Shonali Devereaux

Shonali Devereaux has spent 30 years building an incredibly dynamic career in the events industry. Every chapter of her unconventional journey has added a new discipline, passion and perspective to her mission to inspire both people and performance.

She started her career as she meant to go on in Hong Kong in the early 1990s, pitching herself for a marketing role with no brief which saw her designing events that transformed the venue's success and led to contracts with the Sheraton and Hyatt hotels.

Returning to the UK, she went on to deliver major events for organisations including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, before working at the 2000 Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2002 Commonwealth Games, where her volunteer programme achieved a 100% retention rate, an accolade described as ‘unheard of’ at any Commonwealth Games venue.

From there, her career moved into organisational leadership, transforming The Health Hotel before leading a team of 40 at the British Heart Foundation, where she helped raise over £10 million annually across 70 events.

But, ask Shonali what she's proudest of, and she’ll talk about her former students, mentees and colleagues who are now making their mark on the industry.

For over a decade she lectured in event management at the Universities of Chichester, Brighton and Hertfordshire, and held a Visiting Professorship at École de Management de Normandie. She brought £30,000 in scholarship funding to Hertfordshire, co-founded the Diverse Speaker Bureau to diversify industry platforms, and currently serves as Head of Mentors at Fast Forward 15.

She has also volunteered extensively for industry charity Meeting Needs and has become one of the sector's most in-demand emcees.

Today, as CEO of the MIA, she continues to champion industry standards and advocate for crucial recognition and sector-specific support from government departments.