My Story
Shelley Bishton was born in Birmingham to dynamic but humble beginnings. Her mother arrived from Jamaica during the Windrush era, while her father, a working-class white man from the Midlands, became the first in his family to attend university. From her mother, Shelley inherited grounding, culture, and identity. From her father, she learned what she calls “the code”: the unspoken rules of power, how influence moves, and how to walk into a room with confidence and clarity. Growing up between these worlds shaped her understanding of identity, culture, and leadership.
This foundation set the tone for a career defined by transformation where culture meets commerce. Shelley is a multi award winning senior leader and speaker with more than 20 years of experience across media, technology, and brand-building. She is known for her ability to connect cultural insight with commercial growth, helping leaders and organisations navigate complexity while delivering measurable business results.
My Story
Shelley Bishton was born in Birmingham to dynamic but humble beginnings. Her mother arrived from Jamaica during the Windrush era, while her father, a working-class white man from the Midlands, became the first in his family to attend university. From her mother, Shelley inherited grounding, culture, and identity. From her father, she learned what she calls “the code”: the unspoken rules of power, how influence moves, and how to walk into a room with confidence and clarity. Growing up between these worlds shaped her understanding of identity, culture, and leadership.
This foundation set the tone for a career defined by transformation where culture meets commerce. Shelley is a multi award winning senior leader and speaker with more than 20 years of experience across media, technology, and brand-building. She is known for her ability to connect cultural insight with commercial growth, helping leaders and organisations navigate complexity while delivering measurable business results.
“Her career spans some of the UK’s most influential media brands.”
Her career spans some of the UK’s most influential media brands. At The Telegraph, she worked on customer and loyalty strategy for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. At Cherry London and as a consultant, she developed high-value partnerships for brands. At The Times and The Sunday Times, she delivered multi-million-pound partnerships, built new subscription models, and drove audience and revenue growth through innovation in loyalty and corporate sales.
Shelley’s most significant impact came at News UK, where she led cultural transformation across the entire organisation. In a combined leadership role overseeing editorial diversity, workforce representation, and inclusive culture, she delivered industry-leading change. Her work included the retirement of the term “BAME,” launching the Common Sense Guide to Inclusive Language, building the Network for Black and Asian Journalists, creating new talent pipelines, and securing partnerships that influenced storytelling, representation, and reach. Her leadership elevated culture as a strategic priority and earned recognition from multiple industry awards.
“Shelley’s most significant impact came at News UK, where she led cultural transformation across the entire organisation.”
Her impact extends far beyond the walls of any single organisation. Shelley has built strategic partnerships with community organisations, youth groups, and social enterprises across the UK, creating pathways into journalism, media, tech, sport, and entrepreneurship for thousands of underrepresented young people and emerging founders. She also serves as a Trustee for the Black British Initiative, working to tackle systemic barriers for Black entrepreneurs and support long-term economic mobility.
“As a Black mixed-race woman raised in a dual-heritage household, she has spent her life bridging cultures, codes, and expectations.”
Shelley also speaks openly about womanhood and motherhood, especially the realities of raising neurodiverse children while leading in high-pressure environments. Her honesty, humour, and strategic lens remind audiences that personal and professional growth are always intertwined.
As a storyteller and strategic thinker, Shelley has spoken at conferences, leadership summits, global organisations, and community platforms, inspiring leaders, businesses, and wider society to rethink how they use their influence. Her message is clear: when leaders combine sharp thinking with genuine understanding, they create stronger teams, more resilient organisations, and smarter decisions that positively shape culture, community, and long-term business growth. Inclusion becomes more than a value; it becomes a driver of sustainable progress and growth for everyone