Katie Neeves – Keynote Speaker

Trans Ambassador, Founder & Director of Cool2BTrans

Looking for fees and availability for Katie Neeves?

+1 917 499 4500 Email

Specialist Subjects

My Long Walk to Womanhood
What’s it like to be transgender? And how can I support those who are?
Positively Managing Change: A Very Personal Journey
Event Hosting & Presenting

Topics

Language

English

Biography

Katie Neeves is a woman on a mission – but not just any woman and not just any mission! She lived for 48 years as a man while struggling with her gender from the age of 3 and hiding her big secret to the World. She was thrown into turmoil when her gender dysphoria increased dramatically, causing her to go on a voyage of discovery before finally admitting to her self that she is a transgender woman and that she needed to change her body.

She then came out very publicly via a coming-out video which she posted on her social media and sent to all the clients of her photography business, risking her livelihood and reputation in the process. This was a massive risk, as she had built up a great reputation over 31 years as one of the UK’s top photographers, photographing everything from royalty, to wars and riots. She needn’t have worried though, as she was inundated with hundreds of messages of support. This led to her vlogging about her transition journey in a very open, honest and humorous way, which makes the subject accessible to all. Her story was picked up in the media and it wasn’t long before she was a regular in the radio and TV studios, becoming a trans ambassador along the way.

Katie formed Cool2BTrans to support and inspire other trans people and also to educate everyone else about trans people by showing them that trans people are just ordinary people who want to be happy – just like everyone else. She helps organisations with diversity and inclusion by providing trans awareness training and inspirational speaking in an entertaining way, using humour to break down barriers.

Katie appears regularly in the media, being on both ITV’s and the BBC’s lists of experts as well as being a BBC presenter. She was awarded British Diversity Awards “Hero of the Year 2023”, the Trans in the City “Trans Community Champion 2022 Award”, the This is Us “Training & Development 2023 Award” and Fellowship of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. She was a Diva Awards “Unsung Hero of the Year 2023” finalist and she was listed on the DIVA Power List 2023.

Participants and audience members will leave Katie’s uplifting talks and training feeling both entertained and educated. Katie said “Many people focus on the negative aspects of being trans, but I prefer to approach the subject from a much more positive angle. I am exactly the same person I was before my transition – but far happier!”

Recent testimonials

"Katie and I have recently worked together on The Queer Student Awards which she hosted this year. As Event Director I was looking for a host who could command the attention of a large room of people (150 guests) for 3 hours, whilst also bringing their own personality to the stage. In short Katie did not disappoint. In the weeks leading up to the event, we collaborated virtually to create a talk track for the evening, which Katie fully committed to. She provided comments and feedback on this and made suggestions on how to improve the flow of the evening. She was punctual on the evening itself and worked with me before the evening started to rehearse as well as supporting me with the award presenter briefing. I felt very safe in her hands, and very confident that she would deliver in her role as a result."

Steve Keith, Founder & Event Director of The Queer Student Awards

"The trans awareness workshop with Katie made a lasting impact and impression on the team. Many have said that it was the most exciting training in years. They said that they had thought about it a lot afterwards and would like a follow-up for further discussion. I would 100% recommend Katie to others."

Katrin Terwiel, Vice President Diversity & Global Talent, Deutsche Telekom

"Katie is a phenomenal speaker and trainer. She creates a safe space for open dialogue and learning as she blends thought-provoking content with humour and warmth. Katie uses her personal story with such generosity and openness it’s impossible not to feel totally engaged – which creates such rich conversation and teases people out of their shells to ask questions. A three hour session flew by!"

Jamie Scotto, People & Culture Advisor HR at UnLtd

"We booked Katie to run two Trans Day of Visibility workshops for Virgin Media belonging networks. She was engaging, hilarious and amazing. Every bit of feedback we received from those who attended was beyond positive. I personally have never laughed and learnt so much in one hour!"

Chloe Rainford, Mobile Trading & Online Sales Graduate at Virgin Media O2

"Katie delivered an engaging, inspirational and educational Trans Awareness session for ENGIE on International Transgender Day of Visibility. She connected with the audience, telling her own personal story with humour and heart and provided a safe space for people to ask questions. There were so many wonderful comments received by employees after the event. I would highly recommend Katie as a speaker."

Jennie Pitt, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Employee Engagement, Relations & Policy at ENGIE

"Katie has been a joy to work with for our session at Aviva. Katie talked to us about her own transition along with tips on good allyship. The session was really well received and we had lots of good questions and feedback. Katie’s sessions are filled with lovely humour making the audience feel at ease. I would love Aviva to work with Katie again and I can’t recommend her sessions highly enough. Thanks again Katie"

Joanne Clifton, Legal Counsel, Aviva