June Sarpong OBE

About

June Sarpong OBE

June Sarpong OBE is one of the world’s leading inclusion speakers, educators, and Top 10 D&I executives with over two decades of professional experience in the U.K and U.S. Formerly Global Director of Creative Diversity for the BBC and the first Black woman to sit on the corporation’s Executive Committee, June led the D&I strategy and implementation for the BBC’s 500-million plus global audience as well as internal creative teams and external production supply chain. As part of her portfolio she spearheaded the BBC’s ‘Creative Diversity Commitment’; a £100 million ($131 million) investment in diverse and inclusive TV content, with an extra £12 million ($16 million) infused into inclusive radio programming and podcasts. In addition to her role with the BBC, June is the founder of Diversify International Limited (DIL), a boutique consultancy firm whose clients include Burberry, Barclays, Nike, NHS, EY, Google, Unilever, Facebook, Wagamama and many more. As part of DIL’s services, June also advises Founders and CEO’s on DEI, strategy, delivery of culture transformation, ways to connect with new audiences and growth markets with a special expertise on Africa.

June is the co-creator of the Women: Inspiration & Enterprise Network (WIE). WIE first launched in NYC in 2010, in the UK in 2012 and then in Africa in 2014. WIE has featured leading speakers from a gamut of industries, previous participants include: Melinda Gates, Arianna Huffington, Donna Karan, Queen Rania, Nancy Pelosi, Dame Natalie Massenet, lman and many more. This women’s professional network has a community of over 200,000 around the world. In partnership with the United Nation’s ITU (International Telecommunication Union) June was the brainchild behind the DNA Summit, an initiative aimed to bring together some of the most innovative minds in the world to generate ideas and solutions for critical global challenges, the outcomes from the DNA Summit were presented to world leaders at the G8. She is currently an ambassador for London Tech Week and is the co-creator of the EQL-Pledge, an initiative supported by Hillary Clinton, which encourages the venture capital community to repurpose capital into investing in diverse founded companies. June has enjoyed a 25-year career, which has already seen her become one of the most recognizable faces of British television, as well as being one of the UK’s most intelligent and dynamic hosts. June is a media phenomenon and is the only host of her generation that is equally comfortable interviewing politicians, celebrities and members of the public. June has also taken on the world’s most challenging live audiences, hosting Make Poverty History in London’s Trafalgar Square and presenting at the UK leg of Live Earth, as well as Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday celebrations in front of 30,000 people in London’s Hyde Park. From 2015-2020, June was the co-host of Sky News’s flagship weekly current affairs show ‘The Pledge’.

June is the author of three award-winning books published by Harper Collins on the subject of DEI, the first being ‘Diversify’. Diversify shines a spotlight on groups who are often marginalised in our society, including women, ethnic minorities, those living with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community. Diversify uncovers the hidden cost of exclusion and shows how a new approach to how we learn, live and do business can solve some of the most stubborn challenges we face. With unshakeable case studies, research from Oxford University, and six revolutionary steps to help overcome unconscious bias, Diversify makes a compelling case as to why inclusion is the best formula for sustainable long-term growth. Her other books are ‘Power of Women’ and ‘Power of Privilege’ and ‘Calling Una Marson: The Extraordinary Life of a Forgotten Icon’ will be published in summer 2024.

June was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) on the Queens 2007 New Year’s Honours list for her services to broadcasting and charity, making her one of the youngest people to receive an MBE. In Nov 2020 she was awarded an OBE for her services to diversity and inclusion in the creative and media industries. June was awarded ‘Lifetime Fellow’ by the RSA (Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) and voted three years running as one of the Top 10 D&I Leaders in the Global Diversity Index.

June has worked extensively with the Prince’s Trust for two decades, the United Nations and a number of smaller anti-poverty and gender equality charities.