Sean McGibney

Number One Always (NOA)

Sean McGibney is the founder of Number One Always (NOA), the UK's first charity dedicated to adult sibling bereavement, built in honour of his brother Kieran, who died suddenly in January 2025 aged 40.

Sean is passionate about giving bereaved siblings the recognition, language and community they have never had. There is no single voice championing adult sibling grief in the UK and no charity built specifically for it. Sean wants to be that voice and for NOA to be that charity.

Before NOA, Sean spent a decade building and scaling two EdTech companies used by students and teachers in over 100 countries, before exiting in 2025.

Sean speaks from lived experience about sibling grief, building purposefully after loss and the case for grief equity. He is open about living with ADHD and his sobriety journey, as well as how both have shaped the way he's approached building NOA.

NOA launched in May 2026 with a viral launch, a reflection of how many people have been waiting for a space that speaks directly to this lived experience. Since then, Sean has built out NOA's research base, community and provision, while living in Bangkok.

At Ideas Fest, Sean will talk about what it looks like to build something meaningful out of grief, the speed and vulnerability of building in public from day one and why the most overlooked forms of loss are the ones that need the loudest advocates.