Aug 4, 2022
Tessy Ojo CBE is a multi-award-winning social change advocate, philanthropist, wife, mother and CEO of The Diana Award. This is a charity foundation instituted in honour of the Late Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales. At the heart of her work is the belief that with the right support and investment, young people can make sustainable change in their lives and communities.
In our conversation today Tessy talks about how being bullied as a teenager at school started a chain of events that led her to where she is today. How working the night shift in Burger King in Leicester Square made her realise she wanted to do a public-facing job, rather than working as a bio chemist in a laboratory.
How her pivot moment came while on maternity leave with her youngest child, when she realised she wanted to give up her highly successful job working in tech to give every child, not just her own, the support they need. She left one career to begin again in another - to work for a small charity which was just starting out. This led to a 20-year career with The Diana Award and receiving an award of her own - in 2020 she became a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of her contribution towards empowering and supporting children and young people in the UK.