Liam Hackett

Liam Hackett MBE (born 19 January 1991) is a British activist, entrepreneur, and author best known as the founder of the global youth charity Ditch the Label. Following over a decade leading the organisation, Hackett transitioned in 2024 to focus on personal development and leadership work through his private practice, HALI Coaching, which supports high-achieving individuals in exploring purpose, fulfilment, and transformation beyond conventional success metrics. He is also the author of Fearless (Scholastic, 2020) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Doctor (Honoris Causa) Liam Hackett MBE, FRSA
A headshot of Dr Liam Hackett MBE in 2023
Born	(1991-01-19) 19 January 1991 (age 34) St Helens, England, UK
Nationality	British
Citizenship	United Kingdom
Alma mater	University of Sussex
Occupation(s)	Activist, Entrepreneur, Coach, Author
Years active	2012–present
Agent	Northbank Talent
Known for	Founder of Ditch the Label, Founder of HALI Coaching
Notable work	Fearless (2020)
Honours	Order of the British Empire, Doctorate of the University (University of Sussex), Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Website	halicoaching.com

Hackett is also known as one of the stars of Huffington Post's reality series, 'The New Activists'^[1][2] also appearing in MTV's Geordie OG's series one.^[3]

Hackett's debut book 'FEARLESS' was published by Scholastic in 2020.^[4][5]

Hackett is a regular contributor towards the global conversation surrounding technology and bullying and has advised the British, European and American Governments^[6][7][8] and speaks often at the United Nations^[9][10][11] in addition to writing for the United Nations about technological progression and challenges.^[12]

In 2017 he became the youngest person to receive an honorary degree from the University of Sussex.^[13]

Early life

Hackett grew up in St Helens, United Kingdom, and experienced both physical and emotional bullying at school. In the last few years at his secondary school, he was physically assaulted outside of school, causing him to be hospitalised. Hackett has said in some interviews that the bullying he experienced was homophobic.^[14]

Hackett first came out as bisexual and, in his college years, he came out as gay.^[15] After college Hackett moved to Brighton to study business and management at the University of Sussex.^[16][17][18]

Ditch the Label

Main article: Ditch the Label

In 2006, Hackett launched a Myspace profile to host conversations that were taking place following his and others' experiences with bullying and physical assault, naming it ‘Ditch the Label’.^[19] He received a grant from the St. Helens Chamber of Commerce to develop a dedicated Ditch the Label website to provide help and support to the victims of bullying. In 2012, he graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in business and management; he registered Ditch the Label as a legal entity and began to formally develop the organisation, funding it with his own money.^[20]

In March 2014, Ditch the Label was officially recognised and registered as a charity in the UK. In 2016, Ditch the Label announced their international expansion into the United States as "Ditch the Label". Shortly after, Ditch the Label gained 501(c)(3) status in the US and then opened their office in Los Angeles.^[21] Hackett splits his time between both offices.

In 2023, Ditch the Label launched as 'Quítate las Etiquetas^[22]' across Espańol communities.

Hackett led the charity for over 18 years before stepping down as CEO in December 2024 to pursue new projects in the personal development field.^[23]

Later career

After stepping down from his executive role at Ditch the Label in December 2024, Hackett founded HALI Coaching, a private coaching and leadership practice based in the United Kingdom.^[24] The company works internationally with entrepreneurs, executives and public figures, focusing on purpose, mindset and personal transformation. HALI Coaching integrates psychology, spirituality and holistic development methodologies, including trauma-informed coaching, somatic practices and the considered use of psychedelics as one of several tools for personal growth.^[25]

Through HALI Coaching, Hackett has spoken on topics such as fulfilment, purpose and self-discovery, continuing his broader work around mental health and human potential.^[26]

Publications and contributions

Hackett’s work extends beyond activism into academic and policy research focused on youth development, cyberpsychology and digital wellbeing. He has co-authored several peer-reviewed papers and institutional publications examining online behaviour, adolescent mental health and social dynamics.

• Hackett, L. (2016). Cyberbullying and its implications for human rights. UN Chronicle, 53(4), Article 12. United Nations iLibrary. ^[27]

• Hackett, L., & co-authors (2023). Characteristics of Victimization Dynamics as Predictors of Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms in Adolescents: A Latent Class Analysis. School Mental Health, 15, 1049–1065. Springer Nature. ^[28]

• Hackett, L., & co-authors (2020). Longitudinal associations between bullying, homophobic name-calling, and sexual violence perpetration among adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 66(3), 306–313. Elsevier. ^[29]

• Hackett, L., & co-authors (2020). The relationship between cyberbullying victimisation, body image and disordered eating: A cross-cultural study of adolescents in the United Kingdom and Spain. Middlesex University Research Repository. ^[30]

• Hackett, L. (2016). Cyberbullying and its implications for human rights. International Review on Information Ethics, 24, Article 12. United Nations iLibrary. ^[31]

• Hackett, L., & co-authors (2023). Characteristics of Victimization Dynamics as Predictors of Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms in Adolescents: A Latent Class Analysis. School Mental Health, 15(4), 1049–1065. Springer Nature. ISSN 1866-2625. DOI: 10.1007/s12310-023-09609-7. Indexed in Scopus (EID: 2-s2.0-85173007744). ^[32]

These publications complement Hackett’s policy and advocacy work, providing empirical and ethical context to his broader contributions to youth empowerment, online safety and psychological wellbeing.

Accolades

• Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to young people and equality.^[33]
• Notable Alumni - University of Sussex^[34]
• Wrote for the United Nations’ UN Chronicle on the human rights implications of cyberbullying.^[35]
• Contributed to multiple academic and policy papers on youth, digital safety and cyberbullying, including for the European Parliament and StopBullying.gov.^[36][37]
• Top 30 charity chief executive on social media^[38]
• Received a grant from St Helens Chamber of Commerce before he was 18, enabling him to launch the Ditch the Label website, this later evolved into the charity (2007)^[39]
• Shortlisted "Entrepreneur of the Year"^[40] and "Organisation of the Year" - National Diversity Awards (2013)
• Fellow of Royal Society of Arts - FRSA (2014)^[41]
• Winner of "Best European Marketing Campaign 2014" in European Diversity Awards. (2014)^{[citation needed]}
• Winner of "Young Business Person of the Year" in the Sussex Business Awards for his work with Ditch the Label (2014)^[42]
• Winner of "European Campaigner of the Year" - Highly Commended in European Diversity Awards (2015)^[43]
• Sits on the advisory board of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, of which Ditch the Label is a core member.^[44]
• Sits on the task force of the 5Rights initiative headed by The Children's commissioner for England.^{[citation needed]}