Vanessa Kingori, MBE

  Powerlistee
  Technology

Hailed as one of the most inspiring women in London by The Standard this year, Vanessa Kingori has seen her career pivot over 20 years from Vogue executive to big tech.

She was the first black female publishing director at British Vogue before becoming Condé Nast’s chief business officer, and is now the most senior black leader across Europe at Google as managing director of tech, media and telecoms.

Her customer-centric approach, strong connection to teams and the unprecedented success of British Vogue’s revenue transformation led to a promotion to a role specifically created for her – Chief Business Officer, Condé Nast Britain, leading the business of all 10 CNB brands – Vogue, GQ, Wired, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Tatler, Condé Nast Traveller, Johansens, House & Garden and The World of Interiors.

This was in addition to continuing her existing responsibilities directly leading British Vogue and a further expansion of role to support the Vogue brand across Europe as Vogue’s European Advisor. Before that she was GQ’s publishing director – again the first woman in the role, as well as the first person of colour.

A prolific public speaker, Vanessa is often invited to share her insights with FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies and at landmark events including the World Economic Forum in Davos, Cannes Lion, Salesforce’s Dreamforce, McKinsey, and Unilever.

In 2024, Vanessa was awarded the Freedom of the City award by the City of London. She was awarded an OBE in 2023. She has sat on multiple boards including the University of the Arts and the Royal Opera House and Ballet.

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