Liam Hackett

Liam Hackett (born 19 January 1991) is the founder and managing director of Ditch the Label, a not-for-profit organisation based in the United Kingdom that fights bullying and promotes equality among young people. Liam Hackett is also the founder and managing director of Hackett & Tiger, a digital marketing and youth engagement agency.

Background and foundation of Ditch the Label
Liam Hackett founded Ditch the Label as a result of his own experiences. On the charity's website and in an interview for Attitude, he has recalled how at primary school he was called gay even before he or the bullies understood what that word meant. The bullying became worse at secondary school, turning physical by the time he was 16 and resulting in an attack that required admittance to hospital.

After moving on to college, Liam Hackett felt more comfortable with his sexuality. He also realised that a lot of people feel marginalised by society's labels and negative stereotypes. He created a successful group on Myspace that led him to develop the concept of a dedicated website. He received a grant from St Helens Chamber of Commerce before he was 18, enabling him launch the Ditch the Label website in July 2007.

Six years later, Liam Hackett graduated from the University of Sussex and was able to focus on further developing Ditch the Label's charity and campaign work from its headquarters in Brighton.

Press & media
Liam Hackett is a spokesperson on bullying and cyberbullying. He has been interviewed on The Surgery with Aled for BBC Radio 1. Liam has also commented on how bullying can affect children from wealthy families for articles in The Daily Telegraph and The Independent. Liam was recently invited to write an article about the current climate of bullying within the UK's education system for SecEd Magazine and the British Journal of School Nursing.