The Exeter MBA Leading Edge Series: Black History Month - Making your way as a black entrepreneur

As part of Black History Month, broadcaster and journalist Brenda Emmanus will chair a panel of black entrepreneurs who will discuss and share their experiences on becoming successful and respected professionals within their field.

Brenda, who has appeared on a number of programmes on BBC One, BBC Radio Two, ITV, Sky and Radio 4, will be in conversation with Erika Brodnock, a multi-award winning entrepreneur (including Female Entrepreneur of the Year and Intel’s Global Business Challenge). Erika is Sky News’ resident parenting expert; founder of software companies Karisma Kidz and Kami; a Non-Executive Director of The Good Play Guide; and advisor to several start-ups. Erika is also a Co-Founder at Extend Ventures CIC (www.extend.vc) where she is leading pioneering research that aims to democratise access to venture finance for historically untapped ethnic entrepreneurs. She is also Research Fellow at King’s College London and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Joining Erika on the panel will be Jabo Butera, a successful business entrepreneur and Founder and Managing Director of Diversity Business Incubator, a business hub for minority ethnicity entrepreneurs providing advice, training and mentorship to harness the entrepreneurship in the community, create wealth and a rise in start-up businesses from the BAME community. Jabo is also an independent advisor to Devon and Cornwall Police and is on the Policy Advisory Board on South West Business Council.

In addition, the panel will feature leading talent and diversity expert Pavita Cooper. Pavita is the founder of More Difference, a talent and career insight business that works with individuals and organisations to promote and accelerate talent in all its forms. She has over 25 years’ experience working as a global head of talent across a range of blue-chip organisations and acts as a professional advisor to CEOs, executive teams and business leaders.

This event is part of The Leading Edge series from The Exeter MBA. The series has been designed to bring together some of the world’s most prestigious thinkers leading social and environmental change to discuss the most pressing global challenges facing businesses, organisations and humanity. Delegates will have the opportunity to ask questions and share ideas with some of the biggest names in responsible and creative leadership, taking insight from these prestigious thinkers to apply to current or future work practices.

About the Exeter MBA

The Exeter MBA, based within the Exeter Centre for Leadership at the University of Exeter, has been recognised among the leading MBA programmes in the world by CEO Magazine’s 2019 Global MBA rankings. The programme seeks to prepare managers from around the world for the responsibility of leadership and provide the space and opportunity to learn about and apply ideas at the fore of positive change. For more information visit http://business-
school.exeter.ac.uk/study/masters/mba/