Employee Development Professionals to Know 2025

I am the architect of “REMARKABLE SPEAKING,” a personal framework I turned into a leadership development platform and #1 international bestselling book, providing experiential training for upskilling and reskilling speakers of the craft worldwide. Having coached 1,000-plus individuals across five continents and diverse industries has provided me with a rich multicultural perspective and a multidisciplinary approach to moving people outside their comfort zones and into greatness. Whether the goal is to speak on the grandest stages, build authority, or increase conversational competency, my signature Remarkable framework provides a gateway to self-discovery that breaks down barriers and shifts mindsets. While an impassioned, rhythmic meditation on the craft of speaking, my book, Remarkable Speaking: A Framework to Embody Your Voice and Vision, reflects lessons learned from mistakes on my speaking journey and is the culmination of more than thirty years of senior-level management, entrepreneurship, marketing, and design expertise. Clients have dubbed me "The Coach Whisperer" because I help them to discover what they need, not simply the outcomes they want. I work with C- and V-suite executives and other senior officers at companies, business owners, entrepreneurs, and boutique professional service providers, particularly attorneys, CPAs, M&A advisors, consultants, coaches, and influencers. A lifelong communication arts student, I understand how to deliver my message as a speaker and presenter, tailoring my content to accommodate the audience’s needs. I am also a frequent guest on business podcasts and live-stream conversations, sharing my stories and the principles of public speaking. I believe becoming a remarkable speaker is a journey, not a destination. My transformational coaching focuses on exploring possibilities to unlock impactful public speaking, empowering people to bring their value forward, and driving positive change in the world.

Daryl is Head of Business Development & Innovation at Intellek - a learning technology company focused on the legal sector. He manages sales, marketing, account management, support, and client success while generating revenue through new business, existing clients, and partnership programs. Daryl has worked across several software companies, rising quickly from Business Development Executive to his current leadership role. Since joining as the company's first sales hire, he has grown new business revenue by 18% year on year and expanded the team by 500% during challenging economic and geopolitical times. During his time at Intellek, Daryl has led international events and built a diverse client base spanning four countries. His work focuses on helping firms gain a competitive advantage through better staff training and development programs. Daryl has helped clients across the UK, USA, Canada, and South Africa transform their training through learning technology. He takes a partnership approach with trainers, helping them show leadership the real value of staff development and overcome the challenges that come with changing technology demands. Beyond his professional role, Daryl volunteers as a mentor at Bournemouth University, supporting graduates to plan their next steps. He was recognized in the university's 30 under 30 list in 2023. When not working, he enjoys golf, supports FORCE cancer charity through local running events, and follows football (soccer) and rugby. Daryl combines his passion for personal development with practical business experience, making him well-placed to comment on training challenges, business growth strategies, and how companies can build stronger teams through learning technology.

From a past marked by transracial adoption, the loss of a parent, a traumatic assault, and teen incarceration, A. Margot Blair emerged with unwavering resilience, determined not to be defined by her hardships. Today, she is a respected Bible Teacher, Learning and Development Specialist at a technology company, Leadership Consultant, and Retreat Host. With over a decade of experience and currently pursuing her Doctorate in Leadership, she empowers women at the intersection of faith and leadership. As a trained and seasoned consultant, A. Margot coaches, mentors, and consults with women leaders across various sectors. Her expertise has fueled a 23-city tour, three professional development conferences, a $500K+ partnership portfolio, and the creation of seven personal and professional development resources—including books and courses. She has been honored as a Top 40 Under 40 Leader, a Top 35 Millennial Influencer, and the recipient of three state proclamations presented by Phoenix mayors. Her clients have included Comerica Bank, Grand Canyon University’s Honors College, and employees from LinkedIn, the Dallas Mavericks, ADP, Toyota, Prudential, and more. A former Forbes Business Coach and contributor, she teaches companies and leaders how to implement the blueprint that helped her build a thriving, multi-6-figure partnership portfolio. A. Margot’s work has been featured on The 700 Club, Fast Company, Esther Press, Lifeway, Goodwill AZ, Zapier, SCORE, and America’s Small Business Development Center. She is also a regular content partner for the YouVersion Bible App—with over 10 Bible plans—and a contributor to Esther Press, Journey Magazine, and other publications. Most importantly, A. Margot Blair is the wife of Vincent and the proud mother of her bonus children, Esaias and Alyvia, and her preschooler, Luke.

Ricci shares insights on the latest trends and best practices in marketing, LegalTech, strategy, and e-learning in various industry publications. His multifaceted experience allows him to discuss a broad range of topics, from both strategic and hands-on perspectives. Ricci is a seasoned marketing communications professional with over 20 years of experience helping people connect effectively with their audiences. He currently applies his expertise to learning technology and digital adoption strategy as part of the intellek.io team. Intellek provides robust and effective learning technology to support a diverse client base. Repeatedly named as the best LMS for law firms and legal professionals; alongside a broad eLearning content library, training and assessment creation tool, and a unique onboarding digital adoption platform.

I am Sri Chellappa, the CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Engagedly, an AI-enabled people strategy platform designed to revolutionize traditional performance appraisals. At Engagedly, I focus on simplifying performance reviews by integrating employee engagement and development, helping organizations build high-performing, people-centric cultures. With over 20 years of experience in software development, consulting, and organizational leadership, I have had the privilege of working with leading firms like EY and Capgemini. My career has taught me the immense value of investing in people—not just for their individual success but for the success of the organization as a whole. I am passionate about empowering employees to grow, stay engaged, and develop the skills they need to thrive and advance in their careers. My journey has been shaped by a diverse range of experiences that span technology, health IT, people management, and creative arts. As a filmmaker, I’ve written, directed, and produced six feature films that have been distributed globally on platforms like Netflix, NBCUniversal, Fox International, Showtime, and Amazon Prime. These experiences have fueled my ability to think strategically, lead creatively, and deliver impactful results. Career Highlights: Author: The Black Book of Agile Project Delivery with Distributed Teams, where I share my insights on managing distributed teams effectively. Film Industry Achievements: Writer, Director, and Producer of six feature films with international distribution across major platforms. I am passionate about creating engaged, agile organizations and leveraging my leadership skills to help employees and companies succeed together.

Juan Luis Garrido is a DEI Project Consultant at Center Desk Consulting whose work bridges strategy, facilitation, and communication to help organizations design more equitable, human-centered experiences. In his current role, he supports nonprofit and corporate clients in deepening their diversity, equity, and inclusion commiments through participatory methods, co-created initiatives, and systems-level thinking. With a background that spans nonprofit leadership and social impact consulting, he is known for his ability to build trust across sectors and center lived experience in meaningful, actionable ways. Juan Luis holds a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University, where his graduate research explored the role of joy as a critical resource for practitioners in social change work. His work reflects a deep belief that joy, care, and imagination are not distractions from equity work, but vital components of its sustainability and impact.

Saddam Hosen is a full-stack web developer, product builder, and founder of Free Document Maker — a free, AI-powered web platform that helps users generate professional documents, convert files, and manage PDFs with ease. With over 25 browser-based tools including invoice creators, image converters, resume builders, and PDF editors, Free Document Maker is used globally by freelancers, students, and businesses looking for fast, mobile-optimized productivity tools without the need to install software or pay for subscriptions. With a strong foundation in Laravel, Tailwind CSS, Vite, and Alpine.js, Saddam builds scalable, high-performance web applications optimized for SEO, accessibility, and user experience. His development philosophy combines clean architecture, speed-first frontends, and intuitive UX. From structured data implementation to core web vitals optimization, Saddam ensures every site and tool performs seamlessly across devices. Beyond development, he actively publishes technical blogs on Medium, Blogspot, and his own platform to help others learn about free AI tools, smart document workflows, and emerging tech. His platform has been featured on ProductHunt, AlternativeTo, SaaSHub, and across multiple developer communities for its usability and performance. Currently based in Bangladesh, Saddam is focused on building globally useful tools with minimal dependencies and maximum reach. Whether it’s simplifying a business contract or converting a JPG to WebP instantly, his mission is to make intelligent document processing available to everyone — free, secure, and accessible.