10 Black British Business leaders you should know about
In the aftermath of George Floyd and the BLM awakening that is still continuing even if it slips from the headlines, people have rallied to support black businesses large and small. June 27th saw the first Black Pound Day, a day encouraging everyone to spend money with local and online UK Black-owned businesses.
We’ve seen a variety of black businesses get a well-deserved boost, as well as discovering there truly is a black business for everything! While a widespread public rally to support these businesses is fairly recent, there have been a wealth of Black British business people who have long been doing amazing work in their respective industries.
Here are 10 Black British business leaders to watch in 2020 and beyond.
Tobi Oredein
Tobi Oredein is an award-winning women's lifestyle journalist, media entrepreneur and international public speaker based in London, who focuses on race, feminism, beauty politics & popular culture. Oredein is the founder of Black Ballard a UK based platform that tells the human experience through the eyes of black British women.
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE
Just 20 years old when she received her Master’s Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Oxford, Imafidon is the founder of Stemettes, a social enterprise which encourages girls aged 5–22 to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
William Adoasi
William Adoasi is the founder of Vitae London, a watch brand supporting social causes. Each watch sold supports a child’s life by providing key resources for education. Adoasi’s customers include Richard Branson, Ava DuVernay & the President of Ghana.
Raphael Sofoluke
Raphael Sofoluke is the founder of The UK Black Business Show, the UK’s biggest dedicated trade show for black business owners. Last year, the show had over 2,500 attendees and 110 businesses from across Europe and Africa.
Kike Oniwinde
Kike Oniwinde is the founder and CEO of BYP Network, a digital platform described as LinkedIn for black young professionals. that connects black professionals with each other and corporations. Today, the BYP Network has 30,000 members in 65 countries and is growing fast.
Marvyn Harrison
An advertising executive from London, Marvyn Harrison, founded Dope Black Dads with the aim of creating a safe digital space designed to change the narrative around black fathers through the lens of parenting, marriage, co-habiting, mental health, physical health, politics and more. In 2018 this venture also became a podcast.
Yvonne Bajela
Yvonne is a Founding Member and Principal at Impact X Capital LLP, a UK based venture capital firm investing in underrepresented entrepreneurs. Yvonne was previously a Senior Investment Manager at Mitsui & Co. and was the youngest investment manager across the 90,000 global employees within the group. There she led over $200 million in investments in companies including TransferWise and Blackswan Data.
Dr Tunde Okewale MBE
Dr Tunde Okewale grew up in a council estate in Hackney, East London and was the first person in his family to attend university and obtain a degree. In 2010, he founded Urban Lawyers, a multi-media education and information center designed to educate, engage and stimulate discussion amongst young people about their attitudes towards criminal law, policing and personal responsibility. Urban Lawyers also provides resources, information and opportunities for young people to secure work and/or experience in the legal profession.
Timothy Armoo
Timothy Armoo is the 24-year-old CEO of Fanbytes, a mobile video advertising platform helping brands like Deliveroo, Apple Music and even the UK Government reach Gen Z through TikTok, Snapchat and Tiktok influencers. Having started Fanbytes in university, Timo has been preaching the gospel about Gen Z marketing featuring in BBC, Forbes and Tedx as well as winning awards including the Huffington Post Entrepreneur Award.
Bola Sol
Bola Sol is a Financial Wellness Coach. She studied Mathematics and Finance and found passion in helping women coming together to discuss money matters. Sol founded Refined Currency in 2015 after realising that women were hardly involved in the conversation when it came to finance. She has also founded sister company Rich Girl Chronicles, a money accountability group for women looking to be empowered by their finances and hosts podcast "The Last Three Digits".
Those are just 10 Black British business trailblazers to keep an eye out for For even more #BlackExcellence check out the full Forbes list, complete with social media handles so you can watch them continue to rise. For more positive Black content follow Black Happiness Matters across social media or sign up to our BHM Club newsletter today!
