Finance & InsuranceAIB × Bori Akinola — Connecting Cultures Keynote
Connecting AIB colleagues with Irish sprinter Bori Akinola through an authentic keynote that strengthened inclusion, belonging and employee engagement.
Overview
The campaign
AIB partnered with Sport Endorse to strengthen employee engagement and celebrate Connecting Cultures Week by connecting directly with Irish international sprinter Bori Akinola. Managed seamlessly by the Sport Endorse team, Bori delivered an inspiring keynote exploring ambition, identity, resilience and belonging to more than 70 colleagues.
The challenge
As part of Connecting Cultures Week 2025, AIB wanted to create an authentic employee experience that would reinforce its commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging. Rather than relying on traditional corporate speakers, the organisation wanted a recognised Irish athlete whose personal journey could genuinely resonate with employees and stimulate meaningful conversations around identity, resilience and ambition.
Finding a speaker who combined elite sporting achievement with an authentic personal story-and managing the engagement efficiently-required specialist expertise and trusted industry connections.
The Sport Endorse solution
Sport Endorse worked directly with AIB to identify and secure the right athlete for the event.
Rather than using the self-service platform workflow, this engagement was managed by the Sport Endorse team from sourcing through talent confirmation and event coordination. This ensured a straightforward booking process while giving AIB confidence that the selected athlete aligned with the objectives of Connecting Cultures Week.
The result was a seamless keynote engagement delivered by Irish international sprinter Bori Akinola to AIB colleagues.
Athlete fit
Bori Akinola was a natural choice for this campaign.
As one of Ireland's fastest sprinters and an emerging international athlete, his story extends beyond athletic performance. His experiences navigating elite sport while sharing his personal journey of identity, resilience and ambition closely reflected the themes of AIB's Connecting Cultures Week.
His authenticity enabled employees to engage with topics such as inclusion and belonging through genuine lived experience rather than a traditional corporate presentation, creating a more meaningful and memorable event.
Deliverables
- One live keynote speaking engagement
- Presentation focused on ambition, identity, resilience, inclusion and belonging
- Live audience of more than 70 AIB colleagues
Results
“I really enjoyed chatting to you and the audience loved hearing from you and about your story. You're a natural in front of a crowd.”— Aoife Mulqueen, Group Diversity & Inclusion Lead
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