Our speakers

Back to all our speakers

Catherine Mayer

Equality activist
Catherine Mayer

Catherine Mayer is a bestselling author, journalist and activist. She is the co-founder (with Sandi Toksvig) and President of the Women’s Equality Party and co-founder of Primadonna, the festival celebrating brilliant writing, music and ideas and giving prominence to women. She was the lead candidate for the Women’s Equality Party in London in the 2019 European elections.

Catherine worked at The Economist, held deputy editorships at Business Traveller and International Management magazines and spent 11 years as a foreign correspondent for the German news weekly, FOCUS. In 2004, she joined TIME as a senior editor, later became London Bureau Chief, TIME Europe Editor and, finally, Editor at Large. Catherine served as the elected President of the Foreign Press Association in London from 2003-2005. She was the founding executive director of the think tank Datum Future and also consults on the opportunities and challenges of data technology.

After the February 2020 death of her husband, the musician Andy Gill, she took on his unfinished projects, releasing two EPs by his band Gang of Four, and the critically acclaimed tribute album, The Problem of Leisure: A celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four featuring globally famous musicians. Her most recent book, the memoir Good Grief: Embracing Life at a Time of Death, includes letters written by her mother after both women were widowed at the start of the pandemic.

Catherine’s speaking topics include:

Difference Works: Why true diversity and inclusion is about much more than ticking boxes

From Lightbulb Moment to Growing Enterprise: How to turn ideas into reality

Tough at the Top: Hard lessons in leading and being led

Lessons in Loss, Lessons in Life: Insights from the front line of grief

Book Catherine for an event
Catherine Mayer

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We’ll assume you’re ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.

Opt-out Accept and close