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WINNERS 2022
Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural Evenfields Black Talent Awards.
Employee Winners
Charitable, Voluntary and Social Change
Tamina Greaves
Tamina Greaves is a Senior Crown Prosecutor on the Serious Violence and Organised Crime Unit at CPS West Midlands. Her role includes advising the police on investigative enquiries, making charging decisions on criminal matters and case managing prosecutions from start to finish. Aside from that, Tamina is Co-Chair at Birmingham Black Lawyers and aims to increase diversity in the legal profession in the Birmingham and West Midlands region.
Kishma Bolaji
Kishma Bolaji is a Principal Associate and practises medical negligence at Shoosmiths LLP. Like Tamina, she is also Co-Chair of Birmingham Black Lawyers – highly passionate about helping aspiring and junior lawyers from African and Caribbean backgrounds. Outside of BBL, Kishma is a school governor at her local primary school and loves to engage in public speaking to inspire the youth.
Marketing, Media and Creative
Nadine White
Nadine White works as a Race Correspondent for The Independent. She reports on perspectives from within Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and places these stories on the forefront of the news agenda to create awareness. She made her entry into journalism in 2012 where she got her first by-line for a community publication.
Professional Services, Legal & Accounting
Ruth Reid
Ruth Reid is a criminal barrister at 3 Temple Gardens Chambers, London undertaking defence and prosecution work. As a criminal barrister, Ruth aims to represent her clients to the best of her ability and provides sound advice and is also an advocate on her client’s behalf. Apart from her professional engagements, she is passionate about equality and social justice and is highly active in outreach and volunteer work.
Public Sector Services, NHS
and Education
Angela Moore
Angela Moore is the Head Teacher at St Antony’s Catholic Primary School. She works in collaboration with the wider community and leadership boards to ensure children are offered the best quality education. As a result of the work she has done with both children and staff, Angela feels proud that she has made a positive difference in their lives. She enjoys working with young people because they inspire her!
Utilities, Energy &
Telecommunications
Aphra Brooks-Barnes
Aphra Brooks-Barnes is the HR Director at TalkTalk and has extensive experience in business Management. Her role at TalkTalk involves different HR specialisms to drive business performance through people to champion culture and diversity. She enjoys helping others and has most recently signed up to the University of Salford mentoring scheme to coach black students through their studies.
Senior Leaders
Wayne Brown
A Deputy Chief Fire Officer at @westmidsfire and a highly experienced Principal Officer in his 30th year. As well as being a director at @999Cenotaph, Wayne supports a charity to raise money for the UK's first 999 Cenotaph. Wayne has been awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, Most Influential Black Individual in Fire, and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal earlier this year.
Solopreneurs
Yelitza Smith
Yelitza Smith, CEO of Afroboy. Afroboy work with children on a daily basis as teacher, coach and youth workers. Their team inspire young readers through positive representation in literature. Serving to inspire positive energy, fun, play, laughter and learning.
Highly Commended
Miah Bailey - Rising Star
Miah Bailey is the Employability Advisor at Birmingham City University. She works with a range of key stakeholders including students, staff and external partners such as employers, businesses and creative entrepreneurs. The main remit of her role is to support 1st and 2nd year students in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media, offering career and placement based advice. Aside from work, Miah enjoys jewellery making and set up her own side hustle in the hopes to one day add jewellery-making to a series of creative workshops.
James Dornor - STEM, Manufacturing & Construction
Electronics Support Engineer at Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, with a combination of 12-years experience in automotive & motorsport industries, he is responsible for maintaining all on & off car electronics/systems on a wide range of historic Mercedes AMG F1 cars, driven by Sir Lewis Hamilton. He is an AFBE-UK Executive Board member focusing on engineering industry events and passionate STEM ambassador, advocating for the community.
Marcell Edwards - FMCG, Retail, Hospitality and Tourism
Marcell Edwards works for Adidas in the Global Talent Acquisition team, he connects the brand to future employees. Marcell is also the chair of their Race Ethnicity & Culture Global ERG ‘The Unity Group’ which ensures their voices, concerns, and culture differences are heard and felt by the company. Part of his role is to advise how to approach the market from a diversity equity & inclusion angle.
Financial Services, Insurance and Accounting
Yinka Fadina
Yinka Fadina is Head of Audit at Natwest and is responsible for delivering Natwest’s strategic objectives. She is also responsible for co-leading the Natwest Group - Racial Equality Taskforce to examine and identify key barriers facing Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic colleagues, customers and communities. In addition to her many accomplishments, she produced the first survey on Race in Banking, which resulted in one of the most diverse responses with over 18% from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic colleagues.
FMCG, Retail, Hospitality
and Tourism
Daniel Braithwaite
Daniel Braithwaite is Managing Director at Pertemps Network Catering, he manages and leads his team of recruitment consultants. Daniel operates the catering and hospitality sector working with a variety of clients from the hotel industry as well as contract caterers. Having started his career as an apprentice in recruitment, he has always been passionate about sales.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths, Manufacturing & Construction
Donnett Edwards
Donnett Edwards is an Operations Manager and former Chair of @hs2ltd's REACH Network, where she provides strategic leadership to the Network in EDI. Donnett successfully set up the leadership committee whilst also having achieved much more such as delivering activities to raise the profile of BAME colleagues.
Rising Star
Yeshua Carter
Yeshua Carter is a consultant at EY’s People Advisory Service, supporting Network Rail. He is also the founder and lead of a creative intervention programme called EY Outreach that helps to improve the lives of ‘most at risk young people’ by delivering Creative intervention and Culture Change programmes. Outside of work, Yeshua has led a social mobility initiative called Dear Younger project – subproject for the First Class Foundation charity. This project supports young BME men between the ages of 16 and 25 by creating culturally informed spaces to help with their mental and emotional wellbeing.
Team winners
Team Winners
Charitable, Voluntary and Social Change
First Class Foundation
First Class Foundation is a Black Led and Black female owned charity. This charity supports young people and their families to reduce youth violence, improve mental health resilience and connect young people and their families to their purpose. They promote a safe and supportive environment, where employees and stakeholders can share their thoughts and ideas on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. First Class Foundation have created a Leaders Lounge to help cultivate the gifts and talents that are within the individuals, giving Black Talent a seat at the table.
Diversity Ally
The Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship at Aston University
The Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship at Aston University (CREME) is the leading research centre for Black and ethnic minority entrepreneurship in Europe. CREME have demonstrated a 25 year commitment to Black entrepreneurship in the UK and have led the first study of access to finance and ethnic minority entrepreneurship in the UK in 2000. In recent years, CREME co-founded two documentaries to promote Black entrepreneurship: ‘Black New Street’ and ‘SHE’.
Large Business
The Inclusion Diversity & Equity Team at KPMG
The Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Team at KPMG UK are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all colleagues thrive and reach their full potential, whatever their identity or background. The team has been driving change at the firm and formulating strategies to make KPMG the most inclusive employer. The team convene and collaborate with a number of external organisations to drive change in this area. They are represented on the BiTC Race Equality Leadership Team, Black Leaders Network, Black Professional Services Collective and CBI BAME in Tech group.
Small Business
SENtre Childcare
SENtre Childcare provide innovative childcare to children with autism. Providing parents with a brain break and time for self-care. They opened in November 2021 and have already helped children increase their speech, reduce their behaviours and anxiety and helped their daily lives and the lives of their families. SENtre Childcare are currently working with the council to provide funded spaces to use for children who cannot find school placements.
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