October is the Black History Month and just like we did last year, Untapped FR is participating in this global awareness month by showcasing and featuring 10 of some of the amazing black female entrepreneurs across the UK who are an inspiration to all of us.
1. Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE – Founder of Wintrade Global Women Intra & Entrepreneurs Network.
Yvonne Thompson, CBE, FRSA, is a British business leader, who was a founding member of radio station Choice FM, music editor of Root magazine, managing director of marketing and PR company ASAP Communications, president of the European Federation of Black Women Business Owners. Having started and run her own women in business network for more than 22 years, her skills as a business & personal mentor, placed her as an expert in the business and D&I arena where she has worked for over 35 years.
Game changer, campaigner, activist, she has experience in the Communications, Marketing and PR industry, advising corporates, public sector, educational establishments and government championing equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Learn more about Dr Thompson CBE here
2. Ade Hassan MBE – Founder of Nubian Skin
Adetola Kunle-Hassan, known as Ade Hassan MBE is a British business woman who founded a brand known as Nubian Skin in 2014 after she was unable to purchase clothing for herself in her preferred colours. . Nubia produces nude bra and skin tone hosiery brand for women of colour.
Learn more about Ade and Nubian Skin here
3. Tobi Oredein – Journalist, Entrepreneur and Public Speaker
Tobi Oredein is an award-winning women’s lifestyle journalist, media entrepreneur and international public speaker based in London,,who focuses on race, feminism,beauty politics & popular culture. Tobis is also the founder of Black Ballad, a platform presents the topic of human experience through the eyes of black British women. Tobi’s work focuses on topics including feminism and race. The company was launched in 2017 and has since been seen in brands such as financial times and Waterstones.
Learn more about Tobi and her work here
4. June Angelides MBE – VC at Samos Investments, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Speaker and Writer
June Angelides MBE is the founder of Mums in Tech, the first child-friendly coding school in the UK which taught over 250 women to code in 3 years. She started the school while on her second maternity leave. Born in London and raised in Lagos, June later went on to join Samos Investments in 2018, investing in high growth European businesses. She is passionate about working mothers and involving people of different ethnic backgrounds in tech.
As part of a VC firm she regularly works with brands that have strong ethical values. She a regular contributor and get featured in popular major publications such as the Telegraph, Financial Times, Red magazine and Stylist magazine.
Learn more about June and her work here
5. Fiona Daniel – CEO & Founder FD2i
Fiona Daniel is a qualified diversity and inclusion leader and D&I company award winner with over 15 years’ experience of leading and growing the global diversity & inclusion agenda for one of the largest banking and finance service organisations in the world, including leading the UK as the Head of Diversity and Inclusion. She is passionate about getting different types of people included and involved and works hard to ensure so.
After great success at HSBC she has established her own business and now the CEO and founder of FD2i, focused one driving action which aspires to move from diversity to inclusion, and actively advocating for
inclusion to be a core component of business strategic agendas.
Learn more about Fiona and FD2i here
6. Sharon Watson – CEO and Principal of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Sharon Watson is the fourth Principal of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Sharon graduated from the BPA (Hons) in Contemporary Dance at NSCD after studying at London Contemporary Dance School in 1997. Prior to this she was the longest-standing Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre.
Based in Chapeltown, Leeds, Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) is a leading centre for contemporary dance in the UK, and one of six world-leading schools forming the Conservatoire for Dance & Drama (CDD). NSCD is currently the only institution to offer conservatoire-level professional dance training in the North of England.
Learn more about Sharon Watson and NSCD here
7. Racheal Twumasi- Corson – Co-Founder of Afrocenchix
Rachael Twumasi-Corson is the Co-Founder & CEO at Afrocenchix, an award winning startup creating safe, effective, vegan products for Afro & curly hair. Starting in the UK Racheal has expressed how she sees the company going global with the goal of creating a safe space for those with afro hair and help them manage it. She is an inspiration to young entrepreneurs, specifically young black and female.
Afrocenchix products are created in-house in line with their high ethical & quality standards and have sold over 80,000 products to their customers around world.
Learn more about Rachael here
8. Jay Ann Lopez – Founder of Black Girl Gamers
Jay-Ann is the CEO and Founder of Black Girl Gamers, an online safe space and platform that heightens the visibility of Black Women in Gaming and advocates for diversity in the gaming world. She has in addition to running a global safe space with over 6000 women, partnered with V&A Museum, Belong Gaming Arenas, Facebook and Twitch to curate events that highlight the need for inclusion in the industry, including the industry shaking event Gamer Girls Night in.
Learn more about Jay-Ann and Black Girl Gamers here
9. Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon – Co-Founder, CEO and ‘Head Stemette’
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon (MBE) is the founder of Stemettes, an award-winning social enterprise working across the UK & Ireland and beyond to inspire and support young women and young non-binary people into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths careers (known collectively as STEM). Stemettes’ missiom is to Engage, inform and connect the next generation of women and non-binary people into Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) by showcasing a diversity of people working in STEAM. Dr Imafidon has through her experience also written a book encouraging women in Stem.
Learn more about Jay-Ann and Stemettes here
10. Mary-Ann Msenege – Founder of Farai London
Mary-Ann Msenege is a British-Zimbabwean designer and founder of a clothing brand known as Farai London, a premium womenswear brand designed in the UK, seeking to celebrate the perfect imperfections of every woman. The company’s mission is to redefine womenswear and to produce adventurous bold and beauteous pieces that denote its commitment to superior quality.
Mary-Ann launched her brand in July 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic with only 10 employees and went viral within a month of its launch when celebrities such as Kylie Jenner were seen in one of her designed business. Her designs are now seen in Selfridges and online stores such as revolve.
Learn more about Mary-Ann and Farai London here
Join us in celebrating the Black History Month and supporting these amazing female entrepreneurs and their brands. Make sure you visit their websites to learn more about their businesses and to support them, follow them on their socials and remember to share this link within your networks.
Submitted by Colleen Gander.