Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a diaspora writer, broadcaster, and award-winning social advocate. Her powerful TED talk, “What Does My Headscarf Mean to You” has more than 2.5 million views and was selected as one of TED’s top 10 ideas. With a unique ability to make complex ideas accessible to all, Abdel-Magied is an internationally renowned speaker on unconscious bias and transformative leadership on a mission to make diversity the norm across the world.
With over a decade of governance experience across sectors, Abdel-Magied’s work is informed by both theory and experience. She founded Youth Without Borders at the age of 16, leading it for nine years before founding Mumtaza, which focuses on serving and empowering women of colour. She is also a former mechanical engineer and one of the few female engineers who worked on oil and gas rigs around Australia.
An experienced broadcaster, Abdel-Magied has presented on television and podcasts in Australia, Britain, and the US, including the current affairs show, Australia Wide; the ground-breaking documentary, The Truth About Racism; and Hijabistas, a series exploring Australia’s modest fashion scene. She is currently a regular news and current affairs commentator on the BBC, Aljazeera, and Monocle 24, and hosts podcasts such as Motor Mouth, EY’s Better Questions, and The Guilty Feminist.
Abdel-Magied has published five books, written two plays, and is currently developing several projects for screen. Her commentary and criticism has appeared in TIME, The Guardian, Australian Review of Books, The New York Times, Times Literary Supplement, Vogue, and more. Across fiction and non-fiction, she explores human and power dynamics in politics, culture, and technology, analyzing systemic challenges and reframing established narratives. In all her work, Abdel-Magied is an advocate for transformative justice and a fairer, safer world for all.
Abdel-Magied has been awarded numerous awards for her advocacy, including the Young Voltaire Award for Free Speech and Queensland Young Australian of the Year. As an award-winning and globally sought-after advisor on engaging diverse communities and inclusive leadership, she has delivered keynotes and workshops in 25 countries.
Abdel-Magied is currently a Trustee of the London Library and on the Executive Committee of the Black Writers Guild. She previously served on the boards of the Queensland Museum, ChildFund Australia, and the domestic violence prevention organization, OurWatch.
