Vanessa is the Founder & CEO of award-winning global agency, Girls Talk London, connecting women with businesses to empower them to develop the skills and confidence to succeed in work and life. Through this agency, Vanessa works with companies such as Facebook, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Snap Inc, Virgin Media O2, BT and Vodafone to connect them with diverse talent across all levels within their businesses.
Vanessa is also a Business Podcaster with her podcast, The After Work Drinks Club debuting at Number 4 on the Apple Business Charts.
Vanessa has 14 years of experience in diversity, inclusion, responsible business and sustainability working in the financial services, technology and government and has been recognised as a leader in her field listed as #15 in the Financial Times, Yahoo Finance and EMpower top ethnic minority future leaders in Europe, U.S and Canada.
Her expertise sits in creating and executing global diversity, inclusion and sustainability strategies and programmes, building capability & influence in organisations and partnering with & advising C-suite executives, senior leadership and HR colleagues
Vanessa has also been recognised as one of 30 people changing the world by the London Business School, one of London’s most influential people by the Evening Standard Newspaper and has featured in The Guardian, Cosmopolitan magazine, Sunday Times Style magazine, Stylist magazine, The Evening Standard newspaper and the Financial Times.
Vanessa has worked with over 50 businesses that include The Bank of England, UK Parliament, Facebook, Snap Inc, LinkedIn, PwC, O2 Virgin Media, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Barclays, State Street, Salesforce, Vodafone, BT, Ericsson, Allen and Overy, UBS, RBS Legal, Rabobank and Reed Smith. Vanessa has also been an adviser on Youth Policy to the former UK Prime Minister David Cameron and The former Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
Vanessa is also the Host and Creator of Girls Talk, an online panel talk show for millennial women that has been viewed by over half a million people worldwide.
She is a sought-after Presenter and Speaker on business, women’s issues and popular culture featured on BBC Radio One and hosting the Penguin Living and Virgin Books ‘Live.Life. Better’ Podcast.
Her speaking engagements have taken her across the globe at institutions such as The Southbank Centre, Glitz Africa She Summit, UN Women UK, Cosmopolitan Self-Made Summit, Investec, Royal Bank of Canada, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Google UK, City Hall, Institute of Directors and Women in Research UK.
Vanessa is a regular visiting lecturer and speaker on Social Entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity and Inclusion for London School of Economics, City University London, Kent Business School, Brunel University and Kings College London.
Vanessa has written and featured in publications such as The Guardian, Stylist, The Telegraph, LOOK Magazine, virgin.com, Confederation of British Industry and Entrepreneur Country. The 16th April 2017 Edition of The Style Magazine Sunday Times Supplement listed Vanessa as one of 10 people changing the workplace for women in the UK.
The 9th March 2015 issue of Look Magazine featured Vanessa as one of the most inspiring women in the UK and in June 2015 She was named as one of 67 Changemakers in the UK at The Southbank Centre as part of their annual Festival of Love.
Why we believe Vanessa is a trailblazerFor her work nurturing the careers of Black Women in Tech through her Black Girls Tech Summit and for building a community where women can connect and thrive.