Miranda Brawn makes pledge to help the next generation of BAME’s in the UK become future leaders in Business to help increase race diversity & equality

Miranda Brawn has teamed up with the Black Cultural Archives to help give aspiring young Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) future leaders’ equal opportunities in education and beyond. The aim is to help increase race diversity and equality. Named the “Miranda Brawn Leadership Diversity Scholarship”, the project is part of an on-going effort by Miranda and the Black Cultural Archives which is helping to close the race diversity gap in the UK workplace including the Corporate sector.

This new initiative will help to strengthen cross-cultural education and understanding. It also recognises the need for future generations to have the support and help to become future leaders and help increase race diversity, inclusion and equality. This will be an annual Scholarship providing funding and career guidance for our next generation of young BAME leaders aged between 14-21 years old to successfully pursue their education.

The Scholarship includes:

1. An amount up to £1,000.00 (dependent upon available funds).
2. One-to-One Mentoring session with Miranda Brawn.
3. CV advice and Work experience.
4. VIP access to the “Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Annual Lecture” which will be held during the UK’s Black History Month.

Recipients of the Scholarship will be chosen annually based on their exemplary academic performance and demonstrable interest in diversity. The application process will open in February 2016 with further details on the Black Cultural Archives website. The deadline date for the selection process is 2nd September 2016. Finalists will be invited for an interview in September 2016. The first Scholarship will be awarded in October 2016 during the “Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Annual Lecture”. This annual lecture will cover “Diversity Leadership in the 21^st Century and how the next generation of BAME’s can help close the race gap in the UK workforce.”

To be eligible for the “Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Scholarship” a student must:

1. Be attending school, college or university in the UK on a full-time basis.
2. Proven academic excellence.
3. Submit 100 words on the following theme: "What does Diversity mean to Me." This is an opportunity to share your experience and/or ideas on diversity.
4. Have a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background aged between 14-21 years old.

“I want to continue to be a vocal champion of diversity and equality in business. This is both professional and personal for me. As a leader in the business field, I have a front row seat to the huge opportunity that exists today.  It is important for me to continue to inspire and empower future leaders to know they can win without compromising who they are at their core. I am grateful to the Black Cultural Archives for helping to open the door for these bright and talented young students. The Black Cultural Archives has given me a platform to inspire change, and I am using it – for my colleagues, family, friends and the generations of BAME leaders to come.

I will be also creating a process for the recipient(s) to share resources, experiences and advice via my Mentoring Programme to hopefully speed up the success process for the next generation. This is my pledge to help BAME students become future leaders in Business while supporting race equality. Britain is diverse and this diversity is a strength of British society. Here we champion the race equality and contribute to Britain’s cultural heritage landscape. This Scholarship will strive to make education key for progress and success. Young leaders from a BAME background will be provided with an incentive and opportunity to help prepare themselves for a successful career. A focus on diversity and leadership can be transformative and help increase race and gender diversity in many sectors.”  Miranda K. Brawn, Banker, Barrister, Vice-Chair of the Black Cultural Archives, Business and Diversity Leader

For more information please contact:

Twitter: @brawnm  or @bcaheritage

Website: www.bcaheritage.org.uk

Notes to the editor:

Miranda Brawn Biography:  With a background as an investment banker and a barrister, Miranda Brawn has spent her career at some of the most prestigious global financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase Bank and Goldman Sachs International. Miranda’s primary role is to manage the company’s legal risk across Europe for the derivatives, regulatory & securities financing business within an investment bank in the City of London. She is Vice Chair of the Black Cultural Archives, Patron of the Black British Academics, committee board member of City Women Network, global speaker (LAMDA trained) and presenter providing commentary on television and radio. Miranda is also a business and diversity leader who continuously demonstrates her outstanding devotion to diversity, equality and inclusion outside of her full time work. She was voted one of the Top 30 most inspirational women in the City of London by Brummel (Diversity Champion category) and featured in the CityAM "Women in the City" Powerlist (Business and Finance category). In 2015, she led a new initiative to help close the race diversity gap in the UK workforce.

Black Cultural Archives is a national heritage centre dedicated to collecting, preserving and celebrating the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain. Founded in 1981, the Black Cultural Archives’ heritage centre is the first of its kind and our unique collection includes rare historical documents, photographs, ephemera, oral history testimonies and an eclectic range of objects dating from the second century to the present day. Our work recognises the importance of broader historical narratives and promotes dialogue that encourages everyone to learn, explore and become inspired by a shared British history. Black Cultural Archives’ new heritage centre opened in July 2014 in the heart of south London on the historic Windrush Square in Brixton, and is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and London Borough of Lambeth. The heritage centre has attracted over 30,000 visitors in its first year and display three main exhibitions including Re-imagine: Black Women in Britain, Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950s – 1990s in partnership with V&A Museum and the recently opened Black Georgians: The Shock of the Familiar.