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Dona Sarkar Featured Microsoft Technology Keynote
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Available for

Keynote, Virtual Presentation, Fireside Chat, Panel, Emcee, Moderator, Webinar, Workshop and Training

Fee Ranges

Domestic In-Person (USA): Up to $25,000*
International In-Person: Please inquire
Virtual: Up to $20,000*

* Ranges are presented as a guideline only. Speaker fees vary by engagement type and are subject to change without notice. For an exact quote, please contact Gravity Speakers.


Traveling From

Washington, USA

Tags: Gravity's Exclusives / Mental Health / Future of Work / Work Life Balance / Communication / Artificial Intelligence / Diversity & Inclusion / Fashion Design / Blockchain & Web3 / Virtual & Augmented Reality / Emcees & Moderators / Future Trends / Innovation / Leadership / Motivational / Technology

About

Dona Sarkar wishes she was a cat so she could have 9 lives, but instead is living 9 lives in this one. She spends her days heading up the Accessibility tech program at Microsoft where her latest passion is Implementing Generative AI into her products in an inclusive way. Previously, Dona led the #WindowsInsiders program (20 million people globally) and worked on advocacy for the Metaverse via HoloLens and low-code development via Microsoft’s Power Platform.

She spends her insomniac hours running an ethical luxury fashion line called Prima Dona Studios tailored by Afghani refugee women in Seattle, Washington.  Dona is also a business coach, coaching entrepreneurs in emerging markets on how to turn ideas into profit. She is also a multi-published author of fiction and non-fiction books to help young professionals have the careers of their dreams, and as of this year, Dona is also a restauranteur!

Her favorite, FAVORITE job is being a bossy big sister to thousands of amazing humans who want to #DoTheThing. She was recently named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Productive People and Cosmopolitan magazine’s Businessperson of the Year.

Topics

The Future of Work is….Shenanigans

 “Yay. A Consultant.” – no one ever

Every company, especially when the economy takes a downturn immediately decides to hire a consultant to solve their latest business problem.  Here is the real truth: the best ideas for your organization are already in your organization, hidden deep inside the brains of your quietest members.  Your goal is to get these ideas out of brains and onto paper so that they can become experiments and then wins and then tangible business results.  

Using my proven 5 Step SHENANIGANS framework, we will identify your most urgent business problems and solve them in an innovative and FUN way using your most valuable assets, your teams.  This will not only save you million of dollars, but will also raise employee engagement and retention like you’ve never seen. Let’s go!

Inclusive AI: How We all Have A Role To Play

Who’s heard of ChatGPT and DallE? 

These exist to be your copilot. They start stuff for you. They finish stuff for you. They’re here to make your life easier, NOT harder.

BUT they can very easily not represent what you believe and value. How can organizations and individuals make the best use of this amazing new technology when they’re NOT AI experts and don’t have the time or resources to become one?

Learn 5 techniques that your company can be doing today to maximize the usableness and usefulness of Generative AI and the 3 different roles everyone in your company can and should play a part in the AI revolution.

Total Immersion - Tales From A Decade Working On The Metaverse

How many of you have heard of web 3.0? How about the Metaverse? 

So…all of you. But what does it mean? And more importantly, what does it mean for YOUR business?

In this session, you’ll learn what exactly the metaverse is, how it can boost your business and most importantly, how you can start your journey to the Metaverse today.  Dona has worked in the Augmented/Virtual Reality/Metaverse space for almost a decade and will give you a behind the scenes look at companies like Volvo, Lowe’s, Ford, NASA and others who are using this technology to thrive—and how you can do it too.

NON-PROMOTE-ABLE WORK: 10 Ways to STOP doing it and START being more powerful in the workplace.

No one ever got promoted for organizing a “women’s mentoring ring”.

Harsh. But true.

Every senior woman knows this. So why don’t we coach and advise the next generation to stop doing this work unless it’s part of your job?

Around 2012, I stopped doing ALL non-promote-able work and instead started doing 10 *very specific experiments* at my job.

Lo and behold, my career *absolutely transformed* over the next 2 years.  The opportunities started to show up and have not stopped to this day. I talked to a few of my other senior women friends and we agreed–these techniques WORK.  In this 45 minute keynote, I will walk you through the 10 experiments I have done to become more powerful in the workplace and how you can do it too!

Mind Your Own Business: How To Talk About Mental Health At Work (Without Tanking Your Career)

“Managers should be keeping their team’s mental health in mind.”

How many of you have heard this?

How many of you have absolutely NO IDEA what this means or even how to do this?

How do you make sure you’re not crossing the line into trying to be someone’s therapist?

Fear not, I have a simple 5 step strategy that will work for your organization. 

In this session, we will cover:

  1. WHY is it important for leaders like YOU to talk about mental health
  2. WHAT you should be talking about and what you should not be talking about
  3. Talking to your team about them creating their own Mental Health plans
  4. Creating a team Mental Health plan
  5. Understand what resources are at your disposal

Burnout Begone As A Service

😬 Are you weirdly irritable with your colleagues?

🙅🏽‍♀️ Is the thought of checking your calendar just way too overwhelming?

🥺 Are you feeling like you’re not actually having *real* impact in your work but rather just doing “activity”?

You, my friend, might be facing Job Burnout. The World Health Organization has defined this to be a real “occupational phenomenon” that’s impacting millions & billions of us. So…what are you going to do about it?

Come here to learn a process to figure out if you’re burned out…AND a formula for how to debug, root-cause and most importantly, banish it.

How To Delight 8 Billion Humans

“You need to find product-market fit!”  “Like, now!”

How many of you are so frustrated with hearing this? What if you could guarantee that the product or service you’re toiling away at will be AMAZINGLY received…not just by your target audience…but by surprising other audiences as well?

In this session, you’ll learn about the 6 categories of audiences we think about and a 3 step SIMPLE and inclusive process to reach and delight them at any phase of your business.

How To Add AI/ChatGPT to your Existing Business Processes

Videos

Articles

Books

Testimonials

  • If you’re looking for a speaker who’s 100% authentic, not afraid to engage in uncomfortable but highly necessary #RealTalk to get your audience thinking, Dona Sarkar is your answer. A powerhouse of a speaker, Dona always comes prepared with fresh ideas and actionable plans (read: homework!) to continue investing in themselves long after the event is over. Get ready to be volunTOLD, get out of your comfort zone, and discover how you can become a better human. Shona Bang Global Head of Microsoft's Human of IT Program
  • When Dona Sarkar speaks, something exceptional happens. She is a passionate presenter and changemaker who is making a remarkable impression globally. Single-handed, Dona is lifting up Everyone in the room and instilling in them the belief that they can and will do more. Her brave, no-nonsense approach is infectious and making a world of difference. Tracy O'Connell Director of European Sharepoint Conference ESPC
  • As an Olympic athlete, I've listened to many motivational speakers. It's sometimes hard to find talks that really hit home specifically to me. Dona's presence in person and on stage grabbed me immediately. I knew she was someone I wanted to emulate and was further inspired after hearing her TEDxtalk about the Imposter Syndrome. She was engaging, relaxed and so genuine. Anyone who has taken a risk in life towards success can relate to her message of feeling like you don't belong or are not worthy. She uses her own successful career and personal experiences to illustrate how to combat these feelings and find power on the other side of it. Every employee, college student, entrepreneur and athlete will be faced with Imposter Syndrome at some point in their lives, Dona Sarkar's message will prepare, normalize and inspire to conquer these feelings and teach them how to OWN their success! Katie Hoff 3x Olympic Medalist & American Record Holder

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