Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a British-Iranian human rights campaigner, author and one of the most compelling female motivational keynote speakers on the global stage. Her wrongful abduction and imprisonment in Iran, which lasted six years and included prolonged solitary confinement, separated her from her young daughter and family and placed her at the centre of one of the most high-profile humanitarian crises of the modern era. Since returning to the UK in 2022, Nazanin has transformed an experience defined by injustice into a powerful platform for female empowerment, resilience and truth telling. Her voice carries authority, warmth and rare credibility, shaped by survival under extreme pressure and a determination to create meaning beyond trauma.

Before her detention, Nazanin built a respected career in international communications and humanitarian work. She held roles with the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the BBC World Service Trust and the Thomson Reuters Foundation, where she worked in project coordination and communications. These roles grounded her in global affairs, media ethics and diplomacy long before her own life became subject to international scrutiny. In 2016, while returning to London with her 22-month-old daughter, Nazanin was arrested at Tehran airport and falsely accused of crimes she consistently denied. She was sentenced to prison, held across multiple detention conditions, and became a recognised symbol of the human cost of political leverage.

Since her release, Nazanin has emerged as a leading public figure in conversations around justice, freedom and recovery. She has been named BBC 100 Women, received Harper’s Bazaar Woman of the Year, and was awarded the Courage Under Fire Award at the Magnitsky Human Rights Awards. Her story has reached millions through the BBC drama ‘Prisoner 951’ and her co-written book ‘A Yard of Sky’, which offers an intimate account of resilience, love and hope during captivity. Nazanin is also a Contributing Editor at Harper’s Bazaar, an Ambassador for Give a Book, and has collaborated with institutions including Liberty and the Imperial War Museum, exploring creativity and healing after incarceration.

As a keynote speaker, Nazanin speaks with clarity and compassion on resilience, mental health, women’s freedom, and the psychological impact of isolation and injustice. She addresses leadership audiences, corporate organisations and public institutions, offering insight into courage under pressure and rebuilding life after profound disruption. One audience described her talk as leaving the room ‘completely still’, a rare example of lived experience reshaping perspective. Nazanin’s keynotes do not seek sympathy, they inspire responsibility, empathy and action, making her a vital voice for organisations committed to meaningful change.