Warm, friendly and always happy to help, Emma Robert-Tissot has a gift for making even the most complex corners of online safety feel approachable.
As head of marketing and partnerships at Verifymy, Robert-Tissot helps businesses navigate a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape while raising awareness of the tools creating safer, more responsible online experiences.
Age assurance has rightly dominated the agenda over the last couple of years, but I think we're now entering the next chapter. The industry is starting to ask much bigger questions around consent, content authenticity, trust and how platforms can better protect users throughout the entire digital journey – not just at the point of entry.
"I came into the space from a traditional marketing background, having worked both agency-side and in-house across a range of sectors," she says. "While my interests lie in marketing itself, I reached a point where I wanted to apply those skills to something that felt genuinely meaningful."
That desire led Robert-Tissot to Verifymy and its mission to help safeguard children and society online by giving businesses the tools to build safer, compliant digital spaces.
"Growing up alongside the rise of smartphones and social media, I've seen first-hand how quickly the internet has evolved and the profound impact it can have, both positive and negative," she says. "It feels incredibly rewarding to work in a sector that's helping shape what a safer internet looks like."
Making Online Safety Make Sense
Sitting at the intersection of technology, policy and communications, Robert-Tissot has a front-row seat to developments that may eventually reshape nearly every corner of the internet.
It's a fast-moving space, but one she discusses with enthusiasm.
"The adult sector has consistently been at the forefront of online safety innovation, often responding to new technologies and regulatory expectations before other industries," she observes. "Many of the solutions first developed here are now informing wider conversations across other online services, and I think it's a fascinating sector to work in because the challenges being solved here today often become tomorrow's mainstream digital safety standards."
Keeping up with those developments means no two days look quite the same. Robert-Tissot's wide-ranging role touches nearly every aspect of marketing, including brand strategy, public relations, thought leadership, events, website development, search engine optimization and demand generation.
"One morning I might respond to breaking regulatory news with media commentary, and that afternoon I'll be reviewing website messaging, preparing for an international conference or working with our product team on marketing a new feature," she explains.
That flair for making complex subjects accessible also inspired one of Robert-Tissot's proudest marketing accomplishments – Verifymy's "Ivy Reads the Online Safety Act." Created in partnership with performer Ivy Maddox, the playful campaign took a highly technical piece of legislation and transformed it into content people could understand, enjoy and talk about.
"It helped spark wider conversations about why age assurance matters, and is a good example of how creative marketing can help demystify regulation and engage audiences far beyond the compliance community," Robert-Tissot says. "Plus, it has recently been recognized with six PRWeek Award nominations."
Making Safety Work for Everyone
Robert-Tissot is equally enthusiastic about Verifymy's product innovation, especially its pioneering work on email-based age checks.
"It's a privacy-preserving, highly inclusive form of age assurance that reduces friction for genuine users while maintaining high levels of effectiveness," she explains.
The technology has been recognized by regulators, including Ofcom, in its official age-assurance guidance for adult sites in the United Kingdom, and has been deployed by some of the world's largest platforms. For Robert-Tissot, its growing adoption reflects a much broader change.
"The biggest lesson has probably been that online safety is no longer a niche conversation," she affirms.
Since Robert-Tissot joined Verifymy, age assurance has evolved from an emerging compliance concern into a global priority encompassing age checks, child safety and platform accountability.
"The conversation has shifted from whether organizations should act to how they implement effective, privacy-preserving solutions," she says.
Robert-Tissot has also learned that effective technology should be simple to use.
"The best technology isn't necessarily the most complicated," she attests. "The solutions that succeed are the ones that balance safety, privacy and user experience rather than forcing businesses to compromise on one or the other."
For Robert-Tissot, collaboration is equally important. She takes great pride in the relationships Verifymy has built across the online safety community, from working with organizations such as ASACP to supporting mental health nonprofit Pineapple Support.
"It's encouraging to be part of an industry that's genuinely committed to creating safer online environments through collaboration as much as technology," she says.
Bringing More Voices to the Table
Robert-Tissot credits supportive colleagues and leaders with challenging her thinking and encouraging her growth. She has found that same collaborative spirit throughout the trust and safety community and is heartened to see more women claiming space in the historically male-dominated technology field.
"One of the things I've enjoyed most is seeing more women leading conversations around online safety, policy, product development and digital rights," she says.
Earlier this year, Robert-Tissot had the opportunity to lead one of those conversations herself. At the Trust & Safety Forum in Lille, she moderated a panel titled "Keeping Adult Content for Adults Only," bringing together industry leaders to discuss how the sector can continue raising its standards.
"It was a great reminder that some of the most meaningful progress happens when different perspectives come together," she says.
Robert-Tissot would now like to see that progress reach even further, with more women stepping into technical leadership and executive roles.
"Diverse perspectives are essential when you're building products that impact millions of people online," she affirms. "Better representation ultimately leads to better outcomes."
Robert-Tissot has helped establish a Women in Business network and facilitated International Women's Day discussions, giving women across the industry opportunities to connect and share their experiences. Her advice to women building their careers is simple:
"Stay curious, ask questions and have the confidence to voice your perspective," she offers. "Don't feel you need to fit a particular mold to succeed - some of the best opportunities come from bringing your own perspective rather than trying to emulate someone else's."
Designing What Comes Next
When Robert-Tissot steps away from the fast-moving world of online safety, she enjoys traveling, staying active and spending time with friends. Her perfect day might begin with an exercise class or a swim at her local lido, followed by good food and even better company.
Robert-Tissot also volunteers as a crisis counselor for a mental health charity that provides free, around-the-clock text support in the U.K. The work differs from her role at Verifymy, yet the same sense of purpose runs through both.
"Both roles ultimately come back to helping create safer experiences for people, whether online or offline," she says.
Looking ahead, Robert-Tissot believes online safety is entering an important new phase.
"Age assurance has rightly dominated the agenda over the last couple of years, but I think we're now entering the next chapter," she says. "The industry is starting to ask much bigger questions around consent, content authenticity, trust and how platforms can better protect users throughout the entire digital journey – not just at the point of entry."
Verifymy is already investing in that future, expanding beyond age assurance into content moderation and consent management technologies. Robert-Tissot expects the adult industry to help lead the way.
"It's often the first place where new trust and safety technologies are tested, refined and deployed at scale, meaning innovations developed here increasingly influence how the wider internet approaches online safety," she says.
For the remainder of 2026, Robert-Tissot looks forward to continuing these conversations with platforms, regulators and industry partners around the world. She hopes to help move the industry beyond fulfilling regulatory obligations and toward building a genuinely better digital environment for everyone.
"It feels like we're moving beyond compliance towards genuinely improving how people experience the internet," she says. "I think that's one of the most important technology challenges of the next decade."
