Doug Manuel is a keynote speaker, workshop leader, social entrepreneur, and documentary and stage show producer with a deep understanding of business processes and dynamics. Creator of the internationally acclaimed ‘Do You Speak Djembe?’ nominated for two JEFF awards, he uses stories, music, and rhythm to boost energy, break down barriers and build connections. Oprah Winfrey loves him. He has a special talent for bringing people together, fostering connections and bringing purpose driven engagement and collaboration to life.

To meet the challenges of our times, his keynote talks and interactive experiences are designed to energize and keep people connected at both virtual or hybrid as well as at in-person events. He has an extraordinary ability to read and feel into his audiences and connect with them even from afar. With his natural empathy and deep understanding of the human being, he guides them to a place of active listening, building up emotions and energy: the ideal opener to any event format and the perfect re-energizer and connector throughout the program.

Doug has collaborated with multinationals, sports teams, leading business schools and NGOs around the globe - not to mention TEDx, TED Global and Oprah Winfrey. In his keynote speeches, workshops and breakout sessions he uses stories, music, and rhythm to boost energy, break down barriers and create an interactive, multi-sensory experience. Delivered in his native English or fluent French, Doug Manuel’s presentations have a lasting impact on audiences large or small. In 1995, Doug Manuel attended a drumming workshop and his love of Africa was born. The following year he set off for the mother continent to film elephants for a BBC documentary, and to West Africa to study the music of the Djembe. He eventually gave up his career as a BBC documentary producer to pursue and share his passion for West African culture and the Djembe drum, and to focus on his personal development work and extensive coaching.

During this journey, he acquired the skills, insights and understanding which today enable him to empower people to connect with themselves, each other and their work. Although the process began with the Djembe, over the years it has evolved exponentially. Doug’s keynote 'The Soul of Business' now focuses on the whole picture with a key focus on the values of West African culture and introduces key excerpts of his new documentary ‘Beats As One’. Through his extensive travels across Africa and his experience as a filmmaker, Doug has become an expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion. With a strong focus on empathy, his topics range from resilience to help embrace change, enhancing purpose and collaboration to drive success, developing leadership and personal growth to expand careers, through to mindfulness and managing stress to overcome challenges.

Delivered in leading business schools and Fortune 500 companies, Leadership Development and Team Building are the focus of Doug’s much-praised interactive workshops and live learning laboratories. Leading by example, he generously shares his expertise and personal techniques to bring out the best in teams and put leadership theory into action. As well as running leadership retreats in West Africa Doug also leads his charity ‘Lighting Up Lives’, whose pilot project partners with the villagers of Abéné in Senegal, inspiring and supporting local action to solve local problems such as energy, health, sanitation and education. The charity builds bridges between Africa and the occident, fostering collaboration and putting words into action.