Hey, I'm Ashleigh and I am driven by the desire to make innovation inclusive.
By trade, I am a technologist, Business leader and consultant working in London. I work at the interface of community, corporates and startups building relationships to help all stakeholders address their innovation agendas.
Outside of the professional realm I also have a passion for innovation, diversity & inclusion, sport and technology. I co-founded Colorintech.org which is a vehicle to further access, awareness and opportunities for minorities in tech. In that time I established Black Tech Fest, the largest event of its kind in Europe.
On the academic front, I hold an MA from Oxford University in Geography and work with a number of Educational establishments, Businesses and charities on an advisory basis. I was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in July 2017 and listed by Forbes in their 30 under 30 in 2020 as recognition for the work I have done in the non profit sector and was announced by Politico in 2023 as one of the most influential people in UK tech.
Here is a central presence where a lot of my digital presence can be found.
More about me
My short bio
Ashleigh is co-founder of Colorintech a non-profit aiming to improve access, awareness, and opportunities for ethnic minorities to enter the tech industry. They Run Europe's largest event for Blak Technologists, Black Tech Fest and work with a number of the world's leading tech companies to run programs to enable students and working professionals to access career opportunities. Having raised over >$250k for DEI work from Google. Ashleigh counts the likes of Meta, WPP, and Bloomberg as some of his Business partners.
Ashleigh started his early career in strategy at Google before moving to London start-up Qubit, corporate KPMG, and then consultancy. He has worked on a number of engagements for the UK government at Downing Street, the World Economic Forum, and a number of the world's biggest organizations on a range of strategy and D&I issues.
Ashleigh has been featured in a number of media outlets for his works including Forbes 30u30, The Financial Times, and the BBC 1Xtra's rising stars, and was named by Politico as one of the most influential people UK tech in 2023.
Longer bio
Biography
Ashleigh is co-founder of Colorintech a non profit aiming to improve access, awareness and opportunities for ethnic minorities to enter the tech industry. Founded with Cofounder Venture Capitalist Dion Mckenzie, Colorintech has developed relationships with a number of the world’s leading technology companies including Google, Microsoft and Amazon. Notably this year Colorintech raised over £370k in scholarships to enable ethnic minorities to code, in partnership with WeWork owned Flatiron school before raising over $250k in grants from Google to further this work. Through Colorintech’s work with a number of the world’s leading universities and corporates Ashleigh has been able to to run a number programs to enable students and working professionals to access career opportunities. Having been featured in the Evening Standard, the QE prize and the Times newspapers for his work, Ashleigh is quickly building up recognition around his frank talking and clear policy guidance on issues regarding diversity in technology. Having built a sustainable business, Ashleigh now employs a team to build upon Colorintech’s strategic vision for the organisation and firmly positions him as an entrepreneur to watch.
Having been one of 32 Black students (And the only Black Caribbean boy) in his Cohort at Oxford University, being a minority was nothing new to Ashleigh as he entered the workplace. Having grown up receiving state school education in one of London’s most diverse boroughs (Lewisham) Ashleigh from an early age identified that he wanted to do things differently to the norm and instigate change. Ashleigh was elected Vice President of his Oxford College, and served on its Student Union committee where he used this position to promote a range of access activities to improve diversity at Oxford including launching an Alternative prospectus that was sent to every Secondary school in the country. To this day Ashleigh still mentors aspiring BAME Oxbridge applicants
Ashleigh started his early career working in the Third sector for the British Heart Foundation and started consulting advising corporates such as PWC as part of charity Business in the community’s Youth advisory board. Working with prominent race figures such as Sandra Kerr, Ashleigh quickly developed recognition for his work in the sector. Ashleigh joined the tech sector in strategy at Google where he developed recommendations for the growth of their partner reseller network, before moving to London start up Qubit as a Senior Strategist. Having spent a number of whirlwind few years at Qubit having developed teams and product features at a time where organisation received over £70m of venture funding Ashleigh them moved to corporate KPMG to work on some of the worlds largest strategy project. Having built up considerable consulting pedigree, Ashleigh joined tech entrepreneur Brent Hoberman’s Founders Intelligence team, where he leads on driving innovation for a range of corporates having worked on projects for Unilever and Fannie Mae. Outside of the professional realm Ashleigh has also advised a number of government departments including the MOD, DDCMS, and the cabinet office at Downing Street. Most recently he has been selected as a policy advisor for the World Economic Forum and is tacking regional interoperability across Europe for some of the world’s biggest organisations.
Committed to his committed Ashleigh still serves as a School governor at his local school (and recently saw it become one of the top 1% schools nationally) and speaks at a range of conferences on topics including Strategy, Diversity and Inclusion issues. He serves on City University, London's Advisory Board, and acted as a Guest Lecturer on Global Business Strategy for De Montfort University in Leicester, UK
Away from the professional realm Ashleigh is a Level 5 qualified Football referee and Coach and enjoys travelling having visited over 71 unique countries in his lifetime.
