Simprints CEO, Toby Norman, recognised as a UK Goalkeeper
We’re excited to announce that Simprints CEO, Toby Norman, has been recognised as a 2025 UK Goalkeeper by WIRED Consulting in partnership with The Gates Foundation. As part of the Goalkeepers community, Toby joins a global collective of changemakers whose work contributes to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
What is the Goalkeepers initiative?
- The Gates Foundation first launched the Goalkeepers initiative in 2017.
- Designed to spark action and change, Goalkeepers is dedicated to accelerating progress towards the SDGs.
- Goalkeepers brings together influential leaders from diverse sectors across the world, fostering collaboration and a shared commitment to accelerate advancements in critical areas such as ending poverty and combating inequality.
2025 UK Goalkeepers
This year, WIRED Consulting and the Gates Foundation have identified a cohort of five inspiring individuals from the UK to join the Goalkeepers community.
- Professor Lindsay Hall, microbiome scientist in maternal, newborn and child health.
- Will Poulter, British actor and international development advocate.
- Maro Itoje, British and Irish Lions Rugby captain and founder of the Pearl Fund.
- Florence Otedola, Nigerian philanthropist, founder of The Cuppy Foundation and DJ.
Toby stood out to the Goalkeepers community as a social entrepreneur who is dedicated to advancing global healthcare, and whose work showcases the transformative potential of innovative open-source biometrics.
Photo credit: Ruth Samuels for WIRED Consulting
How Simprints is closing the identity gap
One in four children born today does not have a reliable form of ID. In low-income settings, like sub-Saharan Africa, it’s one in two. In total, more than 850 million people worldwide can’t prove who they are. A lack of reliable ID makes it incredibly challenging to trace the delivery of essential healthcare, such as life-saving vaccines and maternal checks.
Toby has led the Simprints team to develop the world’s first open-source biometric digital ID technology with privacy at its core. We’re building AI-driven tools and providing expert technical support to overcome ID challenges and help ensure vital services reach patients at the last mile.
Toby uses Simprints groundbreaking biometric tools to search for a child’s medical record at a family health clinic in Ghana
Toby commented:
“At Simprints, we believe that no one should be invisible to the health systems meant to protect them. Ethical and inclusive technology can help ensure that every vaccine, every dollar, every public good reaches the people who need them most. Being recognised as a 2025 Gates Goalkeeper is an incredible honour and affirmation of our mission to close the identity gap in global health.
To see the decade-long dedication of our team recognised is humbling. We’re excited to join the Goalkeepers community and continue the fight for meaningful change.”
Looking ahead
Toby’s status as a Goalkeeper illustrates the growing impact and influence of technology-driven solutions and highlights the importance of ethical digital identity in achieving a more equitable world.
We’re thrilled to join the Goalkeepers community and are looking forward to driving conversations on how we accelerate progress towards the SDGs at UNGA later this year. See you in New York!
Learn more
- Watch Toby in our latest film marking a decade of impact
- Learn about our impact in 2024
- Delve into our evidence base
