June Sarpong Keynote Speaker

Panellist on Sky News panel discussion programme ‘The Pledge’ (2016 - 2020)
Co-Founder of the WIE Network (Women: Inspiration & Enterprise)
Awarded an OBE in the 2020 New Years’ Honours List

June Sarpong's Biography

June Sarpong OBE is a British TV Presenter, award-winning author and a top speaker on diversity, a subject she is passionate about.

June has worked in television for two decades and is one of the most widely recognised faces in British television. She was a a panellist on Sky News’ weekly current affairs discussion programme ‘The Pledge’ (2016 – 2020). She frequently appears on television shows such as BBC Question Time, Have I Got News for You and Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats. Previously, she was a Presenter on Channel 4’s T4, MTV UK & Ireland and Kiss 100, and a panellist on ITV’s Loose Women.

She hosted Nelson Mandela’s 90^th birthday celebrations in Hyde Park, London (2008), the UK leg of Live Earth (2007), Make Poverty History (2005) and presented the MOBO Awards several times. She has interviewed some of the world’s biggest names including HRH Prince of Wales, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and George Clooney.

June received an OBE in the 2020 New Years’ Honours List. She is one of the youngest people ever to receive an MBE, which she was awarded in 2007 for services to broadcasting and charity. June Sarpong has worked extensively with HRH Prince Charles, as a Prince’s Trust Ambassador and campaigns for the ONE Campaign and (RED).

June Sarpong is a champion for diversity and in October 2019, she became the first Director of Creative Diversity at the BBC. She authored three award-winning books, including ‘Diversity: Six Degrees of Integration’, ‘The Power of Women’ and ‘The Power of Privilege’.

She is Co-Founder of the WIE Network (Women: Inspiration & Enterprise), a conference designed to bring together women from different backgrounds, and to empower, inspire and support one another.

June Sarpong authored three award-winning books, including ‘Diversity: Six Degrees of Integration’, ‘The Power of Women’ and ‘The Power of Privilege’.

She has launched The HQ Creative Inclusion Lab with HarperCollins, a publishing imprint designed to champion writers from underrepresented communities—particularly disabled authors, those from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, and people from working-class backgrounds.

She has shaped the UK’s diversity agenda at the highest level as the BBC’s first Director of Creative Diversity, translating inclusion ambition into practical action for organisations.
She is an award-winning author of titles including Diversity: Six Degrees of Integration, The Power of Women and The Power of Privilege, turning complex social dynamics into clear, usable frameworks for leaders.
She is a globally experienced broadcaster and event host, trusted with landmark stages from Live Earth to Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations, bringing authority, warmth and audience connection.
She co-founded the WIE Network to convene and empower women from different backgrounds, sharing hard-won insight on building pipelines, sponsorship and belonging at scale.
She champions underrepresented voices through initiatives such as The HQ Creative Inclusion Lab with HarperCollins, helping organisations understand how representation, storytelling and opportunity shape culture and performance..