Sally Eaves

Prof. Sally Eaves has been described as the ‘torchbearer for ethical tech’ and spoke on the future of Blockchain technology at the United Nations Assembly Opening Day in September 2019. She brings a depth of experience from Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer roles, as a Professor in Advanced Technologies and as a Global Strategic Advisor. Sally was featured on the Edelman list of “AI Creators You Need to Know” for his impact on the AI industry.

She specializes in the application and integration of Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and associated emergent technologies for business and societal benefit alongside developing authentic CSR programmes. Sally works globally with bleeding-edge disruptors, governments, academia and leading corporate institutions to apply her expertise to achieving sustainable competitive advantage alongside purpose-driven change. 

Working closely with the United Nations, Sally is an international advocate for opening-up access to opportunity and has founded Aspirational Futures to help skill, empower and support the next generation of interdisciplinary talent into careers yet to be conceived, alongside scaling the application of emergent technology as an enabler for business transformation and social good. 

Sally is also the Social Impact lead for the UK Government Blockchain Association and contributes to parliamentary policy thought leadership on Blockchain, AI, FinTech and 5G. She was an inaugural recipient of the Frontier Technology and Social Impact award, presented at the United Nations in 2018 and is leading major initiatives in this area, including presenting at Davos and premier events and media outlets worldwide. 

A member of the Forbes Technology Council, Sally is an award-winning international keynote speaker, author and influencer with globally leading rankings across all advanced technology disciplines especially Blockchain and AI, digital transformation, future of work, FinTech, CSR, 5G and social innovation aligned to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. 

She is continually ranked in the top 10 for leadership in digital disruption and across frontier technology and impact subjects by leading bodies such as Onalytica.

An authentic Key Opinion Leader, Sally is a graduate of the CIO Academy at Said Business School, Oxford University and the Sustainability Leadership Institute at Judge Business School, The University of Cambridge. Keynote Speaker Sally is an international keynote speaker on Emerging and Advanced Technologies (Blockchain, AI, FinTech), Social Impact, CSR, Digital Transformation, Big Data Analytics, Innovation, Supply Chain, Future of Work, CIO/CTO Leadership, Inclusion and Diversity, and Talent Development. Recent and upcoming engagements include Bloomberg Live, Sky TV, Gartner Insights, BBC Television, The United Nations, The Next Web, UNESCO, Davos and premier quality Innovation, CSR/Social Impact, AI and Blockchain-specific events worldwide.

Prof. Sally Eaves was born in the United Kingdom. Her early interest in technology and education laid the foundation for her career. She pursued higher education at Sheffield Hallam University, earning a Master of Science in Information Technology and Management with Distinction in 2012. She continued her academic journey with a Research Scholarship at Aston Business School from 2014 to 2016, where she specialised in online media, thought leadership, and knowledge sharing. Additionally, she obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education from Aston University in 2016 and attended Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, for CIO Leadership and Strategic Innovation programmes.

Sally began her professional career as a Senior Application Support Analyst at Orange Business UK in 2004, where she managed technical support for business intelligence systems. She progressed to the role of Payments, Credit Risk, and Fraud Change Manager at Everything Everywhere in 2009, overseeing change management processes. In 2011, she became a Senior Change Management Consultant at T-Systems, leading system implementations and modernisation programmes.

From 2016 onwards, Sally's career took a significant turn towards global leadership and strategic advisory roles. She founded Sally Eaves Consultancy, providing expertise in disruptive technologies, including blockchain, artificial intelligence, and IoT. During this period, she also co-founded Project Shivom, a genomics and precision healthcare platform integrating blockchain and AI. Sally joined Effect.AI in 2018 as a Strategic Advisor, focusing on building decentralised AI networks. She has also served as Senior Strategy Advisor at Nuggets, an e-commerce payments platform, since 2018.

Sally's contributions extend to academia and social impact. She founded Aspirational Futures, an organisation dedicated to empowering underrepresented groups through education and technology. She actively mentors young talent and collaborates with global institutions like the United Nations to promote technology for social good. In 2018, she received the Frontier Technology and Social Impact Award at the United Nations for her efforts in this domain.

She is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and serves as a judge for several international awards, including the AI Journal Global Excellence Awards. Sally is an influential author and keynote speaker, contributing to prominent publications and presenting at global events such as Davos, UNESCO, and Bloomberg Live. Her forthcoming books, including The Edge of Disruption, reflect her focus on technology's role in driving societal change.

Currently, Sally is the Chair of Cyber Trust and Senior Policy Advisor for the Global Foundation of Cyber Studies and Research, where she addresses cybersecurity challenges. She continues to advise organisations worldwide, leveraging her expertise in blockchain, AI, and sustainability. Residing in London, she remains an active voice in promoting technology's potential for positive societal impact.

Eaves' passion for STEAM education, tech for good, and social impact at scale is clear in all of her projects, but especially in her role as founder and CEO of Aspirational Futures. The organization focuses on empowering youth, people in underrepresented groups, and those transitioning their careers through interdisciplinary skills building and training in emerging tech. Two of its current projects are a hackathon in partnership with UNESCO, that focuses on skills development, including a data application for good (COVID-19 focus), and repurposing archived data for training and development.

In her own words, during an interview, she said:

"I am loving scaling up Aspirational Futures, which brings together tech for good, STEAM learning, and social impact. It's time to change the narrative of what we can achieve with technology alongside education and to democratize access to these opportunities. This is global and there are many ways to get involved, so anyone reading this who wants to join in—as a participant, mentor, or partner—feel free to reach out.

I am also involved in some wonderfully positive and collaborative responses to the COVID-19 situation, including the 3D printing of a healthcare kit, hackathons for students to develop new skills, and research-industry partnerships to dive deep into the data using high-performance computing power and capacity."

A member of the Forbes Technology Council, Sally is an accomplished author with regular contributions to leading business, technology and academic publications. She is an international keynote speaker and respected online influencer across multiple channels and consistently rated in the top 10 for blockchain and social media influence worldwide. She has four new books aligned to these areas scheduled for release over 24 months commencing with ‘The Edge of Disruption’. Sally strongly believes in technology being an enabler for social good which is reflected in her recent shortlisting for the UK IT Woman of the Year Business Role Model Award alongside active roles as a STEM ambassador, trustee and mentor. Sally was featured on the Edelman list of “AI Creators You Need to Know” for his impact on the AI industry.