No more excuses for all male panels: here's 50 of the best female speakers
In light of CES' 'challenge', finding enough women to fill its 2019 line-up, The Dots is shining a light on 50 women the tech conference – and any conference – would be lucky to host on its panels.
Chidera Eggerue (aka Slumflower): blogger, artist and presenter / Bronac McNeill
In 2017, the network's founder Pip Jamieson spoke at more than 50 panels, talks and events. She found that while speaker line-ups were becoming more gender diverse in general, all too often she was in the minority or sometimes even the ‘token woman’.
In 2018, The Dots is on a mission to ensure there is no excuse for events not to represent society as a whole by listing 50 female speakers killing it on the circuit – rising stars and stalwarts who never cease to keep their talks fresh and engaging, no matter how many times they are booked.
Nelly Ben Hayoun, extreme experience designer
As a designer of extreme experiences, director and provocateur, Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun is innovating the future with her fantastical mind and vision. She’s previously been called the 'Willy Wonka of Design and Science’.
Categories: inspiration, experiential, design, creative
Previous speaking gigs: Brand Social, Red Bull HQ, Google HQ California
Otegha Uwagba, founder of Women Who and author of Little Black Book
After her degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford, writer and brand consultant Otegha Uwagba went on to work at AMV BBDO and Vice before founding Women Who and writing Little Black Book for Working Women.
Categories: careers, community, books
Previous speaking gigs: London Design Festival, Festival of Marketing, Nicer Tuesdays
Beatie Wolfe, singer-songwriter and innovator
Combining innovation and instrumental excellence, Wolf’s unique work (described as ‘beautiful’ by Monocle) is recognised internationally. Her current project explores the power of music for dementia.
Categories: VR, innovation, music, tech
Previous speaking gigs: Remix, MeConvention, DLD New York
Nishma Robb, marketing director of Google and chair of Women@Google UK
Nishma Robb is a sales and marketing guru, channeling 20 years of experience at Google and YouTube and using her wisdom to inspire girls and women with technology.
Categories: marketing, advertising, innovation, tech
Previous speaking gigs: Creative Equals Diversity Conference, Advertising Week, Marketing Society Brave Conference
Mercedes Benson, marketer, DJ and promoter
This girl boss has a portfolio that spans fashion blogging, social media, DJing, promotions and managing ‘SocialFixt’ – a social media platform to connect BAME talent with opportunities.
Categories: marketing, music, social media
Previous speaking gigs: I’mPossible, House of Commons, BFI Media Conference, The Switch Up
Bethany Koby, chief executive and founder, Tech Will Save Us
When not running Tech Will Save Us, Koby can be found designing, educating, art directing, brand creating and business developing to create a brighter future for all.
Categories: tech, startups
Previous speaking gigs: Be Open Future, Women of Wearables, Creative Mornings LDN
Marina Willer, partner at Pentagram Design
Willer is an award winning graphic designer and filmmaker who has been part of the D&AD jury four times. She is an examiner of the Royal College of Art and the name behind the identity of brands such as The Tate and Oxfam.
Categories: design, advertising, marketing
Previous speaking gigs: D&AD, London Design Festival
Chidera Eggerue (aka Slumflower), blogger, artist and presenter
Eggerue is a self-love promoting rainbow of activism, social media influence, creativity and art. Featured in ID, ITV News, Vogue, Stylist and CNN, she’s certainly a voice to be heard.
Categories: activism, creative, design, social media
Previous speaking gigs: BBC 1Xtra, The Dots Masterclass, British Youth Council
Liv Little, editor-in-chief at Gal-dem
The founder of Gal-dem is diversifying the media with an award-winning publication by women and non-binary people of colour, written for all to explore. Little is also part of Storm Models Creative.
Categories: publishing, social impact, activism
Previous speaking gigs: Riposte Presents, NME Lifehacks, FHALMA, TEDxUCLWomen
Tracey Follows, founder of Futuremade
Follows could be described as a professor of the future, with expertise on gender, tech, advertising and more. She founded Futuremade and Female Futures and is a UN Women Trustee.
Categories: anything concerning the future
Previous speaking gigs: Innovation Social, TEDx Whitehall Women, Chartered Institute of Marketing
Joyce Li, senior product designer
Most recently, Li has been a leading light in designing the The Dots app, which, in conjunction with her previous work for UsTwo and Moodnotes, shows how her design for good impacts every day lives.
Categories: design, UX, tech, startups
Previous speaking gigs: Glug, KweekWeek, UX Crunch, Marvel Design Club
Rebecca Petts Davies, designer and creative
A young gun extraordinaire, Rebecca came to the big smoke with the Creative Equals Bursary and has gone from strength to strength, starting with Wunderman and now residing at Karmarama.
Categories: graphic design
Previous speaking gigs: Tuesday Club Talk with Sir John Hegarty
Emily Forbes, founder of Seenit
Emily Forbes founded Seenit while in South Africa filming rhino conservation protesters. Her eureka moment came when she noticed the power of collaborative storytelling via smart-phones.
Categories: advertising, tech, startups
Previous speaking gigs: Unbound, SVC2UK, TEDxWarwick Young Creators
Alice Mayor, founder of We Built This City
We Built this City is an alternative souvenir shop founded by Alice in order to give a unique platform to emerging and established London artists such as Camille Walala, Alice Bowsher and Sylvia Moritz.
Categories: retail, art, startup
Previous speaking gigs: Soho Create, Telegraph Festival of Business, LCF
Jess Butcher, co-founder of Blippar
One of the BBC's Top 100 Women and Fortune's Most Powerful Female Entrepreneurs, Butcher is an enthusiastic mentor, public speaker and writer, penning articles on topics such as women, tech and innovation.
Categories: business, tech, marketing
Previous speaking gigs: Tech City Women, Noel Gay, Tech.London
Paula Zuccotti, ethnographer
As a student of culture and society, Zuccotti uses her knowledge to forecast trends. Her book, Every Thing We Touch, is a telling visual account of the relationships humans have with the world and themselves.
Categories: advertising, marketing, inspiration
Speaking credits: AIGA design conference, D&AD main annual event, V&A Creative Quarters, Design Museum, Power to the Pixel, Dubai Design Week, WGSN
Kat Hahn, creative strategist and head of northern Europe (interim) at Facebook & Instagram
Interweaving the worlds of strategy, tech and design, Hahn thrives when helping brands communicate in a positive way. Past clients include Beats by Dre, Nike Women and Disney.
Categories: marketing, design, creative, tech
Previous speaking gigs: D&AD Festival, Social Media Week, Eurobest
Dior Bediako, founder and director of Pepper Your Talk/The Junior Network
Bediako’s work with young people in a leadership capacity started at the age of 14. She followed up with a fashion degree and the genesis of Pepper Your Talk.
Categories: fashion, careers, business
Previous speaking gigs: UCA, Drapers Fashion Forum, True Africa Presents
Emma Sexton, founder of Flock Global and presenter of Badass Women's Hour
Sexton is unafraid of igniting passion in people and businesses to challenge the status quo – provoking change for good through the way individuals and companies operate.
Categories: marketing, design, creative, tech
Previous speaking gigs: Stylist Live, Designers Fiesta, Virgin Pioneers
Ali Hanan, founder of Creative Equals
Ali is a copywriter, digital creative and founder of Creative Equals, the organisation on a mission to address inequalities in the UK creative industry. Through her organisation she is shaping a more diverse industry future.
Categories: advertising, marketing, creative, diversity
Previous speaking gigs: Vision Bristol, Focus, Eurobest, Silicon Beached
Resh Sidhu, creative director in virtual and augmented reality
A leading light in VR, Sidhu always impresses with her fearless creativity, innovation and excitement for the future. Her magic work spans from Fantastic Beasts VR to Google Daydream and a trip to Mars.
Categories: VR, advertising, marketing, creative, tech
Previous speaking gigs: Creative Social, TEDx St.Andrews, Cannes Lions
L.A. Ronayne, creative director of Stink, contributing editor at Riposte Magazine, trustee at D&AD
Ronayne is a writer and creative director bursting with strategy, exuberance and wit.
Categories: design, creative, publishing
Previous speaking gigs: WomenWho, D&AD New Blood, Be You Talks
Yiying Lu, designer, artist and entrepreneur
With ‘Yi’ and ‘Ying’ meaning happy and creative in Chinese, Yiying started as she means to continue. Esteemed for branding and design, Yiying empowers others and created the famous ‘Twitter Fail Whale’.
Categories: design, tech, entrepreneurship
Previous speaking gigs: Beyond Tellerrand, Smashing Conference, Colloq
Charlie Craggs, activist, author and creative
Famed for breaking down stereotypes, Charlie Craggs is loved for her creative activism and her social mission, which has seen her publish the book To My Trans Sisters.
Categories: activism, social media, creative
Previous speaking gigs: Somerset House, V&A, Lush, Stonewall
Chaka Sobhani, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett
The award-winning chief creative officer of Leo Burnett London has experience leading creative at ITV at devising campaigns at Mother.
Categories: Advertising, Creative, Diversity
Previous speaking gigs: Creative Equals Diversity Conference, Creative Summit, Advertising Week, Cannes, One Show Executive Summit and Thinkbox
Samantha Payne, co-founder of Open Bionics
Samantha has founded an astounding company that makes affordable, aesthetic limbs for amputees through 3D printing. She’s also known for empowering women in tech and pushes for a more equal, accessible industry.
Categories: tech, robotics, entrepreneurship
Previous speaking gigs: Tech Crunch, Naidex
Tina Daheley, BBC broadcaster and journalist
Daheley has worked her way to the very top floor of news reporting. She currently hosts Crimewatch, alongside waking and informing the UK youth on the BBC1 breakfast show.
Categories: broadcasting, arts
Previous speaking gigs: Marketing Society Brave Conference, Women of the World Festival, The Big Debate – Comic Relief
Laura Jordan-Bambach, creative partner of Mr President and co-founder and director of SheSays
The Australian-born Jordan-Bambach is a speaking circuit master who never fails to blow the socks off audiences with talks encompassing her feminist beliefs, creative mentorship initiatives and big, alternative ideas in design and creative direction.
Categories: advertising, design, creative, activism,
Previous speaking gigs: Creative Equals, D&AD, Advertising Week
Melanie Eusebe, British entrepreneur and Women of the World Festival producer
Eusebe shines her light by chairing the Black British Business Awards, her involvement in the Women of the World Festival and her personal business ventures.
Categories: business, entrepreneurship, gender equality
Previous speaking gigs: Advertising Week, Black British Business Awards
Joan Murphy and Pip Black, co-founders of Frame
This best-friend duo have started a gym revolution, focusing on diversity in people and authenticity. Frame offers a fresh perspective on what people – particularly women and mothers – want from their work out.
Categories: health, fitness, entrepreneurship
Previous speaking gigs: Glamour Beauty Festival, Today Studios, Female Founders
Pernille Raven, head of content at Mad Cow Films
In 2017, Raven was announced as one of Denmark’s Top 100 Business Talents by Berlingske Business – it’s no surprise with her huge talent in content and knowledge of contemporary culture.
Categories: advertising, branded content, marketing
Previous speaking gigs: Internet Media Age, Cannes Lions, #IAmTalks
Cindy Gallop, advertising icon and founder of If We Ran The World and Make Love Not Porn
With a love for ‘blowing shit up’, Gallop is a daring ad boss-turned-world changer, legendary speaker, former chair of BBH and founder of If We Ran The World and Make Love Not Porn.
Categories: advertising, marketing, diversity, activism
Previous speaking gigs: Cannes Lions, TED, 3% Conference
Mina Markham, developer and designer
A teacher, coder and front-end designer, Markham shares her magic knowledge of technology in order to engage a new generation, particularly with her initiatives Black Girls Code and Girl Develop It.
Categories: tech, coding, design
Previous Speaking Gigs: Beyond Tellerrand, Front-End Design Conference, Distill
Karen Boswell, interactive lead at Adam & Eve/DDB
Having led world-class brands to evolve their marketing, Boswell’s insights are second to none. She has 15 years’ experience covering the digital spectrum and an abundance of fresh ideas for the future.
Categories: innovation, tech, design, advertising
Previous speaking gigs: Cannes Lions, Brand Social
Danielle Pender, editor of Riposte Magazine and curator at KK Outlet
Pender influences for the better, pushing feminism, gender equality and alternative narratives into the media sphere with her smart magazine Riposte. She positions herself at the core of London’s creative scene.
Categories: publishing, activism, entrepreneurship
Previous speaking gigs: Riposte Presents, D&AD, Nicer Tuesdays
Nene Parsotam, art director, visual designer and co-founder of Stripes
Parsotam has 12 years’ experience meandering into fields of advertising, visual, interface UI and UX design seamlessly. As a major advocate of diversity, she co-founded Stripes, tackling the creative industry’s lack of it, as well as Vine, which helps businesses in the African diaspora.
Categories: design, advertising, activism
Previous speaking gigs: Girls Talk, Creative Mentor Network, Social Fixt/Google
Alex Goat, chief executive of Livity and co-founder of the Great British Diversity Experiment
Livity is a creative agency, publisher, media agency and innovation incubator, working with brands to inaugurate positivity for young people. This IPA Woman of Tomorrow practices the diversity she preaches, hiring 65% women with 67% in senior roles.
Categories: advertising, marketing, social impact, activism
Previous speaking gigs: Eurobest, SXSW, Innovation Social, Ad:tech
Farrah Storr, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan
After revamping Cosmo in 2015, Farrah has set her sights on authorship, with her book On the Power of Discomfort due to be published this year.
Categories: publishing, social impact, culture
Previous speaking gigs: Writing for Women, TED, Advertising Week
Helen Job, co-founder at The Akin
Job is a trend forecaster, brand strategist and youth culture expert. She’s a dab hand at producing a down to earth creative approach – as evidenced in The Akin, where humanity lies at the agency’s core.
Categories: Future, Advertising, Content
Previous Speaking Gigs: Brand Social
Tea Uglow, creative director of Google's Creative Lab
Uglow is Google Creative Lab’s creative director in Sydney. She prefers her less formal title: 實驗負責人 'experimental person in charge'. The Lab is a combination of culture, tech and digital design. Tea directs at Google on ‘atypical creative projects’ confronting issues such as ‘doubt, reality, diversity (and biscuits)’.
Categories: design, advertising, marketing, diversity
Previous speaking gigs: Semi Permanent, TED, MuseumNext
Nadya Powell, founder of Utopia, The Great British Diversity Experiment and Innovation Social
Powell believes in rewiring business for the age of creativity and harnessing the power of creative thinking. While directing her influence towards the diversity agenda, she has built three successful businesses.
Categories: advertising, marketing, social impact, activism, mc
Previous speaking gigs: BIMA, Innovation Disorder, Advertising Week
Dr Sue Black, technology evangelist, digital skills expert, social entrepreneur, consultant
Well known for her online and offline activism, Dr Sue Black has saved Bletchley Park, written more than 40 publications, is a social media expert and has more than years’ experience in academia and campaigning for the support of women in computing
Categories: tech, coding, social entrepreneurship
Previous speaking gigs: Glug, Girls with Goals, Oxford Geek Night, Google Women Techmakers
Gemma Greaves, chief executive at The Marketing Society
While Greaves has blossomed on the speaking circuit, the content of her talks are always newfangled and engaging.
Categories: marketing, advertising, social impact
Previous speaking gigs: The Marketing Academy, Festival of Media Global, Advertising Week
Kai Lutterodt, founder of Diversity Matters
Lutterodt submerges her creativity into cultural exploration and blogging. Also a diversity activist, she came to know the beauty of difference first hand by travelling the world and practicing her crafts in photography, journalism and video.
Categories: media, arts, activism, social impact
Previous speaking gigs: UAL - Diversity Matters Awareness Week, Remix, Dark Girls: Film & Discussion
Caroline Pay, executive creative director at Grey London
Caroline is one of the most inspirational women in advertising and a nurturer of youth industry talent and diversity.
Categories: advertising, creative, marketing
Previous speaking gigs: Advertising Week, D&AD, Creative Social
Clemmie Telford, freelance creative director, motherhood blogger and SheSays mentor
Clemmie writes and develops her ideas across all medias, with a partiality to supporting, mentoring and empowering women in the workplace. She pays particular attention to those balancing motherhood and creative work.
Categories: advertising, blogging, creative, marketing
Previous speaking gigs: Eurobest, Mamas Meet Up, Riposte Presents
Holly Tucker, founder of Holly & Co and Not On The High Street
Alongside launching one of the most innovative online retailers of the 00s, Tucker is also a philanthropist and a UK ambassador for Creative Small Businesses.
Categories: arts, retail, tech, startups
Previous speaking gigs: Elite Business Event, Young Leaders Summit, WI
Kate Stone, creative scientist
Dr Kate Stone is brewing up a world with interaction and capacitive touch for anything and everything. Whether it’s hats, mandalas, books or posters moving on a bedroom wall, she has a plethora of game-changing technological potions in her mind.
Categories: innovation, art, design
Previous speaking gigs: The Future Of 2017, Brand Social
Georgia Arnold, executive director, Staying Alive Foundation, Viacom
In 1998, Georgia invested MTV’s charity budget in the George Michael-fronted documentary Staying Alive talking to young people affected by HIV. Twenty years later, the documentary has evolved into a series of media campaigns reaching more than 500 million people.
Categories: media, activism, charity, marketing
Previous speaking gigs: Restless Development, ISNTD Festival 2017, MTV:Re Define
Pip Jamieson, chief executive and founder at The Dots
Jamieson is a diversity advocate. She was named by The Sunday Times as one of the Top 100 Disruptive Entrepreneurs innovating in their respective fields (2017) and by BIMA as one of the Top 100 Digital Leaders (2017).
Categories: creative, tech, startups, future of work, careers, mc
Previous speaking gigs: Monocle 'Quality of Life' Conference, Guardian Masterclasses, Shoreditch House, Glug, Remix, Cannes Lions
Robyn Cusworth is content writer at The Dots