London Icons at SXSW in Shoreditch.

4 June 2025

Shoreditch Town Hall was the grand setting for a laid back but inspiring event at SXSW London as iconic presenter June Sarpong was joined by Deputy Mayor for Culture & Creative Industries Justine Simons to talk to two of the ten London Icons selected by a panel of leading industry figures.

Firefighter Sabrina Cohen-Hatton and chef Asma Khan are both among the ten London Icons being celebrated on billboards and in The Standard newspaper this week. The dynamic duo were interviewed by June Sarpong alongside Deputy Mayor for Culture & Creative Industries Justine Simons at a SXSW London event held in the dilapidated grandeur of Shoreditch Town Hall.

The vibe was celebratory with June Sarpong delightfully cheerleading from the moderator's chair. Both Sabrina Cohen-Hatton and Asma Khan spoke of their pride at being named as London Icons, the latter observing that for her to be chosen to represent the hospitality sector was especially important, as it is so often associated with male toxicity. She took the opportunity to speak out against the bullying culture of restaurant kitchens which, she rightfully observed, remains all too prevalent.

Representing hospitality.

In a lighter moment later on, Khan revealed that her staff had been so disbelieving of her nomination that they were convinced the whole thing had been generated by AI... proving that it's impossible to keep the plagiaristic technology out of any on-mic conversation at SXSW London.

Sabrina Cohen-Hatton spoke powerfully about her own experience of homelessness, first in Newport and later in London. Affected by her mother's mental breakdown after the end of her marriage to Cohen-Hatton's father, she was living in the streets at the age of just 15.

She advocated for a more humane approach towards the homeless across every layer of society from the agencies designed to help and protect those living in the street to the rest of us who blithely walk past without even the thought of engaging with someone who longs to be seen.

Cohen-Hatton advocates for a better approach to homeslessness.

London itself was at the centre of the conversation with Deputy Mayor Justine Simons identifying the three overlapping As that make London special... alchemy, attitude and architecture. Essentially this is an idea that places London's beautiful chaos and its continuous reinvention as being what makes it such a wonderful city to inhabit. She's not wrong.

Later when pressed for one thing that makes London unique, Simons followed excellent answers from Cohen-Hatton and Khan by advising the audience to "get lost". This, she says, is an excellent way of discovering parts of London that you don't yet know, consolidating a point made by Sarpong earlier when she said that even having lived in London her whole life, she still encounters places she has never come across before, and that they are often delightful discoveries.

Justine Simons says we should "get lost".

On Thursday, one of the ten Icons will be named as the Favourite Londoner of the Year, but this is genuinely one of those situations where being nominated is a reward enough. The pride of both Sabrina Cohen-Hatton and Asma Khan was visceral, and this good-natured panel an excellent way to celebrate their success.

Time was even made to allow the audience to ask questions, enabling your correspondent to grab a microphone for the first time at SXSW to ask what one thing would make London even better. The answer from Asma Khan was especially interesting... she suggested that enabling tourists to claim back the VAT they pay in restaurants would give the hospitality sector a huge boost. A bold idea worthy of a fascinating discussion at an event beautifully marshalled by its charismatic host.

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