LONDON, October 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Over 100 of the nation's future Black leaders attended an
insight event to learn from leading Black, Asian and Minority
Ethnic (BAME) figureheads. The event was held at global law firm
Reed Smith's London offices.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/340263LOGO )
At the event, future leaders were given the opportunity to
listen to the personal career stories of six high-powered business
leaders. Moderating and opening the discussion was founder of
Generation Success James Adeleke. James launched the not for profit
to support diversity within the workplace and tackle the issue of
under-representation of BAME talent in particular. Having struggled
himself with finding BAME role models whilst growing up - James
admits he would have named an all-white list including Bill Gates, Elong Musk and the PayPal Mafia
(Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman, Luke
Nosek and Ken Howery who have become billionaires)
if asked - he recognises first-hand the need for young
professionals and students to be inspired by BAME senior
leaders.
Next to share their story was Reed
Smith partner Gautam Bhattarchyya. Gautam grew up in
North London, and admits to not
getting the best grades but utilising his drive, energy and
willingness to learn to build his career. Despite already achieving
career highlights such as being the law firm's founding managing
partner in Singapore, he said he
"still has more to achieve". Gautam shared an important lesson for
the audience: what defines you is not your success but what you do
with it; to mentor and to open doors for others is far more
valuable than can be quantified or put into words.
This sentiment was echoed by others on the night, who each
shared their own tips for success. Ursula
Henry Head of Membership, Funding and Communications at the
Banking Standards Board Ursula Henry's story truly struck a chord.
She quoted Bob Marley, telling the
audience 'you never know how strong you are unless being strong is
all you have', while Catherine George EMEA Campus Lead at Amazon
Web Services emphasised to the audience that they are the owners of
their own futures.
The event also featured an inspiring success story from 17-year
old whizz kid Dalton Scott who spoke
of how despite the challenges he has faced, he has worked to
upskill himself to compete with developers with 10 years'
experience. He is now applying to study at Oxford.
The panel discussion was preceded by an hour of one-to-one speed
mentoring. The eight mentors taking part were: Paul Morrison, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Education Sector Lead, BELC Regional Co-ordinator EMEA and
BBBAwards finalist; Geoffrey
Williams, Director, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, EMEA at
Thomson Reuters; Sharon Sayles Belton former Mayor of
Minneapolis, Minnesota (the first
African American and first woman to hold that position) and now
Vice President of Community Relations and Government Affairs at
Thomson Reuters Legal business; Sab Jhoti, a serial entrepreneur
who built the 2nd largest adventure camera company before selling
it earlier this year; Katie
Litchfield, Executive Director at the Financial Times;
Daniel Burnand Associate at Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP (Law);
Derek Tuitt, Managing Director at
Navigate Organisation LTD; Vivienne Aiyela, Chairperson of the FA
Anti Disciplinary Panel at the Football Association
The goal for all is to see an increase in BAME corporate board
membership and those in the audience were told to dream big! "In
order for us to achieve more black board members future leaders
need to see themselves there and work each day on achieving that
goal" said Dr Yvonne Thomson.
The event received great feedback, with attendees describing it
as "inspiring" and "fostering an inclusive culture whereby everyone
felt that they were on the same journey despite their
seniority".
The evening closed with guest networking and a raffle with all
the speakers donating a prize of one hour of their time towards
mentoring.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic
international law firm, dedicated to helping blue-chip clients move
their businesses forward.
Its long-standing relationships, international outlook and
collaborative structure make it a go-to partner for speedy
resolution of complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory
matters.
About Generation Success
Generation Success is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated
towards ensuring that young professionals from less privileged
backgrounds are granted equality in the recruitment process.
Generation Success motivates young graduates to pursue their career
aspirations through orchestrating network events with leading
industry experts, who offer their invaluable knowledge and
guidance.
The foundations and underpinnings upon which Generation Success
now proudly stands can be found in the debris of the 2011 London
Riots. Founder James Adeleke, a Law graduate from BPP
University proudly speaks of how these ruinous riots, and the
tabloids labelling of today's 'lost generation' inspired him to
make a change and create exciting opportunities to save today's
youths. Generation Success is James' way of helping to ensure that
every young person has the chance to shine.
James says, "I believe that we are limited by the boundaries of
our minds, so I am always trying to expand mine- and to help others
to do the same."
Contact
Generation Success
James Adeleke
Email: James@generation-success.com
Telephone Number: +44(0)788-302-8775
Reed Smith
April French
PR Manager
Email afrench@reedsmith.com
Telephone +44(0)-203-116-2557