TOP 10 - SOCIAL IMPACT
Black Britain Unspoken
Black Britain Unspoken, part of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Access, aims to give opportunity and voice to Black British filmmakers who are breaking into the industry, as data shows Black people continue to be underrepresented across director, writer, and producer roles in the UK.
Launched in 2022, the programme gives filmmakers a pitch-to-production experience, and an opportunity to bring their creative vision to life.
Delivered in collaboration with Media Trust, three aspiring filmmakers are given professional development and tailored workshops focused on media training and career progression.
Creative Access
Creative Access creates practical DE&I programmes that open up career access, help people thrive in the creative industries and create real impact. It works with hundreds of partners across film, TV, the arts, theatre, museums, advertising, publishing and beyond and supports thousands of individuals each year, from groups historically under-represented in the sector in terms of ethnicity, disability and lower socio-economic status, to access new careers and thrive in their existing ones.
Cross Company Allyship Programme
Amara is a computer scientist turned DE&I programme manager. She leads KPMG’s trailblazing Cross Company Allyship Programme (CCAP), a mentoring programme for the “global majority”. CCAP has expanded beyond UK shores with more than 1,000 participants across 40 organisations. She is a self-published author who is passionate about increasing diversity in children’s literature. Prior to joining KPMG, Amara ran a literacy programme, uniform swap shop and is a trustee at the Museum of Homelessness. She brings with her extensive experience at a tier-one investment bank where she chaired the firm’s Muslim Network, which went on to span several countries under her leadership.
Early Careers
Jacqui has been working for the Financial Times for the last 15 years and in media for around 30 years. Jacqui is the FT DE&I Partner with a remit of creating a portfolio of early career programmes that support the FT’s diversity and inclusion strategy and recruitment goals. Jacqui is also the co-chair of the FT Employee Resource Group FT Access. The FT DE&I Early Careers Programmes offers equity of opportunity to young people from diverse backgrounds, opening the FT’s doors to a young and diverse talent pipeline.
HSBC and Merky Books
HSBC UK, in partnership with #Merky Books, set out on a joint mission to equip future generations with the tools they need to maximise potential, particularly those who are most under-represented.
Following the success of the Stormzy scholarship at the University of Cambridge in 2020, the partnership expanded into schools by providing financial literacy support through the creation of the HSBC x Merky Books Futures series, which enabled authors specialising in financial literacy and entrepreneurialism to connect directly with 14-to-16-year-olds to offer advice to become ‘money smart’ while navigating a challenging economic landscape.
iCAN
iCAN stands for the Insurance Cultural Awareness Network. It is the first UK-based, industry-wide independent network that supports multicultural inclusion and progression across the insurance sector.
Formed in 2017, it has now grown to more than 8,500 members and is supported by 50+ sponsors from across the industry. It has three main programmes: mentoring and training (iCAN INspire), recruitment and careers (iCAN Apply) and iCAN Connect, its support service for organisational DE&I staff, HR staff and Employee Resource Groups.
It also hosts regular networking and business events in the regional hubs of London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Moody's Partnership with Tent Refugees
Moody’s UK Multicultural BRG (MBRG) is our nominee for the Network Group award at the Ethnicity Awards. They have organised events, workshops and initiatives that promote diversity, inclusion and social responsibility among employees, clients and communities. Their work with TENT Refugees, a global organisation that supports refugees and displaced people, is especially remarkable. The TENT mentorship programme helps refugee women to find jobs and integrate in their new environment, while also bringing diverse talents and insights to the organisation. The UK MBRG embodies the values and vision of the ethnicity awards and we are proud to nominate them.
Sadique Maskeen
Umbrella Faith was set up because, as a Muslim, Sadique struggled to find places to pray while out networking, attending events and general meetings at offices. The few that had space or a multi-faith room had no prayer mats at all.
Therefore, the idea was born to not only create awareness within the workplace but to offer businesses in any sector their own customised prayer/wellbeing mats.
Having these mats will only strengthen the relationship between employer and employee, help build a bond and increase general well-being. Plus, having them available for guests/visitors will show your business has provided a unique and great experience and help promote DE&I.
What's The Score
As part of Experian’s Black Professional ERG, Olu led community outreach, advocating for credit score literacy. His team successfully delivered the Experian credit score education programme What’s the Score to schools, impacting thousands of students. Those sessions equipped young minds with essential financial knowledge, setting them on a path toward financial well-being. Through his leadership and mentorship, the team was expanded to 17 colleagues proficient in facilitating educational workshops. Olu was one of the chairs in improving Experian’s educational training materials, making complex credit score concepts accessible and actionable for students.