---
title: "Mel B, Tim Berners-Lee, Chelsea Clinton, OpenAI Exec Join SXSW London Speaker Lineup"
date: 2026-05-08
source: Variety
source_url: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/mel-b-jacob-collier-padma-lakshmi-sxsw-london-1236741347/
tags: [sxsw-london, speakers, ai, mental-health, conference, tim-berners-lee, openai]
summary: "SXSW London adds major names to its June 2026 conference including Tim Berners-Lee, Chelsea Clinton, OpenAI's George Osborne, and Mel B. The festival also launches a Youth Mental Health Hub in partnership with the Child Mind Institute and Wellcome."
---

# Mel B, Tim Berners-Lee, Chelsea Clinton, OpenAI Exec Join SXSW London Speaker Lineup

SXSW London has added a fresh wave of high-profile speakers to its June 2026 conference, spanning entertainment, technology, mental health, and policy — headlined by internet inventor Tim Berners-Lee, Chelsea Clinton, and OpenAI's George Osborne.

## New Speakers Announced

The latest additions, announced on May 8, include:

- **Mel B** — Former Spice Girl and "America's Got Talent" judge
- **Jacob Collier** — Grammy-winning musician
- **Padma Lakshmi** — TV host and author
- **Natalie Dormer** — Actor ("Game of Thrones")
- **Ant and Dec** — Iconic UK TV presenting duo
- **Chelsea Clinton** — Vice chair of the Clinton Foundation
- **Tim Berners-Lee** — Inventor of the World Wide Web, CTO and co-founder of Inrupt
- **George Osborne** — Former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, now Managing Director and Head of OpenAI for Countries
- **Hasan Piker** — Political commentator and broadcaster
- **Esther Perel** — Psychotherapist and author
- **Max Junestrand** — CEO and co-founder of Legora (AI company)
- **Julia Goldin and Federico Begher** — Chief Product & Marketing Officer and Global Head of Product at LEGO

The lineup reflects a deliberate convergence of entertainment, technology, policy, and science — a hallmark of SXSW's cross-disciplinary programming philosophy.

## Youth Mental Health Hub

SXSW London also announced the inaugural Youth Mental Health Hub, a week-long program convened by the **Child Mind Institute** in partnership with **Wellcome**. The hub brings together leaders from clinical care, science, technology, policy, and media to "accelerate a more coordinated response" to the youth mental health crisis.

Contributors include Miranda Wolpert and Catherine Sebastian (Wellcome), Margaret Laws (Hopelab), Mark Jordans (War Child / King's College London), Marcia Brophy (UNICEF), Julia Gillard (chair of Wellcome, former Prime Minister of Australia), Chelsea Clinton, and several UK-based mental health voices.

Katarina Sherling, head of conference at SXSW London, framed the initiative:

> "SXSW London is about platforming different perspectives, converging in one unique space. Initiatives like the Youth Mental Health Hub are a great example of how this thinking translates into real-world impact, bringing together voices from different sectors to tackle challenges that no single industry can solve alone, to drive meaningful change. This is what makes SXSW London such a powerful agent for change."

## AI and Tech Presence

The speaker additions continue SXSW London's strong AI and technology thread. Having **Tim Berners-Lee** — the inventor of the web and now CTO of Inrupt (a company building on his Solid protocol for data sovereignty) — alongside **George Osborne** of OpenAI and **Max Junestrand** of Legora signals that AI governance, data sovereignty, and applied AI will be central themes at the June conference.

## Festival Details

SXSW London 2026 runs **June 1–6** in Shoreditch, East London, with programming spanning music, screen, conference, and visual arts tracks.