From Fashion to Fighting for System Change: Lily Cole’s Journey as a Social Entrepreneur
Lily Cole will be in conversation with Gillian Tett on what impacts businesses can have!
Brought up in London, Lily started modelling at age 14. Her young career in fashion, led her to investigate supply chains and business practices, becoming a patron of the Environmental Justice Foundation and ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund. Lily was the first Global Ambassador for community fair-trade pioneer The Body Shop, and founded several of her own social businesses, including incubator Impossible.com.
Lily's book and accompanying podcast, Who Cares Wins, explore a thousand different environmental solutions from tech-utopia to indigenous wisdom. Lily has spoken multiple times: Google's Zeitgeist; Wired; LeWeb; Web Summit; the Global Fashion Agenda; at the UK Houses of Parliament; at COP26; and on behalf of the United Nation’s ECE’s Sustainability Pledge at COP27. Lily writes occasionally for international media (The Guardian, Financial Times).
Lily was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by Professor Muhammad Yunus at the University of Glasgow, for her contribution to humanitarian and environmental causes through social businesses, and an Honorary Award for her ongoing dedication to climate and human rights activism at the German Sustainability Awards 2021. She also holds a first-class Masters in History of Art from the University of Cambridge and was an affiliate at The Berkman Klein Centre for Internet & Society at Harvard University.
Alongside her work as an activist and writer, Lily has built up a catalogue of film roles working as an actor with notable directors including Terry Gilliam, Sally Potter, Shekhar Kapur, Rolan Joffe, Mary Harron, Rian Johnson, and in Lasse Holstrom's upcoming feature film, Hilma. Lily has also performed at The Globe Theatre, The Old Vic, and Trafalgar Studios.
Lily has co-written and presented documentaries for Sky Arts and the BBC; and directed multiple short documentaries for VICE and Nowness. Lily co-wrote and directed a short fiction film, Balls, which was commissioned by the Bronte Parsonage Museum and Foundling Museum. Balls was nominated for Best Director at Underwire Festival, and Best Short Film at the Short Film Awards.
WHEN: Friday, 25 October 2024
5.00 PM – 6.00 PM: Fireside discussion in Keynes Lecture Theatre
6.00 PM – 6.30 PM: Drinks and networking in the Bar
WHERE: King’s College, Cambridge
TICKETS: get your free ticket here