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Raj Adgopul grew up in a small village in central India, in a family recorded on his birth certificate as Other Backward Class.
His early life was shaped by significant hardship, loss and instability, experiences that would later fuel his passion for helping others build resilience and find belonging.
Determined to create a better future, Raj moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in nursing, where he spent four years sharing a room with twenty three other people, with a personal space of just six feet by three. In 2002, he was recruited into the NHS by staff interviewing in Mumbai and arrived in England with just five pounds in his pocket.
Since then, Raj has built an extraordinary career. Beginning as a nurse, he went on to complete a BSc (Hons) in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing, and later a postgraduate qualification in Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Nursing from the University of Buckingham. The health visiting side of that training is built on early years child development.
His professional journey, combined with his personal experiences of overcoming adversity, has given him a unique perspective on resilience, adaptability and human potential.
Nineteen years after arriving in the UK, Raj stood on the TEDx stage at London’s O2, sharing his story with an audience of more than 1,000 people. Today, he is an inspiring keynote speaker and coach who has worked with organisations including King’s College Hospital, TEDx NHS and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Raj speaks with warmth, honesty and humour about resilience, adaptability, belonging and overcoming adversity. His audiences leave not only inspired by his remarkable journey, but equipped with practical insights they can apply in their own lives and organisations.
What can some of the world’s most resourceful environments teach us about overcoming challenges? Drawing on his experiences of living in Mumbai, Raj shares the surprising lessons he learnt from four remarkable creatures that have mastered survival in the city’s toughest conditions.
Packed with humour, storytelling and audience interaction, this keynote explores resilience, adaptability and creative problem solving, encouraging delegates to think differently when facing uncertainty and change. Available as a 60 or 120 minute session, with an optional team exercise.
Many people believe resilience means simply enduring difficult circumstances. Raj challenges that idea through his remarkable personal story, showing the difference between surviving adversity and truly growing from it.
Blending honest storytelling with practical insights, this keynote inspires audiences to rethink resilience, embrace change and develop a mindset that enables them to move forward with purpose and confidence. Available as a 45 to 60 minute keynote.
Drawing on his own experiences of moving from India to the UK and navigating life between cultures, Raj explores what it truly means to belong.
This thought provoking keynote encourages meaningful conversations around race, inclusion and active bystanding, helping organisations create environments where people feel valued, respected and able to thrive. Ideal for staff networks, inclusion events and EDI programmes.
Inspired by Raj’s journey from India to the UK, Just Off The Boat is a warm, witty and highly entertaining after dinner performance that finds humour in cultural differences, misunderstandings and life’s unexpected moments.
Originally performed at the Hardy Har Comedy Festival, this engaging set combines sharp observations, self deprecating humour and unforgettable stories, leaving audiences laughing while offering a fresh perspective on identity, belonging and resilience.
Raj has that rare and precious ability to make an audience laugh and think at the same time. His extraordinary life story and unusual perspective on living, loving and working in England means that his jokes, anecdotes and observations are truly original. At a time when cross-cultural understanding couldn’t be more important, his is a voice worth listening to.
Raj Adgopul was the key note speaker for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust innovation event in 2016. Raj engages the audience with the power of storytelling, weaving in personal and professional experience with both humour and sensitivity. Would highly recommend Raj, he has made a lasting impact on this organisation.
