Sal Naseem is a keynote speaker, award-winning public servant, leadership consultant and bestselling author who helps leaders and organisations discover their agency to create systemic change.
As the first South Asian and Muslim Regional Director for London at the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and later National Discrimination Lead, Sal has led change within some of the UK’s most high-pressure public institutions, including local government, the UK electoral system, the national fire service and the Football Association.
His experience qualifies him to speak on moral courage, values-led leadership, inclusion, culture change and what it takes to challenge systems that are no longer serving the people they exist to support. Through his keynotes, leadership development programmes and executive coaching, Sal works with leaders and organisations facing the realities of a changing world, helping them move beyond good intentions and create change that becomes part of how people think, lead and behave.
Sal’s work has been recognised nationally and internationally. His pioneering work helped expose toxic culture inside the Metropolitan Police, challenged discrimination in all forms and addressed racial disproportionality at regional and national level. His portfolio has been cited by Parliamentary Select Committees, respected academics and major media outlets, with The Guardian describing his stop and search work as ‘one of the key moments in police relations with Britain’s BAME communities since 1999.’
He has also worked to embed inclusion into democratic processes at the Electoral Commission and supported the systemic culture change needed in the national fire service through his work with the National Fire Chiefs Council. This gives Sal a rare perspective: he doesn’t talk about change from theory, he speaks from the reality of having led it, resisted denial, navigated complexity and stayed anchored to his values when it mattered most.
Sal is the author of True North: A Story of Racism, Resilience and Resisting Systems of Denial, a bestselling book exploring how values-led leadership creates personal, professional and systemic impact. He is also the founder of True North Leadership™, where he supports organisations through story-led keynotes, bespoke leadership workshops and one-to-one coaching.
Known for combining powerful storytelling with practical frameworks, Sal helps audiences reflect on their own responsibility as leaders and gives them the tools to act with greater courage, clarity and conviction. His work is particularly relevant for organisations navigating cultural change, trust, accountability, inclusion, ethical leadership and the pressure to make decisions that stand up to scrutiny. Sal has spoken to global audiences, including the United Nations.
Sal holds a law degree from the University of Glasgow and is an Ambassador for White Ribbon UK. He has appeared across national and international media, including BBC 1, Channel 4, ITV, BBC Radio 4, BBC 5 Live, LBC and BBC Panorama.
