Indigenous Values
Are Human Values
Indigenous keynote speaker David Allison brings data about What Matters Most to Indigenous people – and shows you how to honor their shared values.
"You will walk away questioning why, as a person, you accept just enough. Go for more! Jump the bar and don’t stop.”
-Ian Fredericksen, Senior Director, Indigenous Community Engagement
Indigenous Values Keynote
“Indigenous” isn’t one group. It’s hundreds of distinct cultures and histories, spanning diverse geographies and generations. Yet in too many organizations, the strategy for engaging Indigenous employees, customers, or communities is still shaped by outdated assumptions or surface-level checkboxes. If we truly want to build trust and foster inclusion, we need to stop asking who people are—and start asking What Matters Most to them.
What The Industry Is Saying…
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Sheena Wasiuta, Director, Government of the Northwest Territories
“David made explicit what I assumed was true, but now I can say it’s in the data!”
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Marie Delorme, Advisory Board Member, Canadian Police College
“These messages truly have the power to change the way we think. So relevant to these turbulent times!”
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Suzanne Anton, Former Attorney General, Province of British Columbia
“David knows how to engage an audience and keep them listening!”
David Allison is a proud Métis speaker, a human values expert, and a 2x best-selling author.
He has transformed universal human values into tangible data, conducting nearly a million surveys in 152 languages and amassing hundreds of millions of data points to discover the values that unite us all—across every walk of life.
David’s passionate, data-powered keynotes are an invitation to shift from stereotypes to shared humanity.
By focusing on what matters most, David offers organizations a proven way to understand, engage, and support Indigenous people more authentically. You’ll leave with a new perspective, a renewed sense of purpose, and practical tools to build bridges that last.
Because values are the key to understanding people—and people are the key to everything.
Who is it for
HR, DEI, and People & Culture leaders focused on Indigenous inclusion and workplace engagement.
Marketing and sales teams seeking respectful, resonant communication with
Indigenous audiences.Organizational leaders committed to reconciliation, community building, and authentic partnership.
Audience takeaways
The Power Values most widely shared across Indigenous populations, and how to
activate them.Actionable strategies that bring values-driven engagement into HR, marketing, leadership, and more.
The Values Thinking Process and Three Telltale Questions—tools to foster trust and build relationships
Indigenous Insights
Work With Respect
Discover the shared values that foster loyalty, collaboration, and employee wellbeing.
Communicate With Meaning
Align messages and experiences with What Matters Most to Indigenous audiences.
Build Real Relationships
Learn to recognize and honor the shared human values that shape how people work, lead, and live.
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Informative session with great metrics. Definitely walked away with information, and will view things differently in the future.
James Sweeney
Program Support Officer at the Government of Canada.
About David
David Allison is the world’s leading authority on how values shape our societies, economies, and workplaces.
A Métis speaker and researcher, his life and work have been deeply influenced by his family’s history—his late grandfather Pettigrew was a residential school survivor—and by his belief that true inclusion starts not with what people are, but with what they care about most. As founder of the Valuegraphics Project and creator of the What Matters Most movement, David has pioneered a data-driven method to identify the values that drive human behavior. His research has influenced strategy at organizations like Google, the United Nations Foundation, and the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business. He has worked directly with Indigenous leaders, communities, and institutions to uncover the values that unify and strengthen diverse Indigenous populations.
David is also a sought-after speaker known for his passionate storytelling, intellectual clarity, and high-energy delivery. His work has been featured in Forbes, INC Magazine, and Harvard Business Review, and he is a frequent guest on podcasts and panels about diversity, inclusion, leadership, and the future of work.
This keynote is more than an inspiring message—it’s a roadmap to building better relationships, stronger cultures, and more inclusive organizations by focusing on what matters most.