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.
Tina Daheley
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:
Yomi Adegoke & Elizabeth Uviebinene, authors of Slay in your Lane
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
Liv Little, founder at gal-dem
Poorna Bell, author of Chase The Rainbow, public speaker, journalist
Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give
Inua Ellams, poet, performer & graphic artist
Paloma Strelitz
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:
Dhruv Ghulati, co-founder & CEO at Factmata
Shehar Bano, researcher at UCL
Mursal Hedayat, founder at Chatterbox
Hera Hussain, founder of Chayn
Rositsa Zaimova, associate partner at Dalberg Data Insight
Ella Goldner, Paul Kirby, Saul Klein, co-founders at Zinc VC
Joshua Browder, founder at Do Not Pay
Joy Buolamwini, computer scientist, digital activist, Algorithmic Justice League & MIT Media Lab
Finn WIlliams, co-founder & CEO at Public Practice
Pooja Argrawal, co-founder & architect at Public Practice
Isabel Farchy, founding director at Creative Mentor Network
Naresh Ramchandani
Partner, Pentagram & founder, Do The Green Thing
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:
Safia Qureshi, founder & CEO at Cup Club
Liv Little, founder at gal-dem
Yinka Ilori, designer & furniture maker
Victoria Sin, performer & drag artist
Craig Oldham, designer & founder at Office Of Craig
Sanket Avlani, founder at Taxi Fabric
Olivia Knight, founder at Patchwork
Katee Hui, founder at Hackney Laces
Sophia Tassew, artist & advocate
Paloma Strelitz & James Binning, co-founders at Assemble
Lucy Purdy
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
Simon Coley, co-founder at Karma Cola
Rebecca Trevalyan, co-director at Library of Things & The People’s Fridge
Jon Alexander & Irenie Ekkeshis, co-founders at New Citizenship Project
Adam Smith, founder at The Real Junk Food Project
Dan Parker, founder at Living Loud
Georgia Wyatt-Lovell, founder at Wyatt and Jack
Samuel Bennett, founder at Meet4ACoffee app
Tolu Farinto
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:
Zara Laws, project manager at Rudolph Walker Foundation
Amie Snow, creative at Oglivy
Charmaine Hayden, owner, Face4Music at Goal Digger
Sulaiman Khan, founder & chief purpose officer at ThisAbility
Kara Atwell-Bennett, founder at Better Shared
Selma Nicholls, founder at Looks Like Me
Christina Okorocha, co-founder at Vamp UK
Anthea Agyekum, publishing & production assistant at Pitch Magazine
Leonia Goromba, project officer at Ideas Foundation
Tsedenia Skitch, event producer at Supperbuddie, YCP, Inspirational Women in Media
David Lee
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:
Sam Davy & Tara Montoneri, co-founders at Park Social Soccer Co.
Cyrill Gutsch, founder at Parley for Oceans
Platon, founder at The People’s Portfolio
Susan Meiselas, president at Magnum Foundation
Rooney Mara, founder at HIRAETH
David Lynch, founder at David Lynch Foundation
Nisha Dua, founder at #BUILTBYGIRLS
Imani Ellis, founder at The Creative Collective NYC
Audrey Gelman (CEO) & Lauren Kassan (COO), co-founders at The Wing
Nick Stanhope, founder & CEO at Shift
Daianna Karaian
Founder, Thoughtful Works & D&AD White Pencil Jury President, 2018
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:
Kate Wilson, founder at Mulberry Mongoose
Chloe Stewart, founder at nibs etc.
Clover Lewis, founder at Clover Lewis Swimwear
Mursal Hedayat, founder at Chatterbox
Sarah Grohé, founder of Erlich Textil & co-founder of Uneins at Erlich Textil/Uneins
Charlotte Cramer, co-founder at Crack + Cider
Joanna Hamer, founder at Juta Shoes
Sophie Slater, Sarah Beckett (co-founders) & Susanna Wen (designer) at Birdsong
Will Rowe
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.
Sébastien Kopp & François-Ghislain Morillion, co-founders at Veja
Tobias Peggs, CEO at Square Roots
Alexander Groves & Azusa Murakami, co-founders & designers at Studio Swine
Cyrill Gutsch, founder at Parley for the Oceans
Mark de Lange, founder & CEO at Ace & Tate
Phoebe Lovatt, founder of The Working Women's Club
Alan Shikverg, founder of A Brilliant Brand
B Corporation
Melanie Eusebe
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
Matilda Egere Cooper, founder at Flygirlscollective
Sebastian Thiel, director, writer & producer
Timothy Armoo, CEO at Fanbites
Kojo Marfo, founder at My Runway Group
Lenique Louis, jewellery maker
Chrissa Amuah, designer
Sandra Schembri
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:
Alex Stephany, founder & CEO at Beam
B+A Bespoke+Accelerated
Nadra Shah, founder at Kitchen & Soul
Charlie Dorman, director at Connection Crew
Michelle Morgan, co-founder of Livity, founder of PJoys
Kresse Wesling & James Henrit, founders at Elvis & Kresse
Steven Novick, founder & CEO at Farmstand
Esther Foreman, CEO at The Social Change Agency
Hilary Cottam author of Radical Help
Wavelength
Kevin King
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
TimePeace App
GoodGym
Community Fridges
Forest Green Rovers
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
Pip Jamieson
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:
Jude Kelley CBE, artistic director at WOW
Nick Stanhope, CEO at Shift
Ella Goldner, co-founder & general manager at Zinc
Paul Singh, CEO at Equal Education
Ali Hanan, founder at Creative Equals
Julian Blake, director & editor, Digital Agenda
Mercedes Benson, creative, DJ & founder at SocialFixt
Sulaiman Khan, founder at ThisAbility
Claud Williams, founder at Dream Nation
Ed Cox & Matt Haworth, co-founders & directors, Reason Digital
Jessica Ryan-Ndegwa, founder at Design for Disability
Companies
Squarespace
- Technology