Baroness Joanna Shields OBE is a leading authority on artificial intelligence, technology and cybersecurity, famed for her previous role as the UK Minister for Internet Security. Now the CEO of BenevolentAI, Joanna is sitting at the helm of one of the world’s foremost AI companies who are working to develop machine learning and AI systems to better understand the causes of disease. Named as the Most Influential Women in UK IT, Joanna is now a popular speaker for corporate events, booked to share her expertise in technology, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
After her studies at George Washington University, Joanna began her career as a Product Marketing Specialist for the National Digital Corporation. She then went on to become a Product Manager, Director and Division Vice President for EFI, the CEO of Venon and the International VP of Decru. After several years with such companies, Joanna was given the big responsibility of becoming the Managing Director of Syndication, Business Development & Partnerships for Google. This role sat her at the epicentre of the world’s biggest search engine, allowing her to further her knowledge of technology and AI. She was later appointed as the President of People Networks at AoI and the EMEA Vice President of Facebook.
Since then, Joanna has also been a Non-Executive Director of the London Stock Exchange Group, the Co-Chair of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, the founder of WePROTECT Global Alliance and a member of the Child Protection Implementation Taskforce. She has also been the Commissioner of the Oxford Commission on AI & Good Governance, the Commissioner of the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, Chairman of TechCity UK and nominated as the UK’s Expert on AI-Enabled Covid-19 Response. Highly regarded for her work surrounding cybersecurity and safety, Joanna has also been named at No.1 on Wired 100 and at No.6 on the MediaGuardian 100.
With a highly successful career to her name, Joanna has since become a popular choice as a speaker for a range of corporate and public events. She has previously been invited to speak at the WeAreTechWomen conference, the IoD Annual Conference and for Wired. Having worked for the likes of Google, Facebook, the UK Government and more, Joanna is widely regarded as an authority on cyber safety and ensures that people are informed on the safe use of the world wide web. Also a former recipient of the British Interactive Media Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Joanna uses her experience as an Ambassador for Digital Industries in HM Government to educate corporate audiences on AI, technology, cybersecurity and cyber safety.
