Outgoing Channel 4 Creative Diversity Chief Resigns After Questioning Industry's Commitment To DEI

Channel 4’s outgoing head of creative diversity Naomi Sesay has published an expansive post on her LinkedIn account, in which she explains why her resignation was "necessary," and while she is skeptical of both Channel 4 and the overall television industry's commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts:

There is an invisible line. After 3+ years, I’ve decided to leave Channel 4. And no, it wasn’t easy — but it was absolutely necessary.

In a world where Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are under scrutiny — reduced, reshaped, and sometimes ridiculed — the real work often happens off-camera. Quietly. Alone. Under pressure. Trying to readjust one’s emotions and redefine one’s own lens of the world. It’s a balance of holding your dignity, your fire, and your grace while absorbing every nuanced 'micro'-aggression, coded slight, and performative platitude. This type of role demands more than the job description. It demands that you hold yourself to a higher standard than what others would be prepared to do. Personal development? You bet.

I've done the work. From authoring Channel 4’s Commissioning Guidelines, to launching the very first internal and external Race Fluency programme, to speaking rooms into stillness with workshops that shook perspectives wide open — I know the impact I’ve had, and I am humbly grateful. But here’s the truth: No, I can’t change the thought habits of others, especially those shaped by centuries of bias and legacy. Not my job. My job was to ignite possibilities; the rest is up to you.

There was a delicate moment, post-2020, post-George Floyd, when it felt like the world might just be brave enough to evolve. There was programming. There was funding. There was space. There was a feast of “Black, Black, Asian, Black, disability, Black” — a hurried, half-hungry attempt at justice. But anyone paying attention could see the truth beneath the frenzy: fear, not change, was the fuel.

And now we are witnessing the recoil, the rebounding backlash.

Was it Issac Newton who said, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction?"

A geo-political swing — from the U.S. to the U.K. — where the very idea of equity is met with suspicion or silencing. The pushback is real. And it's exhausting.

Not because the work is hard. But because most DEI frameworks are fundamentally flawed. You can’t pour new consciousness into archaic containers.
You can’t rewire systems that refuse to admit they’re broken.

And so, in the spirit of leaders who refuse to bend, I now step fully into my purpose. I am building the first female-led Smart City in Matamp, Sierra Leone.

Yes, read that again. A city. Designed by women. For equity. For economy. For ecology. For spirit, inclusion, safety, culture, art, technology and future legacy.

Because if we want global peace, we need to raise global consciousness.

A policy document, isn't enough.

It starts in situ — in bricks and soil and systems that reflect the people they serve. So here I am. Building something for the next 100 years, not just the next job title. Ambitious? Hell yeah, but tell me — in a world that seems to be unravelling, what’s the harm of leading by thought? To all who believe in change, I'll see you on the other side of the invisible line.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: "We thank Naomi for her contribution and commitment during her three years as Channel 4’s Head of Creative Equity. She is a champion of representation across the industry. She has been a strong advocate for underrepresented voices, working to ensure more equitable access and opportunity and has helped us embed inclusive practices across our teams. We wish her the very best in her future endeavours."