Black British Initiative

Challenged, energised and supported. 💥 These were the gifts of hosting a Masterclass this week titled "Championing Black Entrepreneurship." As part of a Monks x MBA30 Black British Initiative event, 30 Black, creative and aspiring entrepreneurs were invited to attend the first in a series of Masterclasses delivered by Monks. What better way to start our partnership than with Strategy - a disciple and practice that is in my bones. Black History Month, for me, is a time to demonstrate the principle of Each One Teach One. Addressing structural and race based inequality by passing on core skills, useful tools and approaches that drive business success is one way to invite more people into professional spaces. The privilege was entirely mine to have been in the company of a focussed group of entrepreneurs with professional experience and ambitions as interesting and valuable as they themselves are: from architecture to the law; financial investments to youth mentoring, and poetry as a means of combatting racism. Thank you to the UK&I DE&I Taskforce including Melissa N. Tassia Quirino Rian English-Adams and for the BBI team led by Darren Miller for standing up such an important initiative! #BlackHistoryMonthUK #Strategy #MonksXBBI #BlackEntrepreneurs #MasterClass #EachOneTeachOne

It's a personal milestone and honour to speak at this year’s UK Black Business Week | UK Black Business Show, founded by Dr. Raphael Sofoluke. Normally confined to the engine room so to speak, J.P. Morgan Private Bank offered me this incredible platform to raise awareness of MBA 30 and it would of been rude and more, not to take up this fantastic opportunity for Black British Initiative Chosen randomly, on Saturday 19th October at 3.40pm, three entrepreneurs from different MBA 30 cohorts, will join me on stage to share details of their remarkable businesses. Those present, will hear directly what it takes to build a business, challenges they overcame, triumphs and their vision for the future. A special thank you to Dean Ricketts MBA 30 Cohort six commences on 13th January 2025 and interested parties should express their interest now https://lnkd.in/eDHiapHG Contact: mba@blackbritishinitiative.com

My father was an entrepreneur. He emigrated from Saint Vincent in the West Indies to the United Kingdom in 1958. He didn't go to university, but through hard graft, determination and rock-solid ambition to have a better life, he was running his own company at the age of 24.   Stories such as these are common in black and brown communities. And for #BlackHistoryMonth - we should be sharing them. I admired my father’s ambition, work ethic and natural thirst for learning, but I often wonder what he would have achieved if he had the networks and formal education.   In the UK today, disparities in wealth continue along ethnic lines. For every £1 of White wealth, Black Caribbean households have 20p and Black African 10p*. Black businesses in the UK have an average turnover of just £25,000 per annum – below the UK’s average salary (36K).  In part, this is because higher education for Black entrepreneurs is often out of reach, so they establish their companies without the access and social mobility that education and privilege provide.   The Black British Initiative aims to redress this inequity by providing this access. They offer an accredited executive program called MBA 30, delivered by industry leaders and faculty staff at SOAS London University. The key lessons of a full MBA are distilled into this programme, which brings black entrepreneurs together and builds key business management skills.   I joined as a trustee in July 2023, and since June this year, I’ve been acting as the interim chair. I’m thrilled to say that this initiative has been amazingly successful, with 5 cohorts - roughly 85 leaders - completing this course.   Initiatives such as these go beyond the people involved. If we unlock black potential in the UK, the UK’s GDP would receive a significant boost – worth up to £100 billion.** The MBA 30 is a transformative and ground-breaking opportunity aimed at rebalancing the economic barriers to education and it will continue to build from strength to strength. A huge thanks to our industrious CEO, Darren Miller and our inaugural chair, Lord Dr Michael Hastings CBE and trustees Andrew Xeni & Ruby-Jade Aryiku. If only this program had been available when my father came to England, he and his peers would have soared to bigger heights, even beyond their imagination 🚀 *Runnymede Trust **CRÈME 'Time to Change' Report

Join us during Baby Loss Awareness Week, for an evening of connection, support, and healing as we remember our precious little ones. A Safe Space: Event for Baby Loss Awareness Week 📅 Date: 15th October 2024 🕒 Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM 📍 Location: 115 new Cavendish Street, Westminster, W1W 6UW Whether your loss is recent or from years past, this event is open to anyone who has faced the heartache of baby loss. It’s also for friends and family who want to stand in support of their loved ones during this challenging time. Together, we will cultivate a nurturing environment where we can share our experiences, partake in the “Wave of Light” ceremony🕯️, and pay tribute to our cherished babies. You are not alone in this; your emotions are valid, and your healing journey matters. Let’s unite in love and compassion, feel free to bring a friend, a family member, or attend solo, everyone is welcome! RSVP now, and If you know someone who has experienced baby loss, please share this event with them. 🤝 https://lnkd.in/e4Pw3WX2 #BabyLossAwarenessWeek #InfantLossSupport #PregnancyLoss #CommunityHealing #TogetherInGrief #WaveOfLight #YouAreNotAlone

Today, I had the pleasure of joining some of the MBA30 Cohort, who are all like minded Black entrepreneurs, for a highly insightful legal masterclass, delivered by some of the team at Rosenblatt & Memery Crystal as part of the MBA30 course organised by the Darren Miller from the Black British Initiative. It 's always great to be in a room full of ambitious, driven individuals, all united by a shared vision of success, growth, and empowerment. The team took time out of their busy schedules to share invaluable knowledge and insights, offering us not just legal expertise, but practical tools that we can immediately implement to strengthen our businesses and navigate the complexities of the entrepreneurial landscape. The depth of insight provided on Establishing a Company, Raising Funds, Employment Law, Legal Pitfalls, Disputes and more was both eye-opening and empowering. It’s moments like these that remind me of the importance of having a strong support network, and how impactful it is when experts step up to help guide the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. Huge thanks to Luther Kisanga, Lucie Burniston, Jaden Cramer, Joelle Bisimwa, Lesley Gregory and the rest of the team for their contribution to our growth and success. The knowledge shared today will play a pivotal role in shaping our journeys forward. I’m excited to put these learnings into action and continue to build on the momentum. #Learning #Entrepreneurship #EventIndustry #InclusiVision

When the amazing Natalia Gamero del Castillo Calleja shared, Condé Nast reaches more than a billion people, the power wielded by this foremost group became immediately clear. Interestingly, the Vogue brand alone attracts 170 million social media followers and receives 500 million social video views on TikTok, Instagram and more. As Condé Nast’s regional Managing Director, Natalia is ultimately responsible for everything that occurs in Western Europe , Middle East and Mexico/LATAM and so, I immediately understood why at times, she gets home less than five times in a month. For the uninitiated, Condé Nast is one of the world's most renowned media companies boasting a stable of exceptional influential brands including GQ, Vanity Fair, Tatler, Glamour, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, AD, House and Garden, World of Interiors, Wired and of course Vogue, where Icon Anna Wintour, serves as Artistic Director and Global Chief Content Officer in the USA. Regardless of her punishing schedule, Natalia has now contributed to MBA 30 twice, sharing her vision and lessons about how the group pivoted from print to digital and now entertainment and film. There were lessons for any entrepreneur or intrapreneur and Natalia was simply inspiring. The class felt privileged, to not only hear directly from this incomparable business leader but also, to have questions addressed by a highly qualified expert. Mark Russell your presence was very much appreciated too

Later today, Black British Initiative's MBA 30 Cohort Five hears from business super stars and Sunday Times Best-selling authors Bianca Miller - Cole and Dr Byron Cole. For those who maybe unaware, Bianca was the first Black female finalist on the hugely successful and iconic business show ‘The Apprentice’, often watched by 10 million viewers. Her enterprising concept of hosiery for women of all skin tones was revolutionary and was subsequently stocked by household names such as Selfridges.   Building on that success and know how, Bianca evolved into a world-class keynote speaker and marketing expert, advising some of the most established and respected globally renowned companies on the importance of personal branding. Her roster of clients is enviable and includes Apple, HSBC, Accenture, AMEX, CMS LLP, Clifford Chance, Facebook, Google, BT, EY, LSE and Kings College London to name a few.   From a selection of over 40 million members, LinkedIn has acknowledged Bianca as being in the top 10 most powerful business leaders and in 2018 was commended as a ‘Forbes 30 under 30’, an annual list of 30 people under 30 years old who are making a difference in their industries.   Joining forces with Dr Byron Cole, they have written Sunday Times Best Sellers including Self Made, The Business Survival Kit and Rich Forever ‘What they didn’t teach you about money finance and investment at school’.   Black British Initiative and SOAS University of London look forward to welcoming Bianca and Byron and thank them sincerely for ‘sending the elevator back down’, by sharing their boundless wisdom and experience with MBA 30 Cohort Five’s, gifted group of established and burgeoning entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.   #BBI #entrepreneurship