Seyi Akiwowo founded and leads Glitch, an award-winning charity that combats online abuse, gender-based violence, and hate speech. She also wrote How to Stay Safe Online (Penguin, 2022), a practical guide that helps people identify red flags, respond to abuse, protect themselves, and use the internet responsibly.
Her journey started young. At 23, Seyi won election as a Councillor in East London, becoming the youngest Black woman in that role. Facing online abuse firsthand, she took action. She created Glitch to build safer online spaces, especially for marginalized communities. Under her direction, Glitch grew from a social enterprise into Europe’s top charity dedicated to online safety for these groups.
As Glitch expanded, Seyi gained recognition for her visionary leadership. She drives change rooted in strong values and promotes inclusive leadership. Beyond Glitch, she actively shapes online safety policies as a member of TikTok and Twitter’s European Trust and Safety Council. In 2019, she earned the Digital Leader of the Year award. WIRED named her one of their Global Changemakers, and she serves on the board of the Multitudes Foundation, supporting European changemakers reshaping political power.
In spring 2022, the UK government offered Seyi an MBE for her impactful work. She chose to decline the honor, staying true to her principles.
