Jefferson Darrell
Founder & CEO, Breakfast Culture Inc.
• Inclusive Leadership • Marketing • PR • Change Management• Thought Leader • 2021 LGBT+ Business Advocate of the Year Award Winner
Jefferson Darrell is among Canada’s earliest outliers in the IDEA arena; successfully driving positive change management for organizations for the past five years resulting in more diverse and inclusive teams and increased revenue or new business opportunities. Jefferson is an accomplished marketing communications and public relations professional with more than 20 years of brand strategy expertise generating earned and owned media using traditional and digital channels.
Professional Experience
• Founder & CEO at Breakfast Culture Inc.,
—From 2020 to Present
• Media Relations Officer at Ontario Science Centre
—From 2011 to 2019
• Communications Manager at Dancap Productions
—From 2007 to 2009
• Account Director at DDB Public Relations
—From 2006 to 2007
• Account Director at Capital C Public Relations
—From 2004 to 2006
Speaking Topics
• ACB Communities (African, Caribbean, & Black)
• Arts & Entertainment
• Branding
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Culture & Museums
• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
• Fashion & Beauty
• Imposter Syndrome
• Innovation & Creativity
• Leadership
• LGBTQ+ Spectrum
• Marketing Communications
• Motivation & Inspiration
• Privilege & Bias
• Public Relations
• STEM Communication (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics)
• Workplace Culture
Jefferson Darrell is among Canada’s earliest outliers in the IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility) arena; successfully driving positive change management for organizations since 2015 resulting in more diverse and inclusive teams, increased revenue, and/or new business opportunities. Jefferson is an accomplished marketing communications and change management professional with more than 20 years of brand strategy expertise, generating earned and owned media using both traditional and digital channels. In 2017 he founded Breakfast Culture™ Inc., a full-scale, data-driven, tech-forward diversity, equity and inclusion, marketing & consulting company.
In the DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) space, Jefferson was instrumental in the creation of the Diversity Inclusion Anti-Racism Action Team at the Ontario Science Centre and in organizing its involvement in the world’s first “International Pride in STEM Day” on July 5, 2018. He also represented the Centre on the DEI Committee for the Canadian Association of Science Centers (CASC).
Jefferson’s change management project with the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP) diversified the non-profit’s development committee, streamlined its marketing and communications and increased revenue opportunities. The UK-based CEO Monthly Magazine recognized Jefferson as “Most Influential CEO 2023 – Ontario (Business Culture Consulting), he placed fourth ($1000 cash prize) in the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce 2023 Founders Pitch Competition (his first ever venture capitalist (VC) pitch), he earned a spot in EY Canada’s Entrepreneur Access Network (class of 2023) after his second successful VC pitch with Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC), CGLCC also awarded him the 2021 Business Advocate of the Year Award. He is a graduate of the BMO Elevate program for new entrepreneurs (class of 2023). In 2022, Breakfast Culture Inc. won a 2022 PR News Social Impact Award for The STEP FORWARD Project for client Ontario AIDS Network. Jefferson is featured as a “Voice from the Field” where he discusses diversity and inclusion in the PR industry in the 2020 Public Relations Canadian Edition textbook and sits on strategy magazine’s Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board.
Jefferson has delivered numerous presentations and keynote addresses about the importance of DEI including:
• White Privilege Conference (2024)
• IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) Canada West Conference (2023)
• A Leader Like Me’s Diversity in Action Conference (2022)
• Ad Club Toronto (2021)
• Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Anti-Racism in PR Conference (2021)
• IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) Toronto (2021)
• Toronto Metropolitan University (Guest Lecturer 2019, 2020, 2021)
• Pride at Work Canada (2020)
• Institute of Communications Agencies’ (ICA) IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity in Advertising) Summit (2018)
• Global PR Summit (2018)
• Canadian Association of Science Centres (2015)
• White Privilege Conference (2024)
• IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) Canada West Conference (2023)
• A Leader Like Me’s Diversity in Action Conference (2022)
• Ad Club Toronto (2021)
• Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Anti-Racism in PR Conference (2021)
• IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) Toronto (2021)
• Toronto Metropolitan University (Guest Lecturer 2019, 2020, 2021)
• Pride at Work Canada (2020)
• Institute of Communications Agencies’ (ICA) IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity in Advertising) Summit (2018)
• Global PR Summit (2018)
• Canadian Association of Science Centres (2015)
Video or Audio Samples
A collection of videos and audio recordings showcasing the speaker's speaking style and delivery.
Jefferson Darrell Highlight Reel
Breakfast Culture - Our Mission
Testimonials
“We reached out to Breakfast Culture to facilitate a suite of three foundational training sessions for our organization: D&I 101, Power & Privilege and Ally is a Verb. Jefferson is an excellent facilitator. He brings his own lived experience into many of the topics being reviewed which makes the information all the more real and authentic. He is engaging and adds many pop culture references to the training which makes it fun and further cements the learning. The activities are really eye-opening.
"Additionally, our staff felt comfortable enough to bring forward stories of their own which we all valued so very much. When we reached out to staff afterwards, we were thrilled that their baseline knowledge on topics such as privilege, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, and unconscious bias had increased significantly. Even more important, staff felt that they were now better able to ensure that they provided a safe and inclusive space for their clients. Here are a couple of quotes from our staff:
"Jefferson was incredible and it was the most helpful and engaging workshop I’ve done in all my years at YES. Thank you for allowing us to participate and become better people.
“It was such an amazing opportunity. Thanks so much. I learned a LOT and it was great to hear others’ perspectives and how we all have privilege and the brave stories shared by all who experienced racism externally.”.
—Margherita DeCesare, Manager, Human Resources, Youth Employment Services (YES)
I’ve learned a lot in the D&I 101 training with Jefferson! Rather than the talking, Jefferson teaches inclusion in the action and challenges our assumptions towards certain “thinking” processes and stereotypes. Organizations should prioritize cultivating and nurturing an inclusive culture.
Awesome content and training! 🙌🏼
—Abdullah Sabri Tok, CCDP
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