Seyi Akiwowo
Seyi Akiwowo is a global voice on ethical tech, online safety and leadership in the digital age.
Why book Seyi Akiwowo for your next event
- Founder of Glitch and key influencer behind the UK Online Safety Act 2023, shaping protections for women and marginalised communities.
- Author of How to Stay Safe Online and globally cited thought leader on digital misogynoir, safety and ethical technology.
- Trusted advisor to boards, regulators and global brands on leadership, responsible media and digital citizenship.
Non-binding request for Seyi Akiwowo
Founder of Glitch, author and trusted advisor on responsible technology and leadership
Seyi Akiwowo is an internationally recognised social entrepreneur, writer and keynote speaker working at the intersection of technology, leadership, democracy and care. As Founder and former CEO of Glitch, Europe’s multi-award-winning nonprofit tackling online abuse, she has shaped global policy and practice. From influencing the UK Online Safety Act to advising boards and global brands, Seyi brings clarity, courage and practical insight to today’s most urgent digital challenges.
Seyi Akiwowo – Leadership in a Digital World
Seyi Akiwowo is an internationally recognised social entrepreneur, writer and keynote speaker known for her work at the intersection of technology, leadership, democracy and care. She is the Founder and former CEO of Glitch, Europe’s leading and multi-award-winning nonprofit tackling online abuse. What began as a grassroots campaign grew under her leadership into a medium-sized organisation shaping global conversations, policy and practice around digital safety.
Seyi played a pivotal role in influencing the UK Online Safety Act 2023. She built rare cross-sector coalitions across civil society, policymakers and industry to ensure that protections for women and marginalised communities were embedded in law. Her approach is defined by bridge-building, strategic clarity and an unwavering commitment to accountability in digital spaces.
Today, Seyi advises boards, regulators, philanthropies and global brands on ethical technology, responsible media, digital citizenship and leadership under pressure. Her work reframes online safety as a governance, performance and trust issue that sits at the heart of modern leadership.
From Public Service to Global Impact
Before founding Glitch, Seyi was an elected politician and became the youngest Black female Councillor in East London. Her leadership journey began in community organising and public service, shaped by lived experience and a deep commitment to building safer systems, both online and offline.
This foundation continues to inform her work. She understands power, policy and people from the inside out. Whether she is speaking to a room of executives, creatives or policymakers, Seyi connects structural insight with human stories. She challenges organisations to rethink how they define responsibility and success in an increasingly volatile digital world.
Her global impact has been recognised with the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award, celebrating her contribution to advancing women’s leadership and safety worldwide.
Author and Thought Leader
Seyi is the author of How to Stay Safe Online (Penguin, 2022), a practical and empowering guide to navigating digital spaces safely and confidently. Her research and thought leadership have shaped international debates on online abuse and digital harm.
Her landmark Digital Misogynoir Report is widely cited and used by institutions, universities and policymakers. Through rigorous research and accessible communication, she has brought attention to the specific harms faced by Black women online and the systemic changes required to address them.
Seyi’s writing and commentary have featured in international publications including Glamour, Cosmopolitan and WIRED, alongside national media outlets. Her voice is trusted because it combines evidence, lived experience and strategic solutions.
Shaping Standards in Technology and Media
Seyi has served on influential advisory bodies including TikTok’s European Trust and Safety Council and Yoti’s Guardian Council. In these roles, she has helped shape safety and governance standards in digital spaces, advising on policy, accountability and user protection.
In 2025, she made her debut keynote appearance at Cannes Lions, speaking on Responsible Media and Junk Food Metrics. She will also deliver a keynote at the World Health Organization on leadership, care and digital harm. These platforms reflect the growing recognition that safety, accountability and trust are core business and societal priorities.
Her current focus is reframing care as infrastructure. Seyi positions safety, accountability and trust as measurable leadership and performance issues. In her view, care is not a soft add-on. It is a strategic necessity for organisations navigating complexity, risk and rapid technological change.
Book Seyi Akiwowo for Your Event
Seyi Akiwowo delivers keynotes, leadership talks and workshops across corporate, public sector, media and cultural contexts. She speaks at global leadership events, industry convenings and International Women’s Day programmes, bringing depth, urgency and actionable insight to every stage.
Audiences gain:
A clear understanding of ethical technology and responsible media in practice
Tools for leading under pressure in high-risk, high-visibility environments
Practical strategies to embed safety, accountability and trust into systems and culture
Seyi’s keynotes combine sharp analysis with compelling storytelling. She challenges audiences to confront uncomfortable truths while equipping them with practical frameworks for change.
If you are looking to book Seyi Akiwowo for your event, you secure a speaker who bridges technology, democracy and leadership with clarity and conviction. Her work speaks directly to organisations ready to lead responsibly in a digital world defined by disruption, scrutiny and opportunity.
Keynotes
Keynote by Seyi Akiwowo:
Standards of care: When online harm becomes organisational failure
Online harm is no longer a personal resilience issue - it is a governance and leadership responsibility that organisations must actively address.
In this keynote, Seyi introduces her “Risk Moments and Duty Chains” framework, helping organisations map how harm travels through systems and structures, and where accountability, escalation and prevention must be embedded.
Through practical examples, she shows how online harm can move from individual incidents to systemic organisational risk, and what leaders must do to intervene earlier and more responsibly.
Audiences will leave with clear language, a practical lens for institutional responsibility, and a concrete next step for strengthening standards of care.
Ideal for: Boards, leadership teams, communications, HR, public affairs, regulators
Audience takeaway: A systems-based approach to embedding accountability and prevention into organisational practice.
Keynote by Seyi Akiwowo:
Care as infrastructure: Why safety is a performance issue, not a wellbeing perk
This talk reframes care and safety as essential organisational infrastructure rather than optional wellbeing initiatives.
Seyi explores how care functions as risk management, trust-building and organisational resilience — especially in high-pressure, polarised or reputationally sensitive environments where leadership decisions carry significant consequences.
When organisations fail to embed care into their systems, it can affect talent retention, decision-making and public trust. When they do, it strengthens both culture and performance.
Ideal for: Senior leaders, people teams, insurers, professional services, public sector
Audience takeaway: A thought-provoking perspective on how care protects talent, reputation and decision-making.
Keynote by Seyi Akiwowo:
Responsible media & junk food metrics: What we measure shapes what we become
From click-driven outrage to AI-amplified misinformation, today’s media and marketing metrics are shaping behaviour — often at the cost of trust, responsibility and long-term value.
This keynote challenges leaders to rethink how influence and success are measured. Seyi introduces the concept of “junk food metrics”, highlighting how engagement-driven systems can incentivise harmful or short-term behaviours.
She then offers a healthier framework for media, platforms and brands that want to prioritise responsibility, trust and sustainable influence.
Ideal for: Media, marketing, tech, brand and communications leaders
Audience takeaway: A future-facing lens on responsible influence and long-term value.
Keynote by Seyi Akiwowo:
East End London → World stages: Lessons in impactful, values-led leadership
This keynote shares Seyi’s personal leadership journey — from local council chambers in East London to global policy rooms and international platforms.
Through personal stories and reflections, she explores what it means to lead with integrity, courage and purpose in complex and high-pressure environments.
The talk offers a powerful blueprint for values-led leadership, showing how it is possible to create meaningful impact without losing yourself to burnout, pressure or noise.
Ideal for: IWD events, leadership programmes, employee networks, education
Audience takeaway: Armed with confidence, clarity and permission to lead differently.
Keynote by Seyi Akiwowo:
Digital citizenship at work: What leaders need to know now
Digital citizenship is no longer only a topic for schools or public debate — it is increasingly relevant for organisations and workplaces.
In this keynote, Seyi translates the concept into clear and practical language, showing how everyday decisions about platforms, communication, data and behaviour shape organisational culture, safety and even democracy.
Leaders will gain a better understanding of how responsible digital behaviour can be embedded into teams, systems and workplace culture.
Ideal for: Cross-functional teams, education, NGOs, corporates
Audience takeaway: Practical protocols for safer, more accountable digital environments.
Seyi Akiwowo Speaking Highlight
Watch Seyi Akiwowo in action!
