Born in Angola, Viana moved to the UK as a child, growing up in East London where she witnessed her parents rebuild their lives as refugees, facing challenges like visa issues and employment barriers. Despite these struggles, they saved enough to buy a home, instilling in Viana a deep appreciation for education and resilience.
Viana faced homelessness twice—first while studying at university in London, and later as a young mother navigating the welfare system after being denied work as a pregnant actress. Determined to break the cycle, she moved to Edinburgh, pursued further education, and began working with refugees and migrants—marking the start of her journey to transform lives through DEI.
Using her own experiences of social injustice, Viana founded her own business, pRESPECT, and set about empowering Scotland’s untapped talent and transforming Scotland’s employers through inclusive, person-first consultancy.
From homelessness to award-winning impact leader, Viana Maya now transforms barriers into bridges, equipping individuals and organisations with the tools to unlock their full potential. As a strategist and creator of proven human-centred frameworks, Viana empowers teams to take meaningful action on equity, allyship, and inclusive leadership—removing the fear of “getting it wrong” and driving real, sustainable change.
Her unique, full-circle approach ensures organisations move beyond performative efforts, fostering cultures where equity and allyship thrive. By recognising the multi-layered identities of people, she simplifies complex challenges into actionable steps that build confidence, boost productivity, and deliver measurable impact.
With lived experience, strategic expertise, and evidence-based frameworks, Viana has transformed workplaces across investment banking, creative industries, education, and more. Her work has received widespread recognition, earning glowing testimonials and tangible results for SMEs and large organisations alike.
Viana’s talks are tailored to your needs – below are some examples of the types of topics she can cover:
- From homelessness to impact leader – A compelling journey of resilience, leadership, and breaking barriers.
- Equity in action – Practical frameworks for embedding equity strategies that drive growth and opportunity.
- The power of intersectional allyship – How to move from fear to action in building inclusive cultures.
- Unlocking untapped talent – Transforming workplaces to harness diverse, underutilised potential.
With clarity, energy, and empathy, Viana inspires organisations to embrace change and take ownership of their role in building equitable workplaces. Through engaging storytelling and actionable insights, she helps leaders and teams become confident, active allies who drive real impact.
Why Book Viana Maya?
✔ Award-winning leader with a track record of cultural transformation.
✔ Proven, human-centred frameworks that make equity actionable and sustainable.
✔ A storyteller who breaks down barriers, builds confidence, and inspires action.
Viana Maya helps organisations take bold, purposeful steps toward equity and allyship—ensuring progress, productivity, and growth, with people at the heart of every solution.
