Ella Saltmarshe

Writer and Founder in London, United Kingdom

Ella Saltmarshe

Writer and Founder in London, United Kingdom

As a species we’re at an inflection point. My focus is on how we can create a long, flourishing future for all inhabitants of earth.

I make things happen at the intersection of culture, narrative and systems change. I’m a co-founder of the Long Time Project that exists to galvanise public imagination and collective action to help us all be good ancestors. This sees me doing everything from online stadium gigs for thousands of civil servants, to creating public art, to running sessions in schools. I’m a recognised global expert in the fields of narrative, systems change and long-termism and advise funders, and a range of institutions.

I'm the host of The Long Time Academy Podcast, winner of Radio Academy's ARIA award for best independent podcast 2022, Audio Production Awards' Best Sustainability podcast, and Visionary Leadership Award from the International Women's Podcast Awards. I was also nominated as a Rising Star at the British Podcast Awards.

Alongside this work, I'm the co-founder of inter-narratives in partnership with the Environment Funders Network, which brings together over 100 organisations to regularly share polling, insight and narrative strategy with each other, to lead to more effective storytelling across environment and social justice movements.

I have pioneered a systems approach to change, co-founding systems change network, The Point People, working with the University of Oxford on systemschangers.com back in 2012, writing a Building A Language of Systems Change, co-designing the Systems Changers programme with the Lankelly Chase Foundation. I also founded the Comms Lab, to create change within the advertising industry, which has gone on to incubate a range of organisations and initiatives like The Purpose Disruptors and Create&Strike. I’m also the co-founder of multiple voter turnout campaigns: SHEvotes, Time to Vote, and Its Our Time.

Trained as an anthropologist, I spent the first part of my career working in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Latin America & Kosovo. And before all that I worked in call centres, bars, restaurants & ice-cream shops…

I spend a lot of time where fiction and futures meet, and have written Recode, a short drama, for the Guardian. I have been published in The Guardian, The Financial Times, ID, Wired, Monocle, Fast Company & Creative Review.

I am incorrigibly plural and support others to be their many selves... see me on my TEDx soapbox.