Garazi Goia
Garazi is an incredible and multi-talented power house of a woman. She is a seasoned media and entertainment exec with over 20 years of experience leading business growth across EMEA. She has held senior roles at prominent organisations such as the BBC and SKY, focusing on business development, strategy, and transformation in TV and radio broadcasting, as well as online distribution.
Poorna Bell
Poorna is an award winning journalist, author and former Executive Editor at HuffPost, whose career has broken new ground in mental health, addiction, and diversity. Through her memoir Chase the Rainbow, Poorna opened up important conversations about grief and mental health, while in Stronger, she challenges societal expectations of strength, encouraging women to define resilience on their own terms. Poorna’s platform amplifies women’s voices, helping them see their stories reflected in hers, and empowering them to tell their own truth, curate their own lives, and reject limiting expectations. Her work is dismantling the barriers that have kept women’s voices unheard and giving them the tools to reclaim their narratives.
Latanya Mapp
Feminism is not a moment, it’s a movement. And that movement is led by everyday feminists around the world who are shifting power in ways that are often unseen.
Latanya Mapp is the President and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), a global nonprofit that remains at the forefront of philanthropic growth and innovation with a mission to accelerate philanthropy in pursuit of a just world, overseeing US $600 Million in funds annually.
Previously, Ms. Mapp was President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women and, prior to that, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Global, the international arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, with regional and country offices in Africa and Latin America.
Recognized as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in U.S. Philanthropy by Inside Philanthropy, Ms. Mapp’s track record in philanthropy makes her a uniquely well-connected powerhouse.
Isobel Waller Bridge
Isobel Waller-Bridge is an award-winning composer known for her scores for film, television and theatre, alongside her work in electronic and contemporary classical music. She works in a wide range of genres, extending across large-scale orchestral music, electronic sound design, experimental music and song writing.
Isobel has scored a multitude of acclaimed feature films, including Munich: The Edge of War (dir. Christian Schwochow), The Phantom of the Open (dir. Craig Roberts), Emma. (dir. Autumn de Wilde), I Came By (dir. Babak Anvari), BAFTA & Oscar-winning short The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse among others. For television, her work includes music for Fleabag, Black Mirror, and critically praised docu-series The Way Down. Alongside her commission Temperatures for the Philharmonia Orchestra which premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in November 2021, she has also collaborated with fashion houses Alexander McQueen and Simone Rocha, and principal ballerina at the Royal Opera House, Francesca Hayward, for her dance film *Siren. For theatre, Isobel has worked with Florian Zeller in The Son (West End) as well as his play The Forest (Hampstead Theatre), Woyzeck, adapted by Jack Thorne (Old Vic), and more.
Liuba Grechen Shirley
Campaigning is a full-time job, and moms running for office are often expected to juggle caregiving without support. That has to change.
Liuba is the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama, the nation’s first Political Action Committee dedicated to electing progressive moms up and down the ballot, as well as the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama Foundation, the leading source of research and analysis about the political participation of mothers in the United States. Vote Mama Foundation is working toward gender equity by breaking the barriers mothers face running for office, normalizing mothers of young children running for office, and enabling legislators to pass family-friendly policies.
In 2018, Liuba ran a historic congressional campaign to represent New York’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She received the highest vote share of any Democrat to run against the incumbent in 25 years.
In 2019 and 2020, Liuba was selected as one of Long Island’s 100 Most Powerful People by City & State and was named to the Long Island Business News 40 Under 40 list. She has appeared on CNN, The Today Show, and MSNBC and featured in The Washington Post, TIME Magazine, and Huffington Post. She lives on Long Island with her husband Christopher and children, Mila, Nicholas, and Andrew.
Meena Gandhi
Originally qualified as an obstetrician and gynaecologist, Meena has worked in public health for over 15 years. Since 2025 January, Meena has beem the Health Head of Profession for FCDO with oversight of all their health expertise. From 2014 – 2025, Meena was a Health Adviser in the Human Development Department in DFID’s head office Policy Division, covering aspects of both family planning and maternal and child health. Prior to this, she worked in the DFID Zambia office. Before joining DFID in 2012, Meena was Head of Health for Save the Children UK in Ethiopia, managing their health portfolio in 3 different regions. She has also worked as a senior technical consultant in both India and Ethiopia, mainly in the field of HIV prevention and sexual health for technical units and international NGOs. Meena practiced clinical medicine for 8 years, mainly in the field of obstetrics, gynaecology, family planning and sexual health in both the UK and rural South Africa.
Adjani Salmon
Adjani is an award-winning writer, actor and director who hails from Jamaica. In 2013, Adjani moved to the UK to pursue his Masters in Directing Film. He went on to write, producer and star in an 9 part web series, DREAMING WHILST BLACK, in 2018 which won 36 Awards from 32 international film festivals.
Adjani filmed the pilot of DREAMING WHILST BLACK for the BBC in early 2021. Once again, Adjani starred in the lead role alongside his writing and producing roles. The Radio Times wrote: “Salmon’s takes on modern city life, racism and the pain of a self-sabotaging artist are more than enough for a full series.” The pilot was nominated for an international Emmy and Adjani won the 2022 BAFTA for Emerging Talent: Fiction and the Royal Television Society’s 2022 Breakthrough Award.
Reni Eddo Lodge
Racism is a structure, not an event.
Reni Eddo-Lodge is a London-based, award-winning journalist. She has written for the New York Times, the Voice, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Stylist, Inside Housing, the Pool, Dazed and Confused, and the New Humanist. She is the winner of a Women of the World Bold Moves Award, an MHP 30 to Watch Award and was chosen as one of the Top 30 Young People in Digital Media by the Guardian in 2014. She has also been listed in Elle’s 100 Inspirational Women list, and The Root’s 30 Black Viral Voices Under 30. She contributed to The Good Immigrant. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race is her first book. It won the 2018 British Book Awards Non-Fiction Narrative Book of the Year, the 2018 Jhalak Prize, was chosen as Foyles Non-Fiction Book of the Year and Blackwell’s Non-Fiction Book of the Year, was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize and the Orwell Prize and shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Non-Fiction.She was listed on Forbes 30 under 30 list.
Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah
UK Black Pride was created because too many of us had felt excluded or not truly represented in the mainstream LGBTQ+ community. It’s a space where we can celebrate and live our truth.
Phyll Opoku-Gyimah is the nucleus of the award-winning celebration and protest that is UK Black Pride. Widely known as Lady Phyll – partly due to her decision to reject an MBE in the New Year’s Honours’ list to protest Britain’s role in formulating anti-LGBTQI+ penal codes across its empire – she was also the executive director of Kaleidoscope Trust, an organisation working to uphold the human rights of LGBTQI+ people around the world; a community builder and organiser; an Albert Kennedy Trust patron, and a public speaker focusing on race, gender, sexuality and class. With an honorary doctorate recognising her exceptional contributions, Lady Phyll’s over two decades of dedication to human rights advocacy have left an indelible mark. She’s regularly called upon to advise nascent LGBTQI+ organisations around the world to help leaders create cogent organising strategies, establish robust partnership networks and work effectively in service of the LGBTQI+ community and inspire all who strive for equality and justice.
She is also the co-founder and CEO of UK Black Pride, Europe’s largest pride celebration for LGBT+ people of colour. Phyll is an experienced community builder and organiser; an Albert Kennedy Trust patron, and a writer and public speaker focusing on race, gender, sexuality and class.
Lady Phyll is also the Secretary for TCEN – The Commonwealth Equality Network; a network of organisations challenging inequality based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics. The Network was set up to give a global voice to LGBTI+ communities across the Commonwealth and to support joint advocacy to provide an answer to the colonial legacy of homophobia – a Commonwealth solution to a Commonwealth problem.
Jude Kelly
Feminism is about fairness, not about aggression. It’s about equality of opportunity for all people, and that includes men. We are not fighting a battle against men; we are trying to find a balance for everyone.
Jude Kelly CBE is the Founder of The WOW Foundation. She founded WOW to celebrate the achievements of women and girls and confront global gender injustice. Starting as a three-day festival at London’s Southbank Centre in 2010, where Jude was Artistic Director for 12 years, the festival now takes place in 30 locations across six continents.
Jude has directed over 200 theatre and opera productions, is the recipient of two Olivier Awards, a BASCA Gold Badge Award for contribution to music, a Southbank Award for opera, an RPO award for her festival The Rest is Noise, Women’s Hour’s one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK in 2013, Red Magazine’s 2014 Creative Woman of the Year, CBIs 2016 First Woman Award for Tourism and Leisure and in 2017 the inaugural Veuve Clicquot Woman of the Year Social Purpose Award.
In 1997, she was awarded an OBE for her services to theatre and in 2015 she was made a CBE for services to the Arts.
Marai Larasi
Feminism is about fairness, not about aggression. It’s about equality of opportunity for all people, and that includes men. We are not fighting a battle against men; we are trying to find a balance for everyone.
Marai Larasi is a Black, African-Caribbean-British feminist advocate, community organiser and consultant who has worked in social justice for over thirty years. Much of her work has focussed on ending violence against Black / Global Majority women and girls.
Till May 2019 she was the Executive Director of Imkaan (UK), and she also been Co-Chair of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (UK). Her work has included, and been framed, by alliances with other Black/Global Majority and Indigenous feminist activists and practitioners in diverse contexts. In her current practice she works across a number of spheres / sectors (women’s sector, international ‘development’, donors and foundations, regional government, and intergovernmental bodies), providing strategic, policy, practice and training support around decoloniality, intersectionality, racial justice and ending violence against women and girls among other areas. She is also a member of Project Tallawah, an emerging Black Feminist collective who are reimagining and building a resourcing and community initiative.
Recognition for her work has included being named as one of 100 Great Black Britons (2020), being voted one of the World’s 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy (2019) and one of the 100 Most Influential LGBT people of the year on the World Pride Power List (2013). Marai was one of six activists that attended the 2018 Golden Globes Awards as Red Carpet Guests, during the launching of #Time’sUp, and in November 2020, was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Birkbeck College, University of London.
Karen Blackett
A proven and experienced turnaround CEO with a record of accomplishment in delivering business growth and returns through focusing on brand reinvention, brand salience, operational excellence and organisational transformation. Karen is known for her transformative work with large, complex, multi-disciplined and diverse businesses, delivering commercial success through a laser focus on managing topline and bottom line delivery. She creates vibrant cultures, energised teams, and consistently delivers revenue growth by re-engaging consumers with brands, and by finding new growth target audiences and markets. In her WPP role, Karen was responsible for managing US$2 billion of revenue and 13,000 people. Karen has extensive UK
experience at a national and regional level, running offices in London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Ireland, alongside international experience, having worked operationally to develop new commercial strategies across EMEA. Priority markets included Russia, Turkey, France, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic, South Africa, and Israel.
Karen brings a different ingredient that creates the winning difference in business.
Julia Gillard
The barriers that women face in leadership aren’t just glass ceilings; they are built into the very foundations of society.
Julia Gillard was sworn in as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia on 24 June 2010 and served in that office until June 2013. As Prime Minister and in her previous role as Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Gillard was central to the successful management of Australia’s economy, the 13th biggest economy in the world.
In April 2018, Ms Gillard was appointed Inaugural Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College, London. Through research, practice and advocacy, GIWL is addressing women’s under-representation in leadership, and the way gender negatively impacts the valuation of women leaders. A sister institute has been launched at the Australian National University. In April 2021, Ms Gillard was appointed Chair of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation which supports science to solve urgent health challenges. It focuses on the effects of mental health issues, escalating infectious diseases, and climate change.
Michele (Mitch) Oliver
Diversity in advertising isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s the smart thing to do. Brands that reflect the diversity of the world around us are more likely to connect with consumers on a deeper level.
Mitch is an experienced board executive at Mars Incorporated who has also held several non-executive roles across a range of organisations, from non-governmental organisations to social enterprises. She has expertise in unlocking environmental, social and governance (ESG) as a value driver, with a specific focus on social value and equity, inclusion and diversity. She passionately believes that business can be both for profit and for good and spends her time and energy delivering both.
As the Vice President of Brand and Purpose at Mars Incorporated, a global family-owned business with $40 billion+ sales and 150,000 employees, Mitch is responsible for shaping and communicating the brand identity and vision of the company. In her time in role, she has moved the reputation of Mars Incorporated into the top quartile of global companies.
At Saïd Business School she is active in the Future of Marketing Initiative, and passionate about supporting the research into hypotheses that business can be both for profit and for good.
Rahima Mahmut
Rahima is an Uyghur human rights activist, interpreter and translator, and singer. She became Executive Director of Stop Uyghur Genocide in 2020, after spending years building a cross-community coalition pushing for greater action on the on-going genocide of her people. Rahima has extensive experience of advocating for her community; as a translator, she has worked closely with survivors to bring breaking news reports, and interpreted witness’ testimonies during the Uyghur Tribunal. She has played a key role in galvanising UK civil society against the atrocities the Chinese regime is perpetrating against her people. Rahima is also currently UK Director of the World Uyghur Congress, and Advisor to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).
Rahima was born in Ghulja, near the Kazakhstan border, and came to the UK to study in 2000. She has lived in the UK ever since. She has been unable to return to visit her family and homeland due to speaking out against the human rights violations imposed on her people by the Chinese government. After losing contact with her family in 2017, it’s her belief this is due to the fear and emotional blackmail imposed on them, she doesn’t know if they’re safe or detained in re-education camps.
Jess Phillips
Wherever there is power imbalance, such as exists between men and women, white and black people, rich and poor, boss and employee, then that power can breed oppressive behaviour.
Jess Phillips is a British Labour Party politician who has represented Birmingham Yardley in Parliament since 2015. Renowned for her candid and forthright approach, she has become a prominent advocate for women’s rights, social justice, and political transparency. Before entering politics, Phillips worked for Women’s Aid, providing support to victims of domestic violence, which deeply influenced her commitment to combating gender-based violence.
Mona Sinha
Sharmila (Mona) Sinha is a globally recognized advocate for gender equality. She brings over 25 years of experience in strengthening mission-driven organizations to Equality Now. Aligning her passion for social justice and women’s empowerment with her early experience working in the corporate sector, she has enabled over 90 organizations that unlock the economic potential and protect the legal rights of women, girls, and gender non-conforming people.
With her deep understanding of the women’s rights ecosystem and an intentional focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, Mona has led and catalyzed over $1 billion to fund progressive projects, initiatives, and grassroots movements that elevate the economic agency of women and amplify women leaders. All on a global scale. Mona serves on several non-profit boards with a focus on governance, strategy, and sustainability. She is the Board Chair of Women Moving Millions and serves on the Executive Council of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, slated to be built on the Washington Mall within the decade. She is an Advisory Board member of Gucci CHIME and the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia University.
Formerly, Mona chaired the Equal Rights Amendment Coalition’s Fund for Women’s Equality and is a trustee emerita (Vice Chair) of her alma mater, Smith College. In 2022, she was awarded the Smith College Medal in recognition of her bold feminist leadership in stewarding a trans-inclusive admissions policy and her critical role in fundraising $486M for the school’s Women for the World campaign.
Shahroo Izadi
Self-compassion is the foundation for any lasting change. When you treat yourself with kindness and understanding, you’re more likely to make choices that align with the life you want to live.
Shahroo’s approach to habit change is inspired by her experience of working across the UK addiction treatment sector, where she learned there that the evidence-based psychological programs proving most effective in treating addictions do not simply focus on how to change one habit. Instead, they more broadly equip individuals with a diverse range of simple, non-judgemental personal development tools for navigating everyday life and thriving day to day. They empower people to create entire lifestyles to accommodate their healthier habits.
Shahroo’s mission quickly became to equip the general population with variations on the harmless, evidence-based tools and approaches that she had witnessed transforming the lives of people who had lost faith in their ability to change for good (herself included).
Shahroo’s simple toolkits for habit-change evolved into two bestselling books, game-changing podcast appearances, sell-out coaching courses, Guardian Masterclasses, a waiting list for private sessions (provided in response to ongoing demand) and sell-out workshops at global wellbeing events; as well as requests for keynotes and bespoke programs designed for organisations including Facebook, Amazon and Google.
Anoushka Shankar
You have to believe you might make a difference in order to bother trying.
Anoushka Shankar is a globally renowned sitarist, composer, and activist, celebrated for her genre-defying music and humanitarian work. She has released 13 solo albums and is known for blending traditional Indian music with global, electronic, jazz, and neo-classical genres. Anoushka was the youngest and first female recipient of a British House of Commons Shield at 18, the first Indian musician to perform live at the Grammys, and has earned 11 Grammy nominations. In 2024, she received an Honorary Degree in Music from Oxford University and will celebrate 30 years of stage performance in 2025.
Shankar grew up in a musical household, learning sitar from her father, Pandit Ravi Shankar. She began performing professionally at 13 and soon after launched a solo career marked by virtuosic playing and creative collaborations. Her music draws from a diverse range of influences, incorporating Indian classical ragas with modern soundscapes, as heard in albums like Rise, Breathing Underwater, and Land of Gold. A dedicated activist, Shankar has worked with UNHCR and Choose Love and is an ambassador for The Walk, supporting refugee causes. She has also been outspoken on women’s rights and child abuse, using her platform and music to raise awareness on these issues.
Shankar’s recent musical projects include a trilogy of mini-albums exploring themes of recovery and healing, reflecting her ever-evolving artistic journey.Munroe Bergdorf is one of London’s most prominent transgender models and activists who has dedicated her career to raising awareness about LGBT+ issues and dismantling stereotypes corresponding to the community. Selected as the first transgender model for L’Oréal in 2017, Munroe rose to fame almost instantaneously. She was inducted as a Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board Member for L’Oréal in 2020. An activist, author, broadcaster, and model, Munroe is now available to speak at a range of events about LGBTQ+ issues, race, diversity and inclusion, mental health, empowerment, and several other topics.
Annie Lennox
Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart went on to achieve international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics. Appearing in the 1983 music video for “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” with orange cropped hair and wearing a man’s lounge suit, the BBC states, “all eyes were on Annie Lennox, the singer whose powerful androgynous look defied the male gaze”. Subsequent hits with Eurythmics include “There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)”, “Love Is a Stranger” and “Here Comes the Rain Again”.
Lennox embarked on a solo career in 1992 with her debut album, Diva, which produced several hit singles including “Why” and “Walking on Broken Glass”. The same year, she performed “Love Song for a Vampire” for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Her 1995 studio album, Medusa, includes cover versions of songs such as “No More “I Love You’s”‘” and “A Whiter Shade of Pale”. To date, she has released six solo studio albums and a compilation album, The Annie Lennox Collection (2009). With eight Brit Awards, which includes being named Best British Female Artist a record six times, Lennox has been named the “Brits Champion of Champions”. She has also collected four Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2002, Lennox received a Billboard Century Award; the highest accolade from Billboard. In 2004, she received the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Into the West”, written for the soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Lennox’s vocal range is contralto. She has been named “The Greatest White Soul Singer Alive” by VH1 and one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2012, she was rated No. 22 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women in Music. In June 2013 the Official Charts Company called her “the most successful female British artist in UK music history”. As of June 2008, including her work with Eurythmics, Lennox had sold over 80 million records worldwide. As part of a one-hour symphony of British Music, Lennox performed “Little Bird” during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London. At the 2015 Ivor Novello Awards, Lennox was made a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (The Ivors Academy), the first woman to receive the honour. Lennox and her Eurythmics partner Dave Stewart were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020, and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
In addition to her career as a musician, Lennox is also a political and social activist, raising money and awareness for HIV/AIDS as it affects women and children in Africa. She founded the Sing campaign in 2007 and founded a women’s empowerment charity called The Circle in 2008. In 2011, Lennox was appointed an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for her “tireless charity campaigns and championing of humanitarian causes”. On 4 June 2012, she performed at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert in front of Buckingham Palace. In 2017, Lennox was appointed Glasgow Caledonian University’s first female chancellor.
Stella Creasy
I want a world where the economic system works for all people, not just the few at the top.
Stella Creasy is a British Labour politician, representing Walthamstow in Parliament since 2010. A passionate advocate for social justice, she has focused on issues such as abortion rights, economic inequality, and women’s empowerment. Throughout her career, Creasy has campaigned for better maternity leave policies, decriminalizing abortion, and tackling payday loans. She served as Shadow Minister for Business and Crime Prevention and has consistently pushed for legislative changes to support working women and address domestic violence. Known for her bold stances, she remains a leading voice in UK politics on gender equality and economic reform.
Rachel Firth
I am a creative strategist and women’s rights advocate with over 15 years’ experience using advocacy and communications to drive social change.
I started my career working with grassroots organisations and saw first hand how the traditional aid architecture is designed to keep certain groups out and prevent money reaching those leading change. Following my masters in International Development at LSE, I started Global Office Consulting in 2017 to bring visibility to the organisations and movements that are fundamental to advancing equity and social justice. Through this work I have shaped strategies and curated campaigns for hundreds of clients across the social justice ecosystem, building connections between clients and partners along the way, so that we can all be more aligned and impactful in our work.
In 2020 I created Women in Dev, a conference that became a community of over 10,000 women working in the development space united in a mission to transform funding practices, instil feminist leadership models, and advance women’s leadership across the social impact sector. In 2023 I began to process of redesigning and re-envisioning Global Office as Comotion, a collective of strategists, campaigners and creatives based all over the world, working with clients to turn their passion and purpose into social change.
As someone who has required flexibility at every stage of my career to balance my growing family life with my professional aspirations, I am an eternal advocate for flexible working and seek always to lead a non-hierarchal workplace where all team members are heard, and all perspectives valued.
Gemma Cairney
After a brief go at drama school and a stint working in fashion in her early twenties, Gemma Cairney is now a BBC broadcaster, magpie, and life enthusiast who has won awards for making documentaries on subjects such as young people in violent relationships. She presents The Surgery Show on BBC Radio 1 and co-produced and presented internet entertainment show, The Fox Problem. Gemma has presented shows and one offs for BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, 2, 3, 4, 4 Extra, 6Music and BBC World Service. She is also founder of boutique production company – Boom Shakalaka Productions. She likes to write, explore the planet, trek mountains and DJ garage classics.
Her non-fiction titles for teenagers, Open Your Heart: Learn to Love Your Life and Love Yourself and Open Your Mind: Your World and Your Future, are must-have practical guides to navigating the ups and downs of life.
Amelia Bradley
Amelia is passionate about fostering collaboration across the impact ecosystem, connecting diverse stakeholders to form transformative alliances that drive meaningful change. With expertise in strategy, innovative partnerships, and multi-stakeholder engagement, she works to unlock collective potential.
As Deputy Director at the Marshall Institute at the London School of Economics, Amelia leads Influencing and Engagement initiatives, supporting the Institute’s mission of advancing private action for public benefit. Amelia also leads this work for the 100x Impact Accelerator who are on a mission to find a new generation of social unicorns.
Previously, Amelia worked at the University of Oxford and the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and serves as an Ashoka Venture Scout, contributing to the global social impact movement.
Shani Dhanda
Jacqueline Simmons
Jane Hobson
Jane is a Senior Social Development Adviser in the Global Health Directorate at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). She works on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and is particularly concerned with human rights and neglected and stigmatised issues within SRHR. Previously, she has led the UK government’s international engagement on voluntary family planning and on supporting Africa-led efforts to end female genital mutilation. Earlier in her career she worked as a social development and health adviser in Sierra Leone, and in a range of policy roles on social exclusion, governance and conflict, and urbanisation. Prior to joining the former Department for International Development (DFID) 20 years ago, she worked in India for a small grassroots NGO working with marginalised urban communities.
Gina Dent
Gina Dent is associate professor of feminist studies, history of consciousness, and legal studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the editor of Black Popular Culture, and lectures and writes on African diaspora literary and cultural studies, postcolonial theory, and critical area studies. Her current project Visualizing Abolition grows out of her work as an advocate for transformative and transitional justice and prison abolition.
Munroe Bergdorf
Munroe grew up in Stansted, UK, and always knew that she wanted to enter the fashion industry. When she did, she noticed that the industry was sorely lacking in a diverse workforce and therefore works towards changing that today. In 2018, she became an LGBT advisor to the Labour Party because it baffled her how members of the community were not consulted regarding decisions about their lives. She also was an active supporter of the UN Women UK’s #DrawALine campaign that raised concerns about violence against women and girls. For her efforts towards ensuring diversity and inclusion, Munroe was presented with Cosmopolitan’s Changemaker of the Year award, Glamour’s Beauty Gamechanger of the Year award, Attitude’s Hero of the Year award, and received GAY TIMES’ Honour for the British Community Trailblazer celebration.
A Contributing Editor for British Vogue since 2022, Munroe’s book “Transitional: One Way Or Another, We All Transition” was published in 2023 – a memoir that reveals stories from Munroe’s life that she has never told before, her struggles with mental health and what it was like growing up in a village in Stansted. A formidable presence, Munroe was also asked to be a guest commentator on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and This Morning. She uses her personal and public platforms to champion LGBT+ causes and is passionate about inspiring those who may be afraid to share their stories, making her a role model in the eyes of many.
Munroe received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Brighton, and she frequently walks the runways at New York and London Fashion Week, proving her mettle as a celebrated model. Her activism continues to elicit change in society.