Irra
Ariella Khi

CEO Zamna
Irra Ariella Khi is an award-winning tech CEO, humanitarian, and keynote speaker known for her relentless energy and fearless leadership. As CEO of Zamna AI, she is transforming global aviation security, while her humanitarian work with Sunflower Relief has raised over £3M in aid for Ukraine.

Who I’ve delivered talks for

It was an absolute pleasure to have you open our event. I was blown away by your ability to radically simplify blockchain and to brilliantly break down the key concepts for our audience in a fun & engaging way!! Thanks for your awesome talk.
Melanie Moeller
Head of Software Engineering at Sky
Irra is an absolute dynamo! Irra's energy and dedication is second to none, she's brilliantly smart and intuitive - able to read both the room and the person in front of her… She had the audience of 250+ cheering, weeping and hanging on every word.
Laura Stebbing
CEO Founders Forum Group's EQL:HER
I didn’t get a chance to say a massive thanks for coming to Sky and explaining blockchain technology so simply! I loved it and it was very engaging!!
Ifey Njoku
Head of Software Engineering at Sky
Irra gave an incredible talk to 5,000... as a speaker, Irra has an infectious energy that invites you in. Her story is compelling and unique.I have never seen people so engaged, they were literally sitting on the edge of their seats…I watched the young people left standing a little taller than when they walked in. Thank you Irra, you rock!
Alex More
TEDx Organiser
I really enjoyed your presentation on Tuesday this week at Sky! You are a great and inspiring presenter! Many thanks for sharing your experience and insights.
Katrin Calderon
Head of Procurement at Sky
Your talk electrified the team, it was astonishing. Much respect. For anyone wondering, this is how Irra explains blockchain - brilliant, high energy mayhem! Thank you so much from the whole team at Sky.
Rose Tighe
Innovation Lead
I first came across Irra Ariella Khi a couple of years ago when Breega donated to help Sunflower Relief deliver humanitarian aid across the Ukraine border. I read about her story in all the newspapers and was quite impressed, to say the least. Not only did she solo found a tech company Zamna., in 2022 Irra stepped away from her role at Zamna to raise donations with all VCs in London and set up Sunflower Relief to get aid across the border, leveraging her business connections in airlines to redirect supplies to Ukraine and play her part in her homeland's war effort. She now leads both Zamna. and Sunflower while raising her 5 kids - and that just seems impossible to me!
Ben Marrel
CEO at Breega
We have just hosted Irra for an incredible interview on passion and dedication, trying to compare athletes to entrepreneurships in honour of the Olympics, and the passion with which Irra was able to share her experience was unprecedented. She is a true professional - she came in, she transferred a lot of emotion yet made very compelling points on how dedication, passion, where she's gotten it from, and was able to have us embarked insanely in what she was telling us about. We are extremely honoured to have had her here and we cannot wait to share the content to the world, as the world deserves to hear what Irra has to say.
Céline Roger
Director of Brand & Communications at Breega
Irra's remarkable personal experience, transforming some of the gravest and most distressing global episodes an domestic challenges to examples of accomplishment, contribution and quantifiable impact, make her the perfect speaker to inspire all audiences. If you are looking for someone to help your people rebuild from their adversity and turn life's caprices to their advantages, Irra is the indisputable choice.
Anonymous
UK Civil Servant
First Irra introduced herself likes this, human first. Mother, friend and CEO came after. I believe more speakers should introduce themselves holistically, because: 1. they are role models and 2. it inspires trust to see more of the person than just the role. I can give many examples of staying natural, but let's stay with Irra. She asked the audience to stand up and connect with her, she shared her vulnerability and everything in her talk and body language was in sync, credible and authentic.
Katja Rieger
CEO at Ripple Effect, Zurich Switzerland
I loved working with Irra as a speaker on our events. Her knowledge of data security and privacy is impressive and her enthusiasm and charisma are such valuable assets to share with our audience. As a person her sincere approach was lauded by all our attendees and her involvement with charitable work was a great addition to her insights and proved an inspiration for all.
Raf De Kimpe
CEO at Fintech Week London
1000+ people were buzzing and on their feet after Irra’s opening keynote for our annual conference. Irra challenged and inspired us with her AI insights, personal vulnerability, and future predictions. Her energy on stage drew us in - I highly recommend her as a keynote speaker.
Christoph Neut
CEO at AE

Portfolio

A speech for WIRED Smarter UK
The Five Principles of Good Data Security
EQL:HER Ukrainian Female Tech Talent Breakfast
Hiring from a warzone: supporting Ukrainian women in technology
AvSec Global Emirates DUBAI
Zamna Keynote
Pitch @ Palace
Irra Pitching Zamna for UK Royal Family
AvSec Global Emirates DUBAI
Presentation by Zamna CEO Irra Ariella Khi
AvSec Global Emirates DUBAI
Workshop by Zamna CEO Irra Ariella Khi
Phoenix Court Fundraising
Pitching Sunflower fundraising strategy
Irra's Keynote Speech at the UKBA Awards
Breega
Pitch @ Palace
Founders Fourm
Westminster Ukrainian Forum

What you’ll get from me

Core values that drive my connection with your audience and shape my service as a speaker.
Making The Boring Interesting
Things are only boring until you understand them. I am committed to sharing my insights and help you find meaning and excitement.
Boundless
Energy
Putting 110% in everything I do - because our energy changes our state and is the life force of how we show up in the world.
Challenging Status Quo
When everyone zigs, you zag. Because new solutions cannot be created using old ideas and practices.
Radical
Honesty
Life is too short to be anything other than yourself. Being direct is both my strength and my weakness.
Creating Clarity In Complexity
If you can't explain it simply, then you don't understand it enough. I challenge myself to live by this motto.

What I talk about

Fearless Leadership
My team say that I eat responsibility for breakfast. What is there to be fearful of? One day we won't be here, this is liberating and I act accordingly.
Creating Something from Nothing
Creativity is very vulnerable. It requires us to give a part of ourselves and to defend that creation to ourselves internally and to others. There is a process to it and I share my insights and learnings about this.
Selling the Impossible
It's only impossible until it's done, as one of my clients told me. All selling is change. Convincing buyers to take a journey with you, to bridge that change, is what I do every day.
Being a (Female) Founder
Founders are irrationally optimistic opportunists who bend reality to their will. I happen to be female and have to do this in parallel to growing my family and raising five children and despite my industry being heavily male dominated.
Web 3 / Blockchain
Expert buzzword busting for Web 3, Blockchain, Smart contracts and Decentralized technologies. I authored multiple patents in the space and love this topic.
Data Security / Privacy / GDPR
Cyber security is no good if you've already been breached. Data privacy is the same. I work with national regulators to improve GDPR compliance for our client airlines and governments.

Why me

A first-generation immigrant who arrived in the UK with limited English, Irra Ariella Khi grew up knowing that nothing would be handed to her. From an early age, she learned to fight for every opportunity—transforming obstacles into fuel for success.
Today, she is the CEO and co-founder of Zamna AI, a company rewiring global aviation. Using patented, blockchain-powered identity verification, Zamna makes border security smarter, faster, and more secure. Trusted by major airlines and governments, her technology is redefining how millions of passengers move across borders. But Irra’s impact goes far beyond tech. As the founder of Sunflower Relief, she has mobilised over £3 million in aid for Ukraine, delivering critical intelligence, logistics, and supplies to the frontline. Born in Lviv, she speaks all three regional languages—making her a strategic force in crisis response.
A mother of five, Irra’s story is one of relentless drive and reinvention. From homelessness to leading multi-million-pound ventures, she embodies resilience, adaptability, and vision. She has built and sold multiple startups, won UK BAA’s ‘Best Investment in Disruptive Tech’, and been named one of Management Today’s ‘35 Women Under 35’.
A sought-after keynote speaker, Irra delivers unfiltered insights on innovation, failure, and leadership. Whether tackling big data, border security, or humanitarian action, she challenges the status quo—and proves that barriers exist to be broken.

Select speaking engagements

Get in touch with me directly

" Irra gave an incredible talk to 5,000... as a speaker, Irra has an infectious energy that invites you in. Her story is compelling and unique.I have never seen people so engaged, they were literally sitting on the edge of their seats…I watched the young people left standing a little taller than when they walked in. Thank you Irra, you rock! " - Alex More | TEDx Organiser