Beatrice Ngalula Kabutakapua takes the business of stories to companies to increase employee engagement and develop leaders
I have lived many lives.
Many cities. Many languages. Many people. I have interviewed strangers and made them feel known. Read books that changed the way I see myself. Listened to stories that changed what I thought was possible.
And yet, growing up, I was always asked to fit one box. Because the box would make others feel safer.
So I tried.
Daughter of migrants. Black girl born in Italy. Italian but not fully. Congolese but not fully. Humble. Quiet. Mysterious.
The box never fitted.
Not because I was too much. Because I was a multitude. And multitudes do not fit in boxes. They break them.
Here is what I came to understand by excavating my own story, and sitting with thousands of others: we were never supposed to fit in one box. I am not one thing. You are not one thing. Your leaders are not one thing. Each of us has a different way of showing up in the world, of making our voice heard, of leading, of belonging, of telling the story that only we can tell.
This is not my job. This is my mission.
Twenty years of writing, listening, learning from creativity to journalism to coaching to the stage. And what I have learned is that what I do is not the transactional skill of how to structure a story. Not the hollow attempt to teach visibility. Not the performance of confidence.
What I do is find the light already sparkling in you and make it impossible to ignore.
When I am not thinking deeply about leadership, and story, and the people who have been told their whole lives not to speak, I am with my children. My friends. The people who first showed me what it looks like to truly love and to truly belong.
I had used stories in my work and was looking for new ways to approach this, think differently about it and take it up a notch to get more colleagues involved in using stories
NATIONAL GALLERIES
Mistakes companies make in business storytelling
Companies often use stories to communicate to their external audience, which is traditional, but by doing so, they leave out one important audience.
Why employees struggle to call themselves a leader
For employees who haven’t been historically represented in leadership roles, it isn’t straightforward to call themselves leaders. Here is what they can do then.
Develop leaders first and promote them later
It’s always exciting for employees to be promoted and have more responsibilities. However, there is one step to take to make sure they are as effective as they can.
After the programme, the cohort rated the usefulness of both Beatrice’s workshops at 87%, being some of the highest scoring elements of the programme.
MEDIA TRUST
Beatrice’s official biography
Beatrice Ngalula Kabutakapua is an international keynote speaker, Amazon bestselling author, and founder of The Business Storytelling Centre. Born in Italy to Congolese parents, she has spent over a decade at the intersection of story, identity, and leadership, working with organisations to build cultures where historically overlooked leaders are not just recruited, but genuinely heard.
A former award-winning journalist and documentary maker, Beatrice brings a rare combination of editorial rigour and deep human intelligence to every stage she occupies. Her keynotes are not motivational filler. They are built to give audiences the tools, language, and courage to lead from who they actually are, rather than from a performance of who the room expects them to be.
She works with DEI, People and Culture, and L&D leaders at organisations including WPP Media, Aviva, Save the Children, Booking.com, and Holland & Barrett, delivering programmes that move people from invisible to inevitable: clearer in how they lead, braver in how they communicate, and more effective in how they influence. Her work has reached more than 10,000 people across three continents, in English, French, and Italian, with a 90% satisfaction rate.
Her book, Lead With Your Story: How to Turn Your Lived Experience Into Your Leadership Superpower, was published in October 2025 and became an Amazon bestseller. She is a passionate advocate for women from the Global Majority, LGBTQIA+ leaders, leaders living with a disability and anyone who has been told, explicitly or implicitly, that who they are is too much, or not enough.
Beatrice is based in London and available for keynotes, leadership summits, DEI conferences, and talent pipeline events worldwide. She speaks in English, French, and Italian.
TRUSTED BY
I plan on using the SHAPE framework for my next client presentation in a week. Think the things I learnt were invaluable!
WPP MEDIA
The Book
In Lead With Your Story, you will learn how to take all of the experiences from your journey, from your story, and transform them into your leadership superpower.
Where you once saw weakness, you’ll see strength
What used to categorise you as ‘different’ makes up your uniqueness
This book will guide you to being a leader who inspires future generations. A leader who doesn’t fit into a box based on who they love, their heritage, or their abilities. A leader who shares their story.