2020 WINNERS

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

DIONNE WARWICK
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DIONNE WARWICK

Global singer and songwriter.

EQUALITY AWARDS

JADE THIRLWALL & LEIGH ANNE PINNOCK
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JADE THIRLWALL & LEIGH ANNE PINNOCK

The Little Mix members have been vocal about stamping out racism and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

CAMPAIGNER

MARCUS RASHFORD
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MARCUS RASHFORD

Rashford regularly speaks about his culture and racism in football. He recently helped kids receive free school meals during the holidays through his campaign.

GLOBAL IMPACT

CRAIG DAVID
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CRAIG DAVID

Craig Ashley David MBE is a British singer, songwriter, rapper, DJ and record producer who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single “Re-Rewind” by Artful Dodger.

MUSIC ARTIST

RINA SAWAYAMA
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RINA SAWAYAMA

Rina Sawayama is a Japanese-British musician, model and actor who started her solo music career after graduating from Cambridge University in 2012. Rina rapidly attracted the attention of press around her early releases which saw her included in the Dazed100 list and grace the covers of Clash Magazine and Sunday Times Style. In April 2020 she released her debut album “SAWAYAMA” via independent label Dirty Hit which was applauded by critics across the globe and has led her to be featured on the covers of NME, King Kong, DIY and Crash Magazine as well as garnering support from Vogue, BBC, CNN and VICE. Alongside her music career she has also modelled for MAC, Versace, Skull Candy, Mercedes Benz Fashion and GCDS.

INSPIRATIONAL PUBLIC FIGURE

JAMEELA JAMIL
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JAMEELA JAMIL

In 2018 Jameela started an Instagram account to create a safe and radically inclusive space on social media offering a place for original content that explores social issues that stem from mental health to climate change to the representation of marginalised groups. This has now grown into the podcast, I Weigh, which encourages women to share how much they ‘weigh’ when measured in accomplishments, rather than a number on a scale.

ONLINE IMPACT

AMAL FASHANU
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AMAL FASHANU

Amal is a presenter, journalist, fashion designer and activist against homophobia in sport. She produced a BBC3 documentary Britain’s Gay Footballers. Amal is the founder of the Justin Fashanu Foundation and the Black Heart clothing label which promotes activism through fashion. The label is dedicated to her uncle, Justin Fashanu.

BRAND

ARGOS
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ARGOS

Argos’s 2019 Christmas campaign saw the brand embracing diversity with an advert which featured a multi-ethnic daughter and South Asian dad duo drumming together. More recently, the retail giant released an advert which featured a Black lesbian couple and their family, which sparked a racist outrage on social media. Argos responded to the haters, stating: “We’re proud to represent a diverse and inclusive Britain in our advertising. Argos is for everyone.”

MEDIA PROGRESS MOMENT

BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT

BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT

The Black Lives Matter movement is a decentralised political and social movement advocating for non-violent civil disobedience in protest against incidents of police brutality and all racially motivated violence against black people. The movement began with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media in 2013 and returned to national headlines earlier this year in the wake of George Floyd’s killing.

SPORTS PERSONALITY

TRENT ALEXANDER ARNOLD
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TRENT ALEXANDER ARNOLD

At 21-years-old, Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the most decorated football stars in the world having won both the Champions League and Premier League trophies with Liverpool FC. The football hero was a major supporter of this summer’s Black Lives Matter Movement and recently launched ‘Football for Change’ – a charitable initiative aiming to help some of the most disadvantaged young people in the country.

POLITICAL FIGURE

MARSHA DE CORDOVA
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MARSHA DE CORDOVA

Elected as the Labour MP for Battersea in 2017, Marsha de Cordova acts as the Shadow Minister for Disabled People. De Cordova is registered blind and has, in the past, volunteered her time at sight loss charity, Thomas Pocklington Trust. Inclusivity is at the heart of de Cordova’s politics. For example, during her first speech in parliament as an elected MP, she raised the issue of the stagnant disability employment gap and has subsequently spoken out against matters like the Windrush scandal.

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO COMMUNITIES

SHANI DHANDA
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SHANI DHANDA

Shani Dhanda is the founder of the UK’s first ever Asian Woman Festival, aimed at smashing stereotypes and stigma to empower and celebrate Asian Women through culture, art and conversation. She is also a disability campaigner and founded the Asian Disability Network to provide support and education to the Asian community on disability matters.

CHARITY OR COMMUNITY INITIATIVE

BLACK MINDS MATTER
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Black Minds Matter

BLACK MINDS MATTER

Launched against the backdrop of a global pandemic, Black Minds Matter aims to help Black people and their families access mental health care that is professional, culturally appropriate and free. The Black Minds Matter U.K. fund is used to cover the cost of services— including up to 12 sessions of therapy. The charity aims to make mental health topics more relevant and accessible for all Black people in the U.K., removing the stigma and remodelling the services to be relevant for the Black community.

BUSINESS

OUTSTANDING EMPLOYER

LLOYDS BANKING GROUP

Lloyds Banking Group

Lloyds Banking Group is committed to ensuring that our workforce reflects the diversity of our customer base and we were proud to be the first FTSE 100 company in February 2018 to set a public goal to increase B.A.M.E representation at senior levels as part of our Helping Britain Prosper Plan. Our ethnicity strategy is led from the top and supported by comprehensive plans to ensure we make sustainable progress, including targeted career development interventions, a robust focus on increasing visibility of B.A.M.E role models and a range of activities to build cultural awareness understanding and advocacy across our workforce.

FUTURE LEADER

TOLU OKE
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TOLU OKE

Tolu is a seasoned thought leader known for making a significant impact across various industries, with an insatiable passion for diversity and inclusion. With a rich depth of experience in construction and the charity sector, and roles working at companies like Accenture and London South Bank University, she is now transforming the ethnicity and religion agenda at Sainsbury’s. In her ever dwindling spare time, Tolu leads a non profit Christian ministry. She runs international development projects building wells, providing solar energy, sponsoring children, facilitating educational support and providing medical assistance to displaced communities across the world.

INSPIRATIONAL LEADER

ZAHEER AHMAD
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ZAHEER AHMAD

Zaheer has held numerous senior level positions in public and private sector. Currently, he is the Head of Strategic Delivery for Diversity and Inclusion at EY. He leads on Race, Innovation and Thought Leadership strategies at EY. He is also a serving Magistrate sitting in adult criminal court, board member of European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion. He is a member of the HR Guild, fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and member of the Race Advisory Board at the Chartered Management Institute.

WORKPLACE HERO

BERNADETTE THOMPSON
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BERNADETTE THOMPSON

Bernadette joined the Civil Service in 1998, she has held a range of roles across many Government departments. Bernadette is a notable diversity campaigner and public speaker, working with leaders across government to drive a culture of inclusion in the Civil Service and increase the pace on driving representation of BAME employees particularly at more senior grades. For over four years, Bernadette has co-chaired the multi award-winning Race to the Top G6/7 network, a community of interest of BAME Grade 6/7 employees across all Government departments with the main aspiration of increasing BAME representation in the Senior Civil Service.

NETWORK GROUP (ERG)

ONE – NATIONAL GRID

ONE - NATIONAL GRID

National Grid plays a vital role in connecting millions of people to the energy they use, through our regulated utility businesses in the UK and US; with principal operations in electricity and gas transmission and distribution, as well as National Grid Ventures. The ambition is to operate and develop our business in a way that results in a more inclusive culture. The organisation is committed to building a workforce that represents the communities we serve and creating an environment where each individual feels respected, fairly treated, valued and able to reach their full potential.

CHAMPION (ALLY)

Claire Wills
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CLAIRE WILLS

London Managing Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

Claire became managing partner of Freshfields London in 2019. She was made partner in the corporate practice group in 2001 and spent five years as co-head of the firm’s financial institutions industry group. She has built enduring relationships with some of the firm’s top clients across sectors. In all of her roles, Claire has pushed to ensure diversity and inclusion is central to Freshfields’ recruitment and strategy for the future. Claire is a member of the Rugby School Development Board and a Trustee of The Royal Foundation. She is married with two children.

CHAMPION (ALLY)

MATTHEW NEWICK

MATTHEW NEWICK

Partner, Global Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution (L&DR), Clifford Chance

Matthew Newick is a partner at global law firm, Clifford Chance and the firm’s Global Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution (L&DR). He also sits on the firm’s Executive Leadership Group. Matthew is one of five visible Partner Champion’s aligned to the firm’s REACH network and an advocate of ethnic (and all other) diversity and inclusion in the firm. He recognises that inclusion and diversity are critical for achieving both social justice and better businesses. He has made diversity and inclusion an explicit strategic priority for the global L&DR practice and promoted specific action to support this objective.