Oona King

Oona King is currently the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Snap Inc – which includes Snapchat – and was previously the director of diversity strategy at Google, director of diverse marketing at YouTube, and Chief Diversity Officer at Channel 4.

She also has years of political experience, being the Senior Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister on Equalities, Diversity and Faith between 2007 and 2009. When appointed as an MP, she became only the second woman of colour elected to the British Parliament.

In celebration of her work against racism and for diversity and equality, she was named one of 2003’s 100 Great Black Britons and listed on the prestigious annual Powerlist.

She is also the Chair of the Institute for Community Cohesion, Founding Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on genocide prevention in the House of Commons, and Chair of Rich Mix Cultural Foundation, a £30 million project which seeks to bring different communities together through art.

Contact Great British Speakers today to book diversity and equality speaker Oona King for your next event.

Type Of Speaker

Entertainment Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Female Speakers Influencer Media Politics Politics & Current Affairs Presenters Speaker Virtual Speakers

More About Oona King

POLITICS

Oona King’s love of politics started when she was young. She went on to gain a first-class degree in the subject from York University and a bachelor’s in politics, philosophy and economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Before being elected as an MP at 29 years old, Oona was a trade union organiser who represented low-paid workers, and spent five years as a researcher at the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg.

She was the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow from 1997-2005, became PPS to the Cabinet Minister for Trade and Industry, and PPS to the Minister for e-Commerce. She was appointed to two select committees, one for international development and one for urban affairs. Other political roles included vice-chair of the British Council from 1992-2002, Chair of the All-Party Group on Business Services from 1998-2001, Vice-Chair of London Labour MPs from 1997-2005, and Treasurer of Friends of Islam from 2001-2005.

Oona had a lot of success as a politician, changing the law in several areas, including housing policy and equality. She serviced as shadow minister for broadcast, education, internet, safety, and women, introduced the amendment to make large companies declare their gender pay gap, and prevented the government from penalising low-income families who adopt vulnerable children. The work of her all-party group on peacekeeping was commended by the UN Security Council’s expert panel.

WRITING

Oona has written for national newspapers, including The Guardian, Sunday Telegraph, The Express, New Statesman and The Observer. In 2007, she published her book House Music – The Oona King Diaries about what it’s like to work in parliament while juggling “normal” life. It was nominated for the 2008 Channel 4 Political Awards in their Political Book of the Year category.

MEDIA

She also has experience presenting documentaries on television and radio: Martin Luther King (2008), The Last Word, and The Struggles I’ve Seen, and she has reported for Sky News on several occasions.

In 2013, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of skating with Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean when she took part in Dancing on Ice. She has also guest starred on This Morning (2013), Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (2014), and Have I Got News For You (1998).

SPEAKING TOPICS

– Diversity and Equality

– Politics

– Young People

– Women in Politics

– Bringing About Change

– Housing

– Adoption

– Low-Income Family Situations

– Democracy

– Media

With a range of professional positions in politics, media and diversity, Oona is the perfect keynote speaker to address topical current affairs and equality measures.