About Melanie

Melanie Marshall is an energetic and captivating speaker who spent over 20 years as a BBC journalist in some of the world’s most high-risk places.

Working under immense pressure, for high stakes, she led teams to award-winning results, and emerged wiser with both her sanity and sense of humour intact.

Now from the TEDx stage to the boardroom, Melanie uses these hard-won lessons to help leaders, teams and companies thrive in uncertainty by leaning into bravery, deliberate optimism and action.

Her work has earned a Peabody, Royal Television Society and Edward R. Murrow awards, plus multiple Emmy nominations.

She is the founder of Imrama Media. The World Economic Forum honoured her as a Global Leader for Tomorrow.

She knows that even if you're never in a warzone, the same skills that guided her will help you find your way now.

When she's not on a mission as an 'Agent of Hope,' she can be found cuddling her dog, Sonora; someone else's dog or any other animal that will let her.

Image of Melanie and film crew during Operation Werewolf in Mosul. We were nominated for a News Emmy for our work during the allied campaign to defeat IS Islamic State.

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"The service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth."

-Muhammad Ali

2018, South Africa Melanie and a Gogo (a Grandmother) are laughing together. Elder wisdom and Joy in the moment is so important.

Giving

Service is baked into the DNA of Melanie's work. 20 per cent of her time and profits go to causes which matter most to her - connecting people, protecting animals and empowering the most vulnerable among us.

Please email to ask if she can help your organisation with a 'give-back speech or consulting work.

Service is our fastest route back to agency and joy. We're reminded of our own abundance. (Especially when we feel we don't have it!)

Here are a few charities that inspire her. In her words, here's why she supports their missions.

Brooklyn Debate League - "Debating changed my life. It was a place where I found my tribe, where I found my voice and those skills have carried me to my success today. "

The Brooklyn Debate League gives that gift to kids who don’t have access to a lot of open doors.

Kiva - "I know that we can all achieve more by acting together than by going it alone. I also know that directly connecting with each other’s humanity blasts through distance and apathy. "

Kiva is a microlending organisation that does both things at the same time. It’s a chance to see who you’re helping directly, and amplify your impact.

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust - "ORPHANED BABY ELEPHANTS! Surely, I don’t need to say more? Visiting their elephant nursery is one of my lifetime highlights. There is a transformational power in connecting with animals. "Based in Nairobi, Sheldrick has been saving wildlife all over East Africa for over a generation.