The organizers of the Black British Business Awards are grooming to make the 7th edition of the event a reality, even as the world is battling to get loose from the tight-fisted grasp of the pandemic. Recently, the organizers announced its 2020 finalists representing some of the British best black talent across all facets of industries.
Launched in United Kingdom in 2014, the awards gear to celebrate and recognize “the often unsung contributions of exceptional black business professionals and entrepreneurs” in arts and media, consumer and luxury, entrepreneurs, financial services, professional services, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).
The finalists this year were painstakingly selected, not only for their personal and professional achievements, but against the ravaging downtime of the coronavirus and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The co-founders of the event, Melanie Eusebe and Sophie Chandauka, called this year’s finalists “some of the most determined and innovative black leaders in the UK”.
“What particularly shines through is the variety of professions; from a founder of a revolutionary equine nutrition system to a book publisher and managing directors at top financial corporations. These exceptional individuals should be extremely proud of their achievements, they are inspiring the next generation of black talent to challenge convention and follow in their footsteps.”
However, the winners for each category will be announced during a virtual awards ceremony scheduled to hold on October 2.
Here are the 2020 finalists:
Arts & Media Rising Star
- Magdalene Abraha – Publisher at Jacaranda Books
- Malakaï Sargeant – Director of Theatre Peckham
- Nnena Nwakodo – Producer at Bartle Bogle Hegarty
Arts & Media Leader of the Year
- Anthony Andrews – Co-founder and Creative Director of We Are Parable
- Denise Maxwell – Director and Lead Photographer at Lensi Photography
- Gail Babb – Lecturer and Deputy Director of BA Performance at Goldsmith University
Consumer & Luxury Rising Star
- Iré Hassan-Odukale – Managing Director at Ikoyi
- Rachael Corson and Joycelyn Mate – Co-founders of Afrocenchix
- Sarah-Jane Bampoe-Addo – Senior Program Manager at Amazon
Consumer & Luxury Leader of the Year
- Brandie Deignan – Managing Director at Marco Pierre White Restaurants
- Nigel and Victoria Ogunniyi – Co-founders of FAVOUR Catering and Events
Sandra Murphy – Founder of Equidiet UK Ltd
Entrepreneur Rising Star
- Ayesha Ofori – CEO and Founder of Black Property Network
- Izzy Obeng – Founder of Foundervine
- Wilfred Fianko, Stephen Boakye and Peter Olowe – Co-founders of Cornerstone Partners
Entrepreneur Leader of the Year
- Julia Senah – Clinical Director of Almond Care Limited
- Sanmi Adegoke – CEO of Rehoboth Property International
- Trevor Robinson OBE – Founder and Executive Creative Director of Quiet Storm Financial Services
Rising Star
- Lewis Sinclair Parry – Associate of Rothschild & Co
- Mariolla Baffour – Vice President, Securities Division of Goldman Sachs
- Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy – Digital Product Manager at Barclays
Financial Services Leader of the Year
- Anulika Ajufo – Head of Investments (Africa and Middle East) and Global Head of Investment Consulting, The Sagana Group
- Gavin Lewis – Managing Director, Head of UK LGPS at BlackRock
- Kene Ejikeme – Managing Director, Securities Division at Goldman Sachs
Professional Services Rising Star
- Alex Alleyne – Enterprise Sales Lead at Amazon Web Services
- Anthony Ojukwu – Associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
- Natalie Carter – Senior Associate at Greenberg Traurig LLP
Professional Services Leader of the Year
- Bennard Owusu – Senior Partner at BWF Solicitors
- Nnenna Ilomechina – Managing Director and Partner, Strategy, Communications, Media, Tech at Accenture
- Segun Osuntokun – London Office Managing Partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
STEM Rising Star
- Frida Nzaba – Advanced Manufacturing Engineer at Rolls-Royce Plc
- Georgia Thompson – Design Co-ordinater at BAM Nuttall Ltd
- Ninarita Williams – Project Manager at Transport for London
STEM Leader of the Year
- Dr Abdullahi Sheriff – Executive, Solutions Strategy, Strategic Partnerships & Solutions, Europe at GE Healthcare
- Cecil Peters – Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase & Co
- Obum Ekeke – Global Lead, University Relations & Educational Partnerships at DeepMind
- Rachael Palmer – Head of VC and Start-up Partnerships, EMEA at Google
