About me
Kate Robertson is the co-founder and CEO of One Young World, a global platform that inspires, builds and elevates young leaders to create positive social change. Established in 2009 alongside Co-Founder, David Jones, One Young World has become the leading forum for young talent, bringing together delegates from over 190 countries to work on global challenges such as climate change, health equity, and human rights.
Having grown up in apartheid South Africa, Kate Robertson’s worldview was shaped by witnessing both the injustices of the system and the profound leadership of figures like Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in building a new, inclusive society. Inspired by the Olympic movement’s values, Kate founded One Young World to give young leaders from every nation the opportunity to unite and work towards a better, more equitable world. Dubbed by CNN ‘the junior Davos’, the Summit is attended by 2,000+ delegates and is the most international event for young people other than the Olympic Games.
Kate spent 35 years in the advertising industry, most recently she served as the Global President of the Havas group from 2013 – 15 and UK Chairman from 2006 – 2013. Throughout her career, Kate led several of the world’s most impactful campaigns: in 2009, Kate, together with David Jones, introduced the TckTckTck campaign in partnership with former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. At the time, the campaign mobilised the largest petition in history, rallying millions of people worldwide to demand urgent action on climate change ahead of the COP15 summit.
In 2012 she was named Advertising Woman of the Year by Women In Marketing and in 2014 was similarly honoured by Advertising Week Europe. Kate studied law at the University of Cape Town and has Honorary Masters degrees from the University of Creative Arts and from the European Communications School. In 2014 she was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Lausanne Business School. Kate is the co-author of How To Make A Difference.
