Imran Ahmad

• Photo

Imran Ahmad is hugely popular with audiences as a spellbinding, intelligent and funny after dinner and keynote speaker.  He was born in Pakistan, grew up in London, went to university in Scotland, and has had a global corporate career (General Electric, Unilever, Ernst &Young, Oracle) which took him all over the world, including five years living in the United States. 

Acclaimed Writer

Imran is best known as the author of the highly acclaimed Unimagined – a Muslim boy meets the West, which is already being taught as English Literature at academic institutions – when he isn’t even dead yet.  Unimagined was chosen by no less than three major newspapers (Independent, Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald) in their ‘best books of the year’ lists.  This unique and moving book has propelled Imran to some of the world’s most prestigious literary festivals, where he always wows the audience.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

President Obama’s inauguration speech, in which he mentioned a new era of ‘mutual respect’ between America and the Muslim world, inspired Imran to do something to contribute.  He immediately went up to his study, pulled open a map of the United States, plotted a circular route around the entire country, and set about contacting potential hosts in each city.  He thus organised a US speaking tour, and in mid-March he embarked upon it – driving 13,934 miles in a hybrid car, with 41 events in 39 cities.  This extraordinary experience and the extremely positive responses from American audiences established Imran as a natural communicator and humorous, insightful speaker. 

Compelling Keynote Speaker

Imran is a compelling and entertaining speaker, and received rave reviews from the audiences of his US tour – some suggesting that he should have been a stand-up comedian or an actor.

On the subject of ‘Islam and the West’, Imran’s main theme is ‘re-humanisation’ in the way that we deal with other parties.  He weaves an intricate and compelling narrative of personal experiences which touch upon many subject areas: English Literature, sociology, religion, international relations, global politics, modern history, Homeland Security – told in a compelling, humorous and human way which keeps the audience spellbound.  His account of the path to publication and the stubborn determination it required – whilst still doing his demanding, corporate ‘day job’ – is an enlightening and laugh-out-loud motivational and inspirational story, with many lessons about making assumptions and seizing opportunities. 

Media and Current Affairs

Imran is on the Board of British Muslims for Secular Democracy, a diverse organisation which has the goal of dissolving the myth that all Muslims can be grouped together to fit a single stereotype, as well as opposing the imposition of theocratic and regressive cultural values on any individual, group or gender. 

He has appeared on BBC television, Sky television, SBS television (Australia), Voice of America television, Press TV, National Public Radio, BBC radio (many times), Radio Australia, and ABC Radio National (Australia).

Praise for Imran Ahmad

“Imran Ahmad is fascinating to listen to.  His message brought a big crowd of people into our offices to listen.  His wit and delivery style engaged them throughout.  Enjoyable and informative ... so many subjects ... Islam and the West, global politics, modern history, international relations, Homeland Security, even Shakespeare and spirituality, all woven by a master storyteller into a spellbinding narrative that gave many of us fresh perspectives. The audience loved it!”
CEO & President, Headsets Inc, San Francisco

“This was an amazing talk.  Imran weaved Shakespeare, re-humanization, anthropology, current affairs, Islam and the West, geo-politics, corporate life, self-help, spirituality, motivation and following your dream into a wonderful, engaging and hilarious narrative that had me riveted.”
McKell Moorhead,  Tampa Bay, Florida

“Imran gave a tremendous speech ... He speaks from the heart, is entertaining and engaging – and is a first rate public speaker.”
CEO YoungMinds, London

“... had the audience in stitches ...”
THREE WEEKS magazine – Edinburgh Festival

“I paid to hear Tony Blair speak in Santa Barbara, but this was so much better.”
Audience member – San Francisco   

For further information or to book Imran Ahmad, call us at Speakers Corner on +44 (0) 20 8365 3200 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk