karen addresses gender equity with the nuance it deserves, including the critical role men and boys play in creating lasting change. She covers structural barriers, women's leadership pathways, and what genuine gender equality requires from individuals and organizations.
View full topic →Women at Work: The 5 Barriers and How to Address Them
Drawing on decades of gender equity work across sectors and countries, Karen identifies the five structural and cultural barriers that consistently hold women back and offers practical, evidence-based strategies organizations can implement immediately. Ideal for mixed-gender leadership audiences.
View full topic →Gender-Based Analysis Plus & Intersectionality
Karen is a Certified GBA+ Practitioner with extensive experience making this framework accessible and practical for non-specialists. She explores how overlapping identities shape experiences of inclusion and exclusion, and how organizations can apply an intersectional lens to policy and program design.
View full topic →Engaging Men and Boys as Gender Equality Champions
One of Karen's most distinctive offerings. Drawing on her global development experience, she makes a compelling and practical case for why gender equality requires active male allyship, and gives men and boys the tools to understand their role in creating change without defensiveness or shame.
View full topic →Gender equality work with global reach
AIMS Women in STEM Initiative, Africa's First Pan-African Gender Equity Program
As Global Group Director of Gender Equality and Inclusion at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Karen facilitated the design of industry-leading STEM programs, enabled top-tier partnerships, and helped secure $120+ million in funding that strengthened the entire STEM ecosystem across Africa. She launched the initiative at the Next Einstein Forum, hosted by President Macky Sall of Senegal, and led a campaign engaging over 10,000 men to actively support women in STEM, establishing a platform for young men to share their views on gender equality, the first of its kind on the continent.
Public Service Commission of Canada, International Women's Day Keynote
The Public Service Commission invited Karen to speak for International Women's Day with a clear mandate: move beyond the performative celebration and help the organization understand what embedded, organizational gender equality actually looks like. Karen delivered her Conscious Equality Framework as a practical roadmap for equity work that becomes part of organizational philosophy rather than a one-day event. Colleagues left with concrete language, frameworks, and steps they could act on.
Adidas Canada, Women's Day Celebration & Gender Equality Keynote
Adidas Canada brought Karen in to speak for their Women's Day celebration, engaging both employees and leadership on gender equality in a corporate context. Karen's session connected theory to practice, helping attendees understand gender inequality not as an abstract social issue but as something that operates in their workplace, their teams, and their everyday leadership decisions. The room left inspired and challenged in equal measure.
Voices from the audiences Karen has moved
Karen, you changed my life. It was so humbling to listen to you. I feel honoured to have had the privilege of this transformative experience with you. Thank you.
Karen brings concepts to life in a clear, compelling, direct and compassionate way with instructive real-world examples that will stretch how you think about how we engage with the world around us in conscious and unconscious ways. Eyeopening and energizing.
It is clear that gender equality is not just a day job for Karen, but rather, a lifelong mission driven by her personal experiences. She challenged our audience and provided thought-provoking analyses. Karen is the real deal, and I cannot stress how valuable her insight is.
Ready to bring real gender equity to your organization?
Karen is one of the most in-demand gender equality speakers in Canada. Her calendar fills several months in advance. Reach out early.