Leaders with social heart: 100 creative changemakers
Celebrating social responsibility is at the heart of what we do, so we've partnered with Squarespace – whose mission is to inspire people with creative ideas to succeed – to shine a light on 100 influential luminaries from art, technology, charity, design, business and more that are working tirelessly to make our world a better place.
To highlight these organisations, we asked 10 creative changemakers to each nominate 10 people behind inspiring brands, products and movements with amazing social purpose. Our aim is to inspire the next generation of creative leaders, thinkers and entrepreneurs to build the ethical companies of the future, whether they are online, in person, or both. Read on to discover an abundance of inspiration from folk that are truly changing the world for the better.
If you want to help drive change, then support these organisations in any way you can! Commission them for work, promote them, offer your support and if you can, give them funding.
Collectively we can create a better future.
Journalist & presenter, BBC
Having being a journalist and presenter for over a decade, Tina Daheley is an modern icon of British media. Her news presenting during The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw fixed her as a household name, as has her important discussions and statements on diversity and equality in the workplace and beyond.
Tina’s nominations:
Nathan Byron, writer & actor
Harry Phinda, medical student, campaigner, Queen’s Young Leader 2017
Madina Scacci, architect
Hussain Manawer, mental health campaigner, poet, fundraiser, creative
Poorna Bell, author of Chase The Rainbow, public speaker, journalist
Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give
Inua Ellams, poet, performer & graphic artist
Co-founding partner, Assemble
As a co-founder for Assemble, the multi-disciplinary collective that combines design, architecture, art and social good, Paloma (along with her teammates) has been named as one of the top 200 most newsworthy forces in global architecture and design (Dezeen). With famous projects such as the 2015 Turner Prize Winning Granby Four Streets and Art on the Underground, Paloma shows no sign of stopping her talent for co-operative projects that change people’s lives for the better.
Paloma’s nominations:
Shehar Bano, researcher at UCL
Joshua Browder, founder at Do Not Pay
Joy Buolamwini, computer scientist, digital activist, Algorithmic Justice League & MIT Media Lab
A wordsmith with endless innovative ideas, Naresh is both a partner at the iconic design studio Pentagram and the creative director and co-founder of Do The Green thing - the environmental charity that uses creative means to spread important messages about global warming, vegetarianism, toxic consumerism and much more.
Naresh’s nominations:
Yinka Ilori, designer & furniture maker
Victoria Sin, performer & drag artist
Craig Oldham, designer & founder at Office Of Craig
Sanket Avlani, founder at Taxi Fabric
Editor, Positive News
After working as a freelance journalist, writing about the natural world and social change for publications including The Guardian, New Statesmen and Oh Comely, Lucy Purdy is now editor at Positive News magazine. It is the world’s first publication to be dedicated to constructive journalism – good journalism about good things.
Lucy’s nominations:
Andres Roberts, founding partner & guide at Way of Nature & The Bio-Leadership Project
Katie Holten, artist, creator of Tree Alphabet
Dan Parker, founder at Living Loud
Georgia Wyatt-Lovell, founder at Wyatt and Jack
Samuel Bennett, founder at Meet4ACoffee app
Social entrepreneur and D&I Champion
A socially conscious entrepreneur, Tolu is the founder of Limitless, Future Achievements, a co-founder of The Great British Diversity Experiment and programme director of The Ideas Foundation. Tolu is dedicated to tackling the lack of opportunity for aspirational people from disadvantaged backgrounds across all avenues of his work.
Tolu’s nominations:
Charmaine Hayden, owner, Face4Music at Goal Digger
Christina Okorocha, co-founder at Vamp UK
Tsedenia Skitch, event producer at Supperbuddie, YCP, Inspirational Women in Media
Chief Creative Officer, Squarespace
As the chief creative officer of the website powerhouse Squarespace, David oversees branding, web design and product design with the mission to tell stories that have purpose and empower people with creative tools to bring their ideas to life. With medals from Cannes Lions, ADC, Webby Awards and more, David’s work consistently makes an impact. Currently, David is on the advisory board for D&AD and is an executive member of the The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences.
David’s nominations:
Rooney Mara, founder at HIRAETH
David Lynch, founder at David Lynch Foundation
Imani Ellis, founder at The Creative Collective NYC
Audrey Gelman (CEO) & Lauren Kassan (COO), co-founders at The Wing
D&AD White Pencil Jury President 2018 and the force behind Thoughtful Works, Daianna Karaian has made it her life mission to bring together talent that makes a difference. For over two decades, Daianna has committed her career to strategic marketing with social impact, working with mega-brands such as IKEA, Lego, and even royalty.
Daianna’s nominations:
Clover Lewis, founder at Clover Lewis Swimwear
Founder & CEO, Protein Agency
Since 1997, Will has guided the community of ‘thinkers, doers and connectors’ that make up Protein. The agency is famous for its ability to combine the physical and the digital - the physical being attributed to the cultural hotbed that Protein Studios provides and the local unity brought by their infamous charity block parties. With the digital, Protein’s reports track consumer culture and provide invaluable insight to the wider creative industry.
Will’s nominations:
Adam Boita, founder of BOITA Bag Co.
Alan Shikverg, founder of A Brilliant Brand
B Corporation
Entrepreneur & chair of the Black British Business Awards
Melanie Eusebe has been profiled as one of the most influential women in the UK business and creative industries, and it comes as no surprise when considering her work for the Start Up Awards, the Black British Business Awards and WoW, The Women of the World, a global gender equality festival - to name just three organisations from Melanie’s dynamic career.
Melanie’s nominations:
Ronke Lawal, PR
Dennis Sem Owasu, founder at Success Talks
Christina Okorocha, head of strategy & co-founder at VAMP
Tobi Oredein, co-founder at Black Ballad
Bolanle Tajudeen, founder at Black Blossoms
Sebastian Thiel, director, writer & producer
Lenique Louis, jewellery maker
Chrissa Amuah, designer
Chief Encouragement Officer at The House of St Barnabas
With mountains of experience in the social enterprise and non-profit sector, Sandra currently resides as Chief Encouragement Officer of The House of St Barnabas. This charity is a social enterprise members’ club and employment academy with the goal to break the cycle of homelessness.
Sandra’s nominations:
Nadra Shah, founder at Kitchen & Soul
Hilary Cottam author of Radical Help
Co-Founder, Secret 7”
As Secret 7” goes from strength to strength after 6 years, its brain-father Kevin King should give himself a huge pat on the back, at the very least. The secret auction that invites designers and creatives from all around the world to interpret a record for a charity raffle has raised over £175,000 for incredible charities such a Teenage Cancer Trust and MIND. The genesis of the concept came when Kevin was working on a charity fundraiser at Universal Music.
Kevin’s nominations:
Hadrian Garrard, director at Create London
Stuart Glen & Eugene Wild, founders at The Cause Nightclub
Stuart Semple, founder at Hostile Design
Bethany Williams, sustainable fashion designer
Charlotte Wilton, designer & founder, b
Diversity advocate & founder at The Dots
Founder and CEO of our platform The Dots, Pip was named by The Sunday Times as one of the Top 100 Disruptive Entrepreneurs innovating in their respective fields and by Creative Review as one of the top 50 Creative Leaders. Being a dyslexic sole female tech founder, Pip has put promoting social responsibility (such as this list right here!) and diversity at the heart of what we do. 62% of The Dots community is female, 31% BAME & 16%+ LGBT+. The Dots also supports socioeconomic diversity and neurodiversity to fuel a more balanced creative industry.
Pip’s nominations:
Paul Singh, CEO at Equal Education
Jessica Ryan-Ndegwa, founder at Design for Disability
Companies
Squarespace
- Technology