Portrait of Sana Sellami, photo by Nadia El Makhfi

Hi, I'm Sana.

Sociologist · Inclusion Strategist · Speaker · Author
A quick introduction

I'm quick to notice where things start to rub. And I don't leave it unspoken.

For more than ten years, I have worked with executive teams, HR professionals and teams across Belgium and the Netherlands. I tend to ask the question others skip, especially when everyone assumes the answer has already been decided.

What shaped my perspective ↓
10+ years of experience
Belgium and the Netherlands
Strategy, leadership and culture
Inclusion That Works™
10+ years of experience
Belgium and the Netherlands
Strategy, leadership and culture
Inclusion That Works™
01Where my work began to shift

For a long time, I thought it was about knowledge.

I believed that if people understood what was going on, they would naturally start acting differently.

I could explain something carefully, share the research and see everyone agree. Yet the next day, the same decisions, the same reflexes and the same silences would return.

Not because people had failed to understand. Knowing what could be better is different from actually doing something differently when pressure rises, a conversation becomes uncomfortable or a familiar way of working is challenged.

That changed the way I work. I became less interested in what people can repeat after a session. I want to know what they do differently when it truly matters.

Knowing what could be better does not change anything by itself.

02My way of looking at organisations

What my perspective brings to your organisation.

I rarely look at an incident in isolation. I want to understand what sits behind it: what people experience, which choices the organisation makes and why certain patterns keep returning.

As a sociologist, I am used to asking one more question. I place data alongside people's experiences and look at what happens in everyday practice. The first explanation offered is often only part of the story.

An incident is often the visible part of a much larger pattern.

Many organisations know where they want to go. It becomes harder when that ambition has to take shape in everyday work. What will leaders do differently? Which choices will HR make? And who is responsible for what?

The real value of a policy only becomes visible in practice.

I listen to what people say, but also to what only surfaces after the meeting. Who holds back? Whose explanation is readily accepted? And which subject remains untouched, time and again?

What remains unspoken influences how people work together just as much.

I do not automatically assume that training is the answer. Sometimes it is. Sometimes the organisation first needs a sharper analysis, a clear decision or a conversation that has already been postponed for too long.

I recommend what fits, not what is easiest to sell.

03The official version

PhD in Social and Economic Sciences. More than ten years of experience in research, strategy, training and keynote speaking. Guest lecturer, board member and author of Inclusie werkt (niet).

Werkzaam in Belgium and the Netherlands · Nederlands en Engels

Selected clients
04Personal

I never learned to avoid difficult conversations.

I grew up in the Netherlands, in an environment where debate was part of everyday life. The day after Pim Fortuyn was assassinated, we were already discussing it at school. I cannot say that every conversation was handled equally well, but I did learn that difficult subjects do not disappear simply because we avoid them.

I carry that into my work. I ask the question that has not yet made it onto the table, listen for what people phrase cautiously and try to create space for a more honest conversation. Not to make things uncomfortable for the sake of it, but because very little changes while the most important issue remains unspoken.

Difficult subjects do not disappear simply because we avoid them.

05Beyond work

And when I'm not working?

Chances are I'm on my way somewhere: to a football pitch, hockey training, a basketball game or Arabic class for one of our four children. That is why we still have a paper calendar on our fridge. It is not particularly digital, but it remains the only system everyone actually checks.

Somewhere between work and family life, I also make time to run. I have completed several marathons and still train regularly. Not because I enjoy every kilometre, I absolutely don't, but because long distances force me to respect my pace. You cannot give everything at once and still expect to reach the finish.

Life at home is busy, but it is not chaotic. We plan a lot, divide what needs to be done and understand that sometimes one person carries more than the other. A perfect 50/50 split means very little to me. Knowing you can rely on each other means much more.

What remains
Four children, my own business and several marathons later, this is what I know: a great deal is possible, but rarely all at the same time.
Sana Sellami
06Press and conversations

In the media.

Articles, interviews and conversations about inclusion, leadership, work and organisational culture.

De Tijd

"Nu druk van Trump op diversiteitsbeleid in VS groeit, verwachten experts impact op Belgische bedrijven."

Read →
In Dutch
In Silencio

"Van afvinken naar écht inclusief werken. Hoe je een werkgeversmerk bouwt dat verder gaat dan een tickbox."

Interview →
In Dutch
Podcast · All Things Inclusive

"Inclusie als gedrag, niet als beleid."

Listen →
In Dutch

Could my perspective make a difference to your organisation?

Tell me what your organisation is facing. During an initial conversation, we will look at what is happening and whether I am the right person to help.

Schedule an introductory call→ Not ready for a conversation yet? Explore how I work →
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