BIOGRAPHY
Christian Tooley (he/they) is a multi-award-winning strategist, investor, keynote speaker, and published thought leader, known for his work across the 5 I’s: Innovation, Intrapreneurship, Investment, Insights, and Inclusion.
A former Venture Lead at Bain & Company, where he led strategy and innovation projects across EMEA, and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, Christian brings over a decade of global experience advising Fortune 500 CEOs, fund managers, and startup founders across London, New York, San Francisco, and Hong Kong.
He’s spoken at major global platforms including SXSW, Web Summit, and SLUSH, and delivered private sessions for institutions such as Imperial College London, the LSE, London Business School, and corporates – advising everyone from Google’s EMEA President and European politicians, to leading tech CEOs and cultural icons. His published work with the World Economic Forum on inclusive innovation and systems change has been showcased at Davos and featured on Sky News.
As the Founder of i³ investing – Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ founder/funder network – Christian brings a rare and intersectional lens to leadership, strategy, and innovation. He is also an angel investor and board advisor, with a portfolio spanning Healthtech, Deeptech, Fintech, Climate, and Consumer. One of the few queer, people of colour to lead at the highest levels of strategy and venture, Christian was the first in his family to attend university and has built a career from the ground up – combining lived experience with global expertise to help others lead with authenticity, purpose, and impact.
For more information on Christian Tooley’s speaking topics, availability and fees, contact leo@vbqspeakers.com.
CHRISTIAN TOOLEY: SPEAKER
Christian’s keynotes and workshops are celebrated for blending sharp strategic insight with accessible, thought-provoking frameworks. Christian equips audiences to rethink culture, leadership and growth in a rapidly changing world — guiding organisations to unblock bold thinking and reimagine their systems at the intersection of innovation, inclusion, and impact.
Christian has delivered keynotes, panels, workshops, and media commentary across global stages, boardrooms, and live television. His audience has included corporate leaders, policymakers, VCs, startup founders, and students at the world’s top institutions.
SELECT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- SXSW (London, UK)
- Web Summit, World’s Largest Tech Conference (Lisbon, Portugal)
- SLUSH (Helsinki, Finland)
- CogX AI Leadership Summit (London, UK)
- TechBBQ (Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Latitude59 (Tallinn, Estonia)
- TechChill (Riga, Latvia)
- Nordic Investor Summit (Malmö, Sweden)
- Sifted Summit (London, UK)
- Innovate Finance Global Summit (IFGS) (London, UK)
- Europe’s Largest Marketplace Summit (London, UK)
- Founder Fest(London, UK)