GEORGIE POWELL.
Georgie is Founder of Sentient Digital, a Responsible Technology & Digital Wellbeing Consultancy, working with organisations to better understand our relationship with technology, so that we can use it more positively for a future where humans can thrive.
At Sentient, Georgie has supported clients such as Google, the Charity for Civil Servants, the UK Government Services Department and O2 to help guide their product development, people and policy practices with Digital Wellbeing in mind. She has also worked with start-ups building Digital Wellbeing and Responsible Technology products, such as Qustodio and Freedom, for whom she is currently VP Strategy and Partnerships and the host of the Freedom Matters Podcast. She is a member of Ofcom’s Making Sense of Media Advisory Panel.
Georgie is also the co-founder of SPACE, one of the original screentime apps. Since launch in 2017, SPACE has been downloaded by more than 2 million people, was ranked in Google Play’s new and noteworthy list in 2018 and had a user rating of 4.5 stars on Android. Since the launch of Digital Wellbeing on Android, and Screentime on iOS (products which replicated SPACE’s functionality), this business now focuses on supporting research to better understand the relationship between technology and humans. SPACE works with universities around the world, including Berkeley University, University of Toronto, University of Bournemouth and Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Recent publications include:
Perceptions and Misperceptions of Smartphone Use: Applying the Social Norms Approach, McAlaney, J., Almourad, M. B., Powell, G., Ali, R. (2020)
Problematic Attachment to Social Media: Lived Experience and Emotions, New Knowledge in Information Systems and Technologies, Altuwairiqi M., Kostoulas T., Powell G., Ali R. (2019)
Prior to launching SPACE, Georgie worked at Google, where she managed content partnerships for YouTube and Google Play in Australia and New Zealand. A former graduate of Oxford University (Mphil) and Cambridge University (MA) where she focused on economic development and corporate social responsibility, she built her early career in media and telecoms, as a strategy consultant working across Europe and Asia, before moving into tech.
Georgie is a recognised thought-leader and speaker in the fields of Digital Wellbeing and Responsible Technology. She supported the launch of the first Digital Wellness Festival in 2019, is host of the Freedom Matters Podcast, was the expert presenter on the recent BBC Scotland TV Series, Screen Grab, and has delivered keynotes on the topic of Digital Wellbeing to a number of companies and organisations including Google, O2, Tortoise Media and Humane Tech London.
Georgie’s journey to Digital Wellbeing started when, as a new mum, she recognised her own relationship with social media was unhealthy. Working for YouTube at the time, she also felt uncomfortable with her role in the attention economy. She decided to combine her value-driven academic background in corporate social responsibility with her business experience in technology, to build a better future where technology is used for social gain.
Georgie is a proud wife to George and mother to three girls. When not working, she cherishes time with her family, travelling, reading and growing vegetables in her garden in the South West of England. Having spent most of her adult life living in Australia, she feels most at home in the ocean - swimming, sailing or catching a few waves.
You may have heard Georgie speaking on:
BBC Scotland’s Screen Grab
Freedom Matters
ITV News
Google UK Developer Conference
Tortoise Media ThinkIn (2019)
Cambridge Intellectual Forum
Digital Mindfulness Podcast
Humane Tech London
Qustodio ambassador content series
Med Fest 2020
Dr Beurkens Podcast
Georgie is available as a panel moderator, host and expert presenter on the topic of digital wellbeing. To speak with Georgie, contact her here