TUESDAY 13TH OCTOBER
Take a seat at the Black Men's Business Talks (6pm-9:30pm) or Black Women Business Talks (6pm-9:30pm)
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THEATRE 1
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Being good at your job only gets you so far. For many Black men trying to move up, the harder challenge isn't competence, it's visibility. The skills that get you hired aren't always the ones that get ...
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Every founder eventually asks the same question: what's actually driving this. For some it's wealth, for others it's legacy, faith, freedom, or simply refusing to quit. Knowing your own answer is what ...
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Networking Break
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What's the most important conversation you'll ever have? For Paul C Brunson, the one that changed everything wasn't with a client or a colleague, it was one he had with himself, listening to Obama's e ...
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THEATRE 2
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Career growth often comes down to being noticed by the right person, in the right room, at the right time. For too many Black women, that room has stayed locked. So they're building their own instead, ...
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Hitting a big milestone isn't always what you thought it would be. You finally reach the pinnacle, but then the goals get bigger, the audience gets bigger, and there's more riding on every decision. W ...
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Networking Break
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What does it take to become the youngest Black woman to raise $10 million in venture funding? And then keep going: raising millions more, building a sector leading brand, investing in community, and h ...
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WEDNESDAY 14TH OCTOBER
Start your morning with Black STEM Careers Fair (10am-2pm) or the Talent & Allyship Forum (10am-1pm), then in the evening attend Black Tech Experience (6pm-9:30pm) or Black in Legal (6pm-9:30pm)
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THEATRE 1
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Entry level roles are evolving, not disappearing. The skill employers value most right now is AI fluency, not just knowing how to use the tools, but understanding how AI fits into a business, where it ...
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Networking Break
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Getting your foot in the door often comes down to nailing an interview and knowing how to position your skills and experience well. You can be brilliant at what you do and still struggle to get that a ...
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Once you’ve got the job, how do you set yourself up to progress? This workshop reveals the practical tools to help you thrive in your first role and establish a strategy to help you advance faster tha ...
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Lunch Break
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Are you ready to accelerate your career with insider knowledge? This speed mentoring session allows you to connect with advisors across STEM specialities and the hiring leads of top companies. Come pr ...
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When it comes to AI, teams are being asked to move at pace, and senior leaders want results yesterday. This is a genuine opportunity for Black tech innovators to lead the way, cutting through the hype ...
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Career advancement doesn't work the way it used to. Technology is moving fast, and organisations are still working out what skills and roles will matter next. For Black tech talent, making sure the ri ...
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Networking Break
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Jacky Wright has led technology at a scale few others have. She served as Chief Digital Officer at bp through one of its biggest crises, transformed HMRC's tax systems as Chief Digital and Information ...
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THEATRE 2
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Real inclusion rarely comes from a single policy or initiative. It comes from people across the business choosing to show up for one another, every day. This conversation brings together colleagues fr ...
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When budgets are tighter and teams are stretched, every initiative has to prove its impact quickly to survive the next review. For anyone running these programmes, that means less room to wait and see ...
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Take a moment to connect with others in the room and turn one idea you’ve learned into a real commitment. We ask each person to commit to one idea they're taking away and applying within the next 30 d ...
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Far too often, inclusion strategies, action plans and culture change initiatives skip the most important step: having an honest conversation. One that’s collaborative, uncomfortable at times, and genu ...
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Most people want to be good allies. Doing it in the room, in the moment, when it counts, is where people fall short. The number of UK employees who feel able to bring their real selves to work has dro ...
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The legal profession is changing at every level. New specialisms are forming, technology is reshaping how the work gets done, and the path to progression is shifting alongside it. This conversation as ...
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Where you start in law isn't where you have to end up. As the sector shifts and new specialisms open up, the biggest opportunities often sit in the areas that feel the most unfamiliar. This session is ...
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Networking Break
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As the 177th President of the Law Society of England and Wales, Dr I. Stephanie Boyce became the first person of colour and the first Black president in the Society's 200 year history. She delivered h ...
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THURSDAY 15TH OCTOBER
Join the back-to-back Black Fashion & Beauty Talks (10am-1pm) and Ecommerce Strategy Talks (1:30pm-4:30pm), then spend the evening at Masters of Scale (6pm-9:30pm) or Black Media, Culture & Sport (6pm-9:30pm)
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THEATRE 1
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The fashion and beauty industry doesn't stay still, and neither should your career plan within it. Roles shift, markets turn, and the skills that got you in the door aren't always the ones that keep y ...
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Black consumers drive billions in spending across beauty and fashion each year, yet brands built by Black founders are only just beginning to capture their fair share. This panel brings together found ...
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How do you take a fashion or beauty brand from start-up to scale-up? In this keynote, discover the operational and mindset shifts needed to handle rapid growth. Learn how to evolve your systems to mai ...
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Shopping is moving from scrolling to watching. Live commerce lets customers see a product in action, ask questions and buy on the spot, and eBay Live is one of the fastest growing platforms leading th ...
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It takes more than going live to build a loyal following, a real community and consistent sales. This panel brings together Black entrepreneurs who’ve grown their businesses through eBay Live to share ...
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Many business owners reach a point where a great product alone isn’t enough to scale. Growing further requires access to finance, community, and upskilling opportunities. In this discussion, understan ...
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The best salespeople make it look effortless, the hook, the timing, the energy, all of it feels instinctive. It isn’t. It’s a craft, built the same way any other skill is, through repetition, feedback ...
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Shaina Rainford created a scalp oil to help her sister regrow hair lost to a misdiagnosed condition. That formula became the foundation of Bask & Lather, a fully bootstrapped business that turned into ...
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Is bigger always better? Founders often chase growth at all costs, but that growth can come with a real price: more complex operations, higher costs to manage, and more demand on your time. This sessi ...
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Most founders wait until the business feels stable before they think seriously about their own wealth. Ange Matthews didn’t. She started investing with just $100 while she was still over six figures i ...
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THEATRE 2
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Black culture has the power to move markets, shape trends, and tell stories that connect deeply. But content is coming at us in waves now, AI is reshaping how it’s made, and breaking through the noise ...
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We’re sold the idea that a career can be built on one lucky break or viral moment. The truth is, an overnight success usually takes years of hard graft, self-producing content with no backing, hustlin ...
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Culture moves fast. These two have spent the last decade staying ahead of it. Koby “Post” Hagan built GRM Daily from a scrappy YouTube channel into the platform behind Daily Duppy, a launchpad for J H ...
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FRIDAY 16TH OCTOBER
Join our Black Property Talks (10am-1pm) or attend Careers in Finance (10am-1pm) followed by The AI Advantage Workshop (1:30-4:30pm). In the evening, take a seat at Black Finance Talks (6pm-9:30pm) or The Mainstream Show (6pm-9:30pm)
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THEATRE 1
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The finance sector is undergoing a shift. AI has moved from a side project to the backbone of daily operations, digital currencies are edging into the mainstream, and regulatory oversight is tightenin ...
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In financial services, the decisions that shape a career, who gets promoted, who gets the stretch assignment, who gets the next opportunity, happen in rooms most of us never enter. While mentors can g ...
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Few careers at the top of financial services follow a straightforward path. This conversation spotlights a Black finance leader whose influence in one of the world’s most demanding industries has come ...
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Hosted by award-winning broadcaster Remel London, The Mainstream Live Show is an exclusive, chat show and media masterclass bringing together industry trailblazers to map out the real landscape of tel ...
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Tay and Chan Kabs built their career from viral content to a genuine, multi-platform business, without losing the family dynamic that made people follow them in the first place. This conversation gets ...
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Across radio, TV and social, Zeze has cemented her status as one of the leading interviewers in entertainment, with an enviable ability to pull the viewer in, while making her interviewees feel comfor ...
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Angelica Bell has spent two decades as the face of leading TV programmes, crossing audiences, channels and formats. In this conversation, hear Angelica’s insight on how the broadcasting landscape has ...
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This is your opportunity to put your questions directly to the speakers. What do you want to know about breaking into, and staying in, the mainstream? Expect honest insights and practical tips on what ...
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Closing the night, East London singer-songwriter Aleisha Lee brings her energetic, infectious stage presence to The Mainstream Live Show, having performed at Wembley Arena, Jazz Cafe, and the O2 Londo ...
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THEATRE 2
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The best property decisions come down to timing, and this is not an easy market to read. Growth has split sharply by region, costs continue to rise, and the private rented sector has just undergone it ...
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Right now, someone with less time, money, or experience than you is finishing a property deal. Whether you’re still weighing up your first move or ready to pick up the pace, this panel brings together ...
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Most people look at a warehouse and see a warehouse. Antoine Dixon-Bellot looked at one and saw £2.5 million in luxury apartments, once the right foundations and numbers came together. After building ...
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Career progression and genuine advocacy don’t always sit easily together, but this session features a senior finance leader who’s built exactly that kind of career. One that’s advanced steadily while ...
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Building a career in finance already means long hours and complex work. Often, it also means being one of the only Black professionals in the room, which brings its own kind of pressure. Real communit ...
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Every major life decision comes with a financial one attached, whether it’s buying property, changing careers, starting a business, or supporting family. Those are the moments that test your finances ...
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In 2015, Arlan Hamilton was homeless, sleeping on the floor of San Francisco airport with a rolled-up pair of jeans for a pillow. That same year, she launched Backstage Capital, built around a core tr ...
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SATURDAY 17TH OCTOBER
Take a front row seat at the Main Stage, or attend a deep-dive discussion at the Entrepreneurs Stage, Careers Stage or Tech Stage
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Main Stage
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Purpose can be a great driver for success in life, but too often people look for it in the wrong places. Lord Hastings found his purpose early on, after seeing people choose kindness in the darkest of ...
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No one plans their career five years out and gets it right. The moments that actually shift a career are usually smaller: putting yourself forward for a stretch opportunity, taking a risk on a new rol ...
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Lunch Break
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Great pitches make the opportunity clear, prove real momentum, and handle questions confidently. In this competition, supported by Lloyds, four Black-owned businesses pitch live for a year-round suppo ...
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We’ve been taught how to work harder, earn more, climb higher and build successful businesses, but what is all that ambition building for us? In this practical keynote professionals and entrepreneurs ...
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What does it take to turn a small business into a market leader? This session brings together a fast-growing brick-and-mortar founder, a serial entrepreneur who’s grown and scaled multiple businesses, ...
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Long before Dean Forbes was leading billion-pound deals, he was building the grit, determination and discipline that would shape how he leads today. Across Forterro, Corten Capital, Cornerstone VC, an ...
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Emma Grede is often one step ahead, whether it’s launching a business in a category no one realised was so valuable, saying out loud what everyone else was quietly thinking, or knowing exactly what it takes to get a deal over the line. Her tenacity, insight, and drive have made her a household name, and taken SKIMS, Good American, and her own media platform to global scale. This conversation brings the honesty Emma is known for to dive into: how to see yourself clearly enough to know what actually needs to change, the employee mentality that holds so many people back, and why hard work is still the foundation everything else is built on. Emma Grede is the blueprint for success, and this conversation is where she breaks it all down.
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Entrepreneurs Stage
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If you’re running a small business in London or thinking about starting one, it can be difficult to know where to access advice and support. In this session, hear about the free business support right ...
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Getting your business in front of major companies and actually winning their contracts takes more than a great product or service. You need to understand how procurement actually works, build the right relationships, and pitch in a way that lands. You also need to manage your own costs and operations well enough to deliver at scale without losing your margins. This workshop combines insider procurement expertise with real lessons from a founder who's secured contracts with household brands and built the business infrastructure to deliver profitably.
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Lunch Break
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Franchising can take you from employee to business owner, but only if you understand how it actually works. This session breaks down what you’re really buying, what the brand gives you in return, and ...
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PANEL: Are you willing to fail in public? Why a strong personal brand is worth the risk for foundersThe cost of building in public is real: embarrassment, scrutiny, and the risk of people watching you fail before they see you succeed. It’s exactly why so many founders wait, building behind closed do ...
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You’ve spent 10,000+ hours building your skills, knowledge and experience. You’ve learned through business, your career, successes, failures and life itself. The question is: are you being paid for wh ...
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Fast growth sounds like the ideal goal, but too often it’s the thing that breaks a business. This session brings together founders who’ve launched and scaled multiple businesses to get honest about th ...
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PANEL: The business of Black hair: Building the infrastructure behind a multi-billion-pound industryBlack hair is a multi-billion-pound global industry. But the people who built it, hairstylists, barbers, educators and session artists, are still too often treated as an afterthought. Investment in pr ...
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Careers Stage
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Most young founders start in the same place: no funding, no blueprint, just a belief that something needs to exist. That’s exactly why the early years feel so exposed, watching peers follow a more fam ...
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What does it really take to thrive at work when the workplace wasn’t necessarily designed with you in mind? In this live episode of the Everybody Hates HR Podcast, Lola and Velisa get candid about the ...
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It’s not just your job history that unlocks your next role, it’s the skills you’ve built along the way and how well you can articulate them. This session will help you recognise how your skills have t ...
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As Black women, ambition is in our bloodline, but self-preservation matters just as much, if not more, than career progression. Hear from the co-hosts of the Black Women Working Podcast on how to whol ...
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There’s a real advantage to not knowing how things are supposed to be done. Being new is what lets you ask the question everyone else stopped asking, and notice what’s been quietly overlooked. Careers ...
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The Walt Disney Company is far bigger than the roles most people picture. Alongside the creative and entertainment careers it's known for, there are opportunities for talent in finance, marketing, des ...
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You might be busy building a big career or the next great business, but are you taking time to invest in your own health? Peter Ellis’ prostate cancer journey began with a chance diagnosis during a ro ...
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Most people join an ERG for the community. Few realise that it can be a career catalyst. This live episode of the Behind the ERG podcast invites community builders to share what career progression act ...
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Tech Stage
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Every major tech company started as a fast-moving, unproven idea. This session gets into what that stage actually looks like on the inside: how founders identify genuine growth potential in a crowded ...
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You don’t need a huge following to be in high demand. More brands are choosing depth over reach, opting for smaller creators with real expertise and genuine trust with their audience, and tech is no e ...
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Lunch Break
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The tech market is tricky to navigate right now, and the cycles of restructurings and layoffs would unsettle even the most seasoned people in the industry. But you have more control than it might feel ...
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There are tech roles shaping global systems, building critical infrastructure, closing deals that bring new innovations to market, and solving problems that affect millions of people, and most people ...
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Think Lloyds is just a bank? Think again. Behind one of Britain's most recognisable brands sits one of Europe's largest technology transformations. From AI and machine learning to cloud engineering, c ...
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The secret to growing your wealth isn’t more knowledge, it’s asking the right questions and knowing who to ask them to. This session shows you how AI can become your own finance coach, risk management ...
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