As a Chartered Accountant, Zoe Bayliss Wong started her career working in Commercial Finance for Tesco F&F Clothing, and Tax Management for Deloitte. She spent five years working for Depop in varying roles; as part of their management team, she raised over $80 million in funding, scaling it to a global platform of 30 million users. Whilst working there, she earned a place on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List.
Her most recent position was as the Chief Growth Officer for Vivobarefoot, a business challenging industry norm in footwear design and promotes the use of renewable materials and healthy manufacturing practices.
Zoe currently sits on the Commercial Board of ICAEW, the UK’s largest professional body of chartered accountants, and previously sat on the board of Everywoman Ltd, a company dedicated to championing the advancement of women in business. She is also a fundraising advisor and investor for Chimnie, the UK’s biggest property research platform.
Zoe now works as a freelance CFO and COO, working with companies to bring high-growth expertise to businesses creating global positive change. She particular focusses on sustainable retail, circular economy, alternative materials, equity and inclusion in business, pay equality, and women and minorities in leadership. She also provides expert help on finance, marketing, HR, operations, and customer experience.
In addition to her work in business, she has also been an award-winning fashion and beauty blogger, writer, and presenter, for publications such as ELLE, Forbes, and Red Magazine. She has presented live from London Fashion Week on numerous occasions, and from Coachella, Wilderness, and Wireless Festivals.
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The Good Buy Collective
After several years of working in sustainable retail, Zoe created the Good Buy Collective, a global community of consumers who want to make better choices when it comes to fast fashion and zero waste. The Good Buy Collective makes it easier to make good choices through shared education and experiences, and is aimed at people who love shopping but want to be good consumers as well.
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Corporate
Zoe is a popular speaker on all things sustainability and diversity. She has experience speaking at industry conferences, schools, and for corporate training sessions. She regularly speaks about her work on panels and keynote events, bringing a background in media, finance, fashion, business, and storytelling.
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Speaking Topics
Zoe’s keynote topics can be classified into two topics: Sustainability and Business, and Diversity and Business.
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Sustainability and Business
Are We Green Yet? The Business of Sustainability: With shrinking budgets, trying to balance sustainable goals with commercial reality is harder than ever. How do we make money whilst reducing the world’s environmental and social problems? Designed for corporate innovators and decision makers, this talk unpacks how sustainability can become a core business lever. Zoe exposes the often ignored pitfalls of the green economy, and shares strategies for driving meaningful impact without compromising growth.
The Sustainability Paradox: Can We Really Consume Our Way to Change?: Sustainability sells, but what if selling itself is the problem? Aimed at brand builders, creatives, and cultural thinkers, this talk confronts the contradictions at the heart of sustainable messaging in a consumption-driven economy. Zoe explores the blurry line between purpose and performance, and how brands can pivot from performance greenwashing to progressive leadership.
Money and Meaning: Building a Values-Led Business That Works: Blending heart and hard numbers, Zoe shares her first playbook on creating companies that align purpose with profit. She offers an honest look at financial leadership that supports growth without selling out.
When Circularity Isn’t Enough: A New Model For the Future of Sustainable Consumption: Who is responsible for making retail sustainable? Consumers or companies? Circularity alone can’t save the planet, and consumer demand is only one element of the solution, we must add social and sharing elements to the way we consume. The future of sustainable commerce lies at the intersection of consumption, circular economy, and social community.
Unicorn Lessons: Behind the Scenes of Building a Billion Dollar Business: From a 30-person startup to a global cult platform, this is the story behind Depop’s growth and eventual $1.6 billion acquisition. Zoe unpacks the myths and realities of startup life, from the glamorised hustle to scaling. She breaks down what founders and early-stage teams need to survive and thrive, from fundraising and leadership challenges, to culture, burnout, and what she wishes she had known earlier.
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Diversity and Business
Redefining Leadership: Making It As a Woman in Business: Gender equality in the workplace has improved, but even beyond the pay gap, many women in business still encounter scrutiny, societal expectations, and stereotypes. From scrutiny over confidence to assumptions about leadership style, women are still navigating a system not designed for them. Zoe shares her journey from the corporate world to the start-up trenches, trading comfort for purpose, and discovering what it means to lead and build credibility as a young BIPOC woman in business.
Know your Worth: Negotiating Pay, Power, and Progress: Whether you’re pitching for capital or pitching your own value, negotiation is non-negotiable. In this talk, Zoe demystifies the art of knowing your worth, drawing on her own experiences sitting on both sides of the table as a female business leader and CFO. She shares tactical strategies for underrepresented voices to confidently advocate for themselves in business.
The Power of Being the ‘Only One in the Room’: In this talk, Zoe shares her experience navigating leadership and credibility as a woman of colour in predominantly white, male, and corporate spaces. Drawing on her own experience as CFO, advisor, and strategist, Zoe unpacks how difference can feel like a disadvantage, and how to turn it into your greatest asset.
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To check fees and availability for Zoe Bayliss Wong, contact Great Business Speakers on 0044 (0)1753 439289
