Email: Joannaabeyie1@gmail.com

Biography

Joanna has spent the last 16 years increasing the employment of diverse talent through inclusive
hiring practices, and by creating inclusive working cultures. In 2006, at aged 18, she launched her first charity, Elevation Networks, alongside six colleagues. In 2008, she started her own social enterprise, Shine Media, which saw her place over 3,000 people from diverse backgrounds into work within creative industries. Joanna’s latest enterprise is founding Blue Moon, a flagship inclusive executive search business and Diversity and Inclusion consultancy practice. Before Blue Moon, she founded Hyden, part of FTSE 250 global recruiter SThree, an executive search and consultancybusiness. Alongside executive search success, she has an impressive track record in attracting, recruiting, retaining, and promoting diverse talent, and leading businesses through culture transformation, unique recruitment processes, and challenging bias top-down and bottom- up. This work, coupled with her personal story, led to her 2018 TEDx Talk on Social Mobility.

She’s been instrumental in establishing the Creative Diversity All-Party Parliamentary Group
with Baroness Deborah Bull, of which she’s a joint secretary. She’s a panel member for the
Boundless Creativity project from the UKRI Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and
the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Expert Advisory Panel. She’s
an active member of the DCMS, the Cultural Renewal Taskforce, and the Culture Committee
chaired by Tracy Brabin MP. Joanna is also an Everyday Ally for UN Women.

Her responsibilities don’t end there; she’s a Non-Executive Director for Investors in People,
an Ambassador for Mental Health in Recruitment(www.mentalhealthinrecruitment.org),
Expert Advisory Board Member for New Scotland Yard counter terrorism Advisory Board
(CTAG – Counter Terrorism Advisory Group), a Trustee for The Lord Mayor’s Appeal, A
Trustee for the Innocence Project London, A trustee for Leadership through Business and
Sport, A member of the APSCo Embrace steering Committee, A board Member for the
Culture Mile BID Board’s ‘Connected Communities’, Expert Advisory Board Member for Hal
Leonard Europe, a Council Member of The Media Society, and School Governor for both
Hatcham College, Hatcham Temple Grove and Mulberry Academy Shoreditch.
Joanna was awarded her Freedom of the City in 2018, and became the first black female to
become a Liverywoman for The Haberdasher’s Company. In 2019, the University of Reading
awarded her a Distinguished Graduate Award, and she also received an Honorary Doctorate
in Business from the University of West England that same year.

She was awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Year Honours list for her services to diversity and
inclusion in the creative and media industries.

Committee appointments

• Court of Common Council
• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Ctte (Deputy Chair)
• Education Board
• Licensing Committee
• Professional Standards & Integrity (Police) Committee
• Community and Children’s Services Committee

Appointments to outside bodies

• City of London Academies Trust Board of Trustees

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