Winners of the Black British Business Awards 2016

The awards, which recognise rising stars in categories including finance, technology, arts and sciences, took place at the Grange St Paul’s Hotel in London on 6th October 2016, with over 450 guests in attendance.

Fourteen outstanding business men and women were celebrated, with Chi Chi I Nwanoku MBE, FRAM, receiving the highest accolade of Black British Business Person of 2016. Chi Chi is a Principal Double Bassist and the co-founder of the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment and Founder of The Chineke ! Foundation. The foundation has been established to provide career opportunities for young BME classical musicians in the UK and Europe.

The Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment has been made an Associate Orchestra of the South Bank Centre, was shortlisted for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award, and has had their work featured in the Government’s White Paper on Culture.

Also among the female winners was Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Miss Samantha Zoisa Tross, who was awarded the Image Award for setting a record of excellence that has made a lasting contribution to people of African and Caribbean heritage in Britain. 

The Awards were founded by Melanie Eusebe and Sophie Chandauka and were sponsored by a diverse range of companies, including Barclays, Bloomberg, J.P Morgan and Cisco. On the awards, Chair and Co-Founder Eusebe said:

‘These individual achievements highlight the breadth and depth of business talent across the UK and show that an individual’s potential to succeed should not be governed by the colour of their skin’

Both The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Prime Minister Theresa May MP have released statements regarding the event, with The Prime Minister passing her warmest congratulations to those shortlisted:

‘They are all helping to build a diverse, dynamic workforce that will help our economy grow. All the nominees should be incredibly proud of their achievements and I wish them all the best luck with their future endeavours’.

The Mayor of London’s statement of support thanked the nominees, but also reflected on the future of Britain’s boardrooms:

‘…However, there is still much more to do, for example in ensuring that Britain’s boardrooms look more like Britain, and I support the work that the Black British Business Awards does in this area’.

Here’s the full list of winners: 

Black British Person of 2016

Chi Chi Nwanoku MBE

Image Award Winner

Samantha Tross

Network Impact Winners

Bloomberg

Financial Services Leader of the Year

Carol Lake – Managing Director, International Markets, Corporate Responsibility, J.P. Morgan

Financial Services Rising Star

Charlene Brown – Legal Counsel, Bank of New York Mellon

Arts & Media  Leader of the Year

Misan Sagay – Screenwriter and Producer

Arts & Media  Rising Star

Timothy Armoo – CEO, Fanbytes

Professional Services Leader of the Year

Walter H. White Jr – Partner, McGuireWoods LLP

Professional Services Rising Star

Winnie Annan-Forson – HR Business Partner, Barclays

Consumer & Luxury leader of the Year 

Najoh Tita-Reid – VP and Country Division Head at Bayer Consumer Health for UK & Ireland, Bayer plc

Consumer & Luxury Rising Star 

Antony Pink – Co-Founder and COO, Laundrapp

Entrepreneur Leader of the Year 

Damian Melville – Director, Melville & Daughters Funeral Directors &nbs p;

Entrepreneur Rising Star 

Dumi Oburota – Founding Director, Disturbing London Records Limited

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Leader of the Year  

Marcia Boakye-Keating – Oncology Team Leader, Roche Products Limited

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Rising Star

Jonathan Lule – Energy Project Manager, EDF Energy

For more information and to see a full list of the Sponsors and Judging Panel, CLICK HERE

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