Marty Davies (she/they) is a renowned cultural strategist, campaigner, and keynote speaker who has reshaped conversations around LGBTQIA+ inclusion within the creative industries. Known for founding Trans+ History Week and Smarty Pants Consultancy, Marty is celebrated for being Campaign Magazine’s first transgender columnist and a PPA Columnist of the Year 2024 finalist. Her inspiring leadership and fearless advocacy have earned her global acclaim.
In her early career, Marty built a strong foundation by navigating creative and strategic roles that fused business success with authentic community engagement. Frustrated by the lack of real inclusion in the corporate world, she founded Smarty Pants Consultancy in 2018, a pivotal moment that set her on the path to championing LGBTQIA+ voices through strategic brand consultancy. She cultivated her expertise through formative collaborations with organisations like Outvertising and Trans+ Adland, equipping herself with the experience to transform industries from within.
Throughout her career, Marty’s impact has been undeniable. She has been named one of Pink News’ 21 Global Activists (2023), a Campaign Magazine Top 10 Trailblazer (2023), and featured on the DIVA Power List (2024 & 2025) and Campaign’s A List (2024 & 2025). Her nonprofit leadership with Trans+ History Week CIC has seen her invest in over 40 emerging trans creatives, while her cultural strategy work through Smarty Pants has served major clients including Google, Adidas, and The Guardian. Marty’s activism also includes leading the brand boycott of the government’s 'Safe to be Me' conference and securing commitments from top media agencies to divest from misinformation outlets.
Marty Davies is the perfect keynote speaker for organisations looking to foster inclusion, resilience, and genuine community engagement. Covering topics like LGBTQIA+ representation in advertising, the power of resilience, and untold queer history, her sessions are both insightful and energising. With a combination of powerful storytelling, lived experience, and strategic expertise, Marty offers audiences not just knowledge, but the tools to spark meaningful change. Hire her today to empower your organisation to create a future where everyone thrives.
Marty Davies' official speaking topics are listed below:
- The History Lesson We Never Had
- The Future is Queer: A History of LGBTQIA+ Representation in Ads
- The Future is Queer: A History of Trans+ Representation in Ads
- Your Relationship with Resilience: Tools for Building Queer Strength in Hard Times
- 40 Years of Queer Ads
- Going Woke, Full Throat
- Designing for Diversity of Gender, Sex and Sexual Orientation
- Attention Seeker
- Cultivating a Culture of Compersion
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Marty's piece on Sky's role in facilitating GB News' hateful output was one of the most powerful things I'd seen relating to Stop Funding Hate's campaign in a very long time!" – Richard, Director, Stop Funding Hate
"Marty Davies is the kind of person who doesn’t just talk about change – they make it happen." – Alessandra, Creativity and Culture Editor, Campaign
"Marty is an absolute pleasure to work with. She's not only incredibly knowledgeable and insightful, but also highly engaging." – Hayley, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Lead, Leo Burnett
"Marty is one of the LGBTQ+ sector's visionary thinkers, wonderful at pulling apart problems and putting together solutions." – Nancy, Human Rights and Social Justice Campaigner
"Your Relationship with Resilience offered exactly that: space to pause, reflect, and return to what sustains us." – Trish, Director of Growth Marketing & President of the Pride+ ERG, Rakuten
"Marty brought expertise, lived experience and practical tools to the session to create a learning experience that was both impactful and practical." – Nadya, Founding Partner, Utopia
"Marty Davies is a GREAT speaker. They truly are a special talent in this world." – Jamie June, Creative Inclusivity Director, VML
"In founding communities like Trans+ History Week, she's created acclaimed international spaces to heal disinformation, misinformation, ignorance and prejudice." – Will, Trans+ History Week Creative Alumni
"Marty offered genuine, heartfelt insight into the trans experience in advertising." – Rosie, Chief Impact Officer, Havas UK
"The support of someone like Marty is crucial in ensuring we do this. Marty is an invaluable participant in our activities since." – Justin, Editor, New Digital Age
"There are very few people that can captivate an audience with their passion and thought-provoking insights quite like Marty can." – Lyndal, Head of Partnerships, Pink News
"Marty's bravery in confronting transphobia and hate crime in the advertising industry left a lasting impact." – Nafissa, Membership & Engagement Account Director, Conscious Advertising Network
"Her ability to distil complex subjects into compelling stories and arguments is one of the reasons we have booked her multiple times." – Harriet, Co-founder, Conscious Advertising Network
- 2025 – DIVA Power List
- 2025 – Rainbow Honours shortlisted for Influencer/Campaigner of the Year
- 2025 – Rainbow Honours shortlisted Trans+ History Week for Community Initiative of the Year
- 2025 – Campaign’s IWD25 10 Outstanding Women
- 2025 – DIVA Magazine shortlisted Trans+ History Week for Charity/Community Project of the Year
- 2025 – Exhibited work at Brixton (Tate) Library
- 2024 – Featured on Campaign’s A List
- 2024 – Diversity Power List
- 2024 – IPA iList
- 2024 – DIVA Power List
- 2024 – Pride Power List
- 2024 – Shortlisted for PPA Columnist of the Year
- 2024 – First Trans+ winner of the WACL Talent Award
- 2024 – QueerAF Disruptor
- 2023 – One of Pink News’ 21 Global Activists
- 2023 – One of Campaign Magazine’s Top 10 Trailblazers
- 2023 – Highly Commended in the Business Trailblazer of the Year category at PinkNews Awards
- 2023 – Highly Commended in the Change-maker category at Campaign’s Media for All Awards
- 2023 – Pitch Super Person
- 2022 – Campaign Magazine Future Leader
- 2020 – Won 'Best Use of AI' at DMA Awards
- 2019 – Won 'Best Use of Customer Insight' at Engage Awards
- 2018 – Founded Smarty Pants Consultancy
How to hire Marty Davies
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Marty Davies for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
