Vanessa Kingori

Vanessa Kingori is a distinguished executive, whose experience as the first female Publishing Director of British Vogue and the Chief Business Officer of Condé Nast Britain has seen her named as the Powerlist’s Most Influential Black British Executive. Demonstrating over 20 years of expertise in the media and creative industries, Vanessa has also shown prowess in driving revenue growth, business strategy and purpose. In addition to her corporate commitments, Vanessa is also a prolific public speaker, having formerly spoken for FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies on change management, revenue diversification and career pivots. 

Currently, Vanessa is working as the Managing Director of Technology Media Telecoms for Google, following a long and successful career working with Condé Nast. Vanessa’s decorated career began working as an advertising intern for the Evening Standard, progressing through the ranks to become the Acting Group Head of ES Magazine for the Evening Standard. She was later recruited as the Fashion Manager of Esquire Magazine for Hearst UK, before she was headhunted and became the Publisher of GQ Style UK and an Associate Publisher of Fashion for British GQ, for Condé Nast. Joining Condé Nast in 2009, Vanessa enjoyed great success with the publisher, including becoming the first Black Publisher in over 100 years for Condé Nast Britain. Other prominent roles of Vanessa’s include being a Patron of the British Fashion Council, an Expert Advisor on Brexit to the Mayor of London and a Non-Executive on the Board of Governors for the University of Arts London. 

Such a distinguished career has earned Vanessa countless awards, including the appointment of MBE and OBE. In 2023, Vanessa claimed the coveted Business Person of the Year award issued by The London Chamber of Commerce Black Excellence Awards, along with being named in the top 10 of the Powerlist of the 100 Most Influential Black Britons – having been named on the Powerlist every year between 2013 and 2022. Vanessa has also been the recipient of several academic honours, such as an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Portsmouth and an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Holloway University. She has also been included in lists such as the Empower 100 Ethnic Minority Leaders by the Financial Times, the 100 Women to Watch by The Female FTSE Board Report from Cranfield University and the Evening Standard Power 1000. 

Also a Non-Executive on the Board of Trustees of the Royal Opera House and formerly a Judge of The Black British Business Awards, Vanessa is an industry thought leader and a role model to many. Such esteem has made her a favourite keynote speaker for corporate events, focussing on business diversification, change management, business management and purpose in business. Vanessa also shared her expertise at the World Economic Forum in Davos and at Cannes Lion. As the most senior Black leader in Google’s European business organisation, Vanessa is breaking barriers and inspiring the next generation of Black female business leaders. If you are looking for a keynote speaker who is as inspiring as they are informative, hire Vanessa Kingori today!