20 LGBT successful people

A research by Stonewall shows that 25% of LGBT people are not out to their work colleagues and according to Human Rights Campaign, 62% of millennial LGBT graduates go back into the closet when they start their first job. Numbers speak for themselves. People fear that their true identity will affect their professional career but there is a big chance of succeeding showing your true self. These 20 successful LGBT people prove it!

1. Anthony Watson (President & CEO at Uphold Inc) 
Anthony held board positions at Barclays, Citi, and Wells Fargo, and served as CIO for Nike. Since 2015 he's CEO at Uphold, a cloud-based financial services platform. He is an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights and is on the board of GLAAD. He said to the Business Insider that he has "always been a champion of the undergod". 


2.  Peter Thiel (Co-founder of PayPal)


In 1999 Peter co-founded PayPal where he worked as CEO until its sale to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion. After the sale of PayPal, he founded various companies such as Clarium Capital and Founders Fund, and became Facebook's first outside investor.
 


3. Phyll Opoku-Gyimah (Co-Founder of UK Black Pride)
Phyll (aka Lady Phyll) is one of the most influencial LGBT advocates in the UK. In 2015 she co-founded UK Black Pride, an organisation dedicated to celebrate black LGBT culture in the UK


4. Mhairi Black (SNP MP)
Mhairi Black is a Scottish politician. She became the youngest member in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom when she was elected in 2015 at the age of 20. 

5. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan (White House’s LGBT liaison)
She made history as the first transgender woman to become the White House’s LGBT liasison under Obama’s administration. 

6. Louise Englefield (Founding Director of Pride Sports UK)


As Director of Pride Sports UK, Louise works across all areas of sport providing training, advice, guidance and insight on the participation of LGBT people in sport and tackling homophobia and transphobia.  

7. Chris Hughes (Co-founder of Facebook)


Chris is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the list. He co-founded and served as spokesman for Facebook with his Harvard roommates, where he worked until 2007 when he left to volunteer with Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.



8. Sarah Garrett (British LGBT Awards founder)


Sarah is the Director and Founder of SPM Group, an events company specialised in Diversity and Inclusion. She is also Director and Founder of Ultimate Guide Company, which runs several magazines. 



9. Lord Waheed Alli (Media entrepreneur and politician)
He is a British media entrepreneur and one of the few openly gay Muslim politicians in the world. He was co-founder and managing director at Planet 24, a TV production Company. He’s now CEO at Silvergate Media.

10. Colin Campbell-Austin (Head of Talent, Resourcing and People Development at Telegraph Media Group) 
With an extensive career in media companies, Colin is a an advocate for diversity in the workplace. Before working at the Telegraph Media Group, he was the People Development Manager at Channel 4.

11. Greg Berlanti (Writer/Director/Producer)
Greg is a Hollywood based famous writer, director and producer responsible for iconic television series like Dowson’s Creek, Everwood or Political Animals.  

12. Philip O’Ferrall (Senior Vice President, Digital Media at MTV)
A senior television executive and new media pioneer, O’Ferrall has an enviable knowledge of broadcast, wireless and media industries, not to mention an entrepreneurial spirit. 

13. Inga Beale (CEO at  Lloyds of London)
Inga has been working at Lloy’d since 2014. She was previously working in management roles at multiple companies such as Canopius, Zurich Insurance and Converium.

14. Suran Dickson (Founder of Diversity Role Models)
Before founding Diversity Role Models, she worked as a teacher for 12 years in New Zealand and the UK. Suran has been working to protect Young LGBT people and fostering their inclusion in society.

15. Nick Denton (CEO at Gawker Media)
Nick began his career as a reporter for several newspapers. In the 90s he founded two different Internet companies: Moreover Technologies and First Tuesday. He’s now CEO at his latest entrepreneurial adventure, Gawker Media. 

16. Audrey Connolly (Head of the Senior Managers Regime at Lloyds Banking Group)
Audry has an extensive career in banking that has taken her half way around the world. She said she had to come out “in order to feel like an authentic leader”. She’s now and advocate for LGBT people and promotes diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

17. Ivan Massow (Entrepreneur)
Ivan is a British financial services entrepreneur and LGBT rights campaigner. In 2001 he founded an online network for LGBT professionals, Jake.

18. Robert Greenblatt (Chairman at NBC Entertainment)
Robert is a Golden Globe Award-winning television producer for "Six Feet Under"  and a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer  for "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder". He joined NBC Entertainment in 2011, where he continues working as Chairman.

19. Claire Harvey (Head of Inclusive Leadership at KPMG)
Claire Harvey is a senior consultant for inclusive leadership at KPMG.  She has been involved in British Paralympic sport since 2009, where she first tried sitting volleyball.

20. Claudia Brind-Woody (Vice President and MD, Global Intellectual Property Licensing at IBM)
Claudia Brind-Woody is one of the most powerful lesbian in business. She works as a Vice President at IBM and she is a senior advocate across many LGBT+ networks like Out & Equal.