June Sarpong OBE is an award-winning author, TV Presenter, diversity speaker, and former Director of Creative Diversity at the BBC.
She has enjoyed a career spanning over 20 years, in which she has become one of the most recognisable faces on British television. She began her career at Kiss 100 before moving on to MTV UK & Ireland and T4 where she interviewed the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
She has hosted events such as the 2005 Make Poverty History event, the MOBO awards on several occasions, presented at the UK leg of Live Earth in 2007 and hosted Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations in front of 30,000 people in London’s Hyde Park in 2008. June has interviewed some of the world’s biggest names including the then-Prince Charles, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and George Clooney.
From human rights to feminism to workplace discrimination, June’s pioneering influence has sent positive ripples throughout British business, politics and society. She has spoken at a number of high-profile events – including the DNA Summit – to share her unique understanding of inclusion and diversity, and is now one of the world’s leading inclusion speakers and educators.
Contact Great British Speakers today to book former BBC Director of Creative Diversity June Sarpong for your next event.
June Sarpong started off her broadcasting career as a presenter for MTV UK and Ireland, hosting the MTV Dance Floor Chart as well as prominently hosting T4 on Channel 4. From then on, the roles kept coming and she hasn’t looked back since. Her presenting credits including Your Face or Mine? (2002), Conspiracy Theory (2009-2010), Playing it Straight (2005), Michael Jackson: The Search for His Spirit (2018), Smash Hits Poll Winners Party (2005) and Party in the Park (2003). She was a panellist on Loose Women for over a decade, and has appeared as a guest on Question Time (2005-2008), Lily Savage’s Blankety Blank (2001), 8 Out of 10 Cats (2005-2008), Have I Got News For You? (2006), Never Mind the Buzzcocks (2000-2003) and Celebrity Juice (2015). She has also made regular appearances as a presenter on the Sky News current affairs show The Pledge (2016-).
June has been an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust for many years and has worked extensively with Prince Charles whilst campaigning for The One division RED. RED was initially created to bring justice to the AIDS fight, but now partners with the world’s most iconic brands to fight the world’s biggest health emergencies – most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2007, she was awarded an MBE for her services to broadcasting and charity, making her one of the youngest people ever to receive the award which was promoted to an OBE in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List.
She was awarded a ‘Lifetime Fellow’ from the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and was voted three years running as one of the Top 10 D&I Leaders in the Global Diversity Index.
She is also an author of a number of award-winning books. In 2017 she released Diversify: Six Degrees of Integration in which she puts the spotlight on groups who are often marginalised in society including women, those living with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community. This was followed by The Power of Women (2018), and The Power of Privilege: How White People can Challenge Racism (2020).
Her next book, Calling Una Marson: The Extraordinary Life of a Forgotten Icon, is due out in early 2025 and looks at Uma Marson, the first Black female broadcaster on the BBC. Her memoir, The Only One in the Room, is due out in late 2025.
June is the co-founder of the WIE Network (Women: Inspiration and Enterprise). This acclaimed conference has featured leading female speakers including Sarah Brown, Melinda Gates, Arianna Huffington, Lynn de Rothschild, Donna Karen, Queen Rania, Nancy Pelosi, Dr Jill Biden, Diana von Furstenberg and Iman, and currently boasts a global community of over 200,000. She is also the founder of the DNA (Decide Now Act) Summit, which brings together influential people to discuss how to build initiatives that will have a positive social impact. She is also the founder of Diversify International Limited, a boutique consultancy that boasts Barclays, Burberry, EY, Facebook, Google, Nike, the NHS, Unilever, and Wagamama’s as clients.
In 2019, June was appointed the Director of Creative Diversity at the BBC. Acting as the broadcaster’s first-ever diversity director, June’s work involved increasing representation throughout the company and ensuring that the BBC’s content reflects the public they serve. She led the D&I strategy and implementation for the channel’s 500 million+ audience. As part of this work, she spearheaded their Creative Diversity Commitment, a £100 million investment in diverse and inclusive TV content.
She stood down frrom this role in 2022 and is now a Non-Executive Board Member of the British Fashion Council.
She is an ambassador for London Tech Week, and is the co-creator of EQL-Pledge, an initiative supported by Hillary Clinton, which encourages the centre capital community to invest in diverse-founded companies.
In 2016 she was announced as the official ambassador for Superdrug’s ‘Shades of Beauty’ campaign, to tackle product inequality in high street beauty, with the aim of making it more accessible for Black and Asian women to shop affordably.
In 2021, June launched a new publishing imprint, ‘The HQ Creative Inclusion Lab’ alongside publisher Harper Collins. This imprint aims to break down barriers for writers and make the industry more accessible for those from underrepresented communities.
Inclusion & Diversity: A main drive of June’s speeches is inclusion and diversity. The topics are especially close to her heart and make up the foundation of her books. With the pay gap still disadvantaged black, Asian and other minority groups, June’s work is not just raising awareness, but supplying strategies for sustainable change.
Female Empowerment: June regularly appears at global conferences which aim to bring together inspiring female speakers. Working with smaller communities, business leaders and politicians, June’s female empowerment topic is a vehicle for genuine change.
Broadcasting: From MTV to Loose Women, June has appeared on several popular British programmes, a testament to her nationwide fame. This experience makes her a valuable insider on the industry, able to share her story of the limelight, production and anecdotes.
– Diversification in the Workplace
– Diversity and Inclusion
– Creative Diversity
– Social Change
– Women’s Rights
With a wealth of experience and knowledge within the broadcasting industry, June is a popular speaker and event host for private, public, charity and corporate events. She is a superb speaker, with her presentations celebrated for their honesty, entertainment and importance.
We absolutely loved the session with June Sarpong…June was powerful in her storytelling and very honest in sharing her thoughts around inclusion, bias and allyship.
Ash, Co-Op
It was a great event, I really enjoyed June’s take on unconscious bias and allyship in particular the practical things everyone can do to challenge themselves.
Denise, Co-Op
So glad I managed to join this event, June’s storytelling was amazing and such an insightful and engaging session.
Kerry, Co-Op
Her message on diversity, equality and inclusion was on point, her storytelling was engaging and thought-provoking – what a great guest speaker and interviewee.
Liz, Stephenson Harwood LLP