Ex-BBC, News UK, and Wall Street Journal, Dion is a father, entrepreneur, educator, and most recently co-founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer at The News Movement in New York.
Across two pieces we explore ownership, opportunity, and the unconventional routes to success, challenging the idea that there is only one way to make it. Dion is driven by the belief that visibility, access and freedom of thought fuel possibility. This one is for the builders, the boundary-pushers, and those carving space where none existed.
I'm honoured to be stepping into this series at The Table, sharing my story, my perspective, and hopefully something that sticks.
Big thanks to Bev for the invitation. She's building something important here, and when she asked me to contribute, I didn't hesitate. But then she hit me with a curveball.
Why should people who don't know you listen to you?
Fair question.
Because before we get into purpose, progress, and everything in between, I want to start with a bit of truth. And that starts with letting you in.
I'm a Black British man with Jamaican roots, now living in New York City. By trade, I'm an engineer. My brain is wired for puzzles, systems, and logic. I'm C-Suite now, but I started with C, literally.
I grew up in Southeast London, in a proud Jamaican community, with parents who showed me that the world is a big beautiful place to be explored and excited by. I ran with that belief.
My dad was a mechanical engineer. My mum, a performing artist, and between them, I inherited structure and soul.
This duality of art and science shows up in everything I do, from building scalable systems to advocating for entire communities globally.
Service wasn't a choice in our household, it was a way of life. Whether we were marching for justice, fundraising for causes, or simply showing up when it mattered most.
It's a value I've carried with me ever since. From mentoring and volunteering to co-founding a charity, connection has always been the thread running through everything I do. It's what grounds me and what drives me forward.
I've always believed in making space for learning, and in leaving the door open behind me for the next person to walk through. That mindset shapes how I lead, how I build, and how I think about the tools shaping our future.
Which brings me to AI.
As a co-founder of a startup, AI has been instrumental in helping us scale while staying lean. I'm a massive fan. Truly. We've multiplied productivity in ways that would've been unimaginable just a few years ago. Automation, insights, content. AI's done the heavy lifting.
But here's the uncomfortable truth: AI isn't everything. There are places AI simply can't go, yet, and I'll go out on a limb and say this: we're kidding ourselves if we pretend otherwise.
So no, you don't have to know me. But if anything here speaks to you, about identity, about leadership, about being the first in the room or making space for others, pull up a chair.