Moderated by:
Jack Parsons – the UK’s Chief Youth Officer. Jack is an award-winning young entrepreneur, public speaker and subject expert on youth. Alongside running The Youth Group and leading on youth empowerment, employment and digital skills, Jack is a global ambassador for mental health awareness in the workplace and education.
On the panel:
Astrid Persson – Internal Communications and Engagement Specialist at lululemon. Born and raised in London, Astrid graduated from the Conde Nast College of Fashion & Design after developing a keen interest in the industry, spurred on by modelling through her teen years. Since finishing her studies, she has gone on to work within Communication and Internal Engagement, crafting inclusive cultures through diversity & inclusion programmes, recognition incentives and modernising communication to cater to an increasingly younger employee demographic. Astrid has also co-founded a niche sustainable clothing label that is set to launch later this year.
Susan Reynolds – Co-founder of LookUp.live. Susan has over 20 years of experience in digital wellbeing, mindfulness and youth leadership. She began her career as an educator at the Fenn School in Concord, MA where she taught her students to be forward thinking citizens in the digital age. With the same mission to empower youth to thrive, in 2019 she co-founded LookUp.live, a nonprofit sparking a social movement among Gen Z to discover and implement their own solutions to combat digital overload for greater tech/life balance and improved mental health. Susan teaches, speaks, leads workshops and facilitates panels to educate and embolden Gen Z to find and implement their own solutions to the detrimental aspects of social media and digital distraction. As a speaker, she’s brought her mission to a global audience and offers in-services and assemblies to students and educational professionals with the intention of mobilizing youth leaders.
Robert Wigley – Author of Born Digital: The Story of a Distracted Generations, Chair of UK Finance. Bob backs young entrepreneurs in cutting-edge technology businesses. He sits on the UK’s Economic Crime Strategic Board, co-chaired by the Chancellor and the Home Secretary. During 2016/17 he chaired Victoria Beckham’s fashion business. He spent a career in finance rising to be EMEA Chairman of Merrill Lynch and a member of the board of the Bank of England during the 2008 financial crisis. He was Chairman of the Green Investment Bank Commission and wrote the seminal report Winning in the Decade Ahead on the future of London as a Global Financial Centre. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and Companion of the Chartered Management Institute. He is an Officer of the Order of St John. Born Digital is his first book.
Aliyah York – Founder of The Pupil Power. @aliyahiyork is an A-level student, agent for change and founder of @ThePupilPower. Most recently her work has been recognised as she was nominated by the Telegraph and ITV National Diversity Awards as an ‘Entrepreneur of Excellence’.