A new report which highlights what needs to be done to ensure more BAME managers can progress into executive-level management positions within companies has been released by the team behind the Black British Business Awards (BBBAwards).
It’s been six years since the Black British Business Awards arrived on the UK business scene, celebrating the often-unsung contributions of exceptional professionals and entrepreneurs of Black heritage through an annual event. But, the other side of the BBBAwards work involves supporting and facilitating Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) talent into executive roles like chief executive officer and chief finance officer, also known as c-suite roles.
One of the key ways they do this is through their mid-career BAME Talent Accelerator programme which has ushered in BAME middle managers into senior executive roles in leading businesses in the UK, including the likes of Barclays, BT, Bloomberg, Cisco, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, National Grid, Virgin and Visa. The programme blends personal and professional growth, experiential learning and inspiration to deliver a game-changing leadership and career advancement programme.
The BAME Talent Accelerator report, commissioned by Melanie Eusebe and Sophie Chandauka, co-founders of the BBBAwards, follows the successful second iteration of the programme, involving 34 high-potential delegates from 20 significant global corporations in the UK. This critical review offers an in-depth look into the programme and its benefits for companies in terms of accelerating BAME talent into senior roles.
“We are proud of the Talent Accelerator because it is an example of an investment that generates dividends beyond one individual.”
Some of the key recommendations in the report include:
- Changing the narrative around advancing BAME talent from ‘a problem to be solved’ to ‘unlocking the full potential of a significant number of talented professionals’.
- Strategically investing in bespoke leadership advancement programmes that provide senior sponsorship and content, relevant to high potential BAME mid-career professionals with the ambition for further promotion.
- Engaging a network of committed internal senior stakeholders to ensure that formal and informal barriers to success for BAME professionals are eradicated as part of systemic culture change.
Speaking about the report, Melanie Eusebe and Sophie Chandauka, Co-Founders of the Black British Business Awards, said: “We are proud of the Talent Accelerator because it is an example of an investment that generates dividends beyond one individual. It is a ground-breaking programme that challenges all key stakeholders in companies to learn about and positively deal with visibility, structure and practices that disproportionately affect the ability of BAME middle managers to rise through the ranks into senior executive roles.”
Visit the BBBAwards website
