The Rise and Rise of British Black Entrepreneurs

The black business community forms a vital part of London's economy. Today there are more than 10,000 black-owned private sector businesses in London. Their combined annual turnover exceeds £4.5 billion, and they provide over 70,000 jobs to London's economy.

In celebration of this success, the British Library is holding a panel discussion with four inspiring entrepreneurs from the black community.

The discussion will cover such key topics as: What first inspired you to set up your own business? How did you get your idea off the ground? What particular obstacles did you encounter along the way? Where did you obtain your financial backing and business advice? What are the personal qualities that drove you on to success? What is needed to improve opportunities for the next generation of entrepreneurs from the black community?

The Panel for the evening is as follows:

Yana Johnson
Yana Johnson is the founder of Yana Cosmetics, delivering solutions that capture the ethnic and European market alike. Prior to launching her own line of cosmetics for women of colour, Yana had a successful career in music. She wrote songs with Shola Ama, Roachford, Massive Attack, and Ritchie Rich. Yana has won a number of awards including, Black Enterprise, European federation of Black Women Business Owners, Global Women Inventors Innovators award and Mahogany Brides. She is now focused on expanding her Yana cosmetics brand into new markets.

Tim Campbell
Tim Campbell, 28, of Jamaican origin was born in East London, Plaistow where he still lives with his family. Tim achieved instant celebrity status when he secured a £100,000 a year job with Sir Alan Sugar after winning BBC2's The Apprentice in 2005. No doubt his psychology degree from Middlesex University helped him to win the series. Tim's current role is as Project Director of Integra, a face care system for Amstrad's health and beauty division.

Charles Ejogo
Charles Ejogo is founder of Umbrolly. Charles began his career in the City but it was being made redundant as a 25-year old that spurred him on to set up his own business. The idea for umbrella vending machines came to him while stuck on the London Underground on a rainy day. It took a lot of persistent negotiation to secure the rights to install vending machines at tube stations. Despite failing to close a deal on BBC2's Dragons Den, Charles has secured business angel funding and has ambitious plans for overseas expansion.

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones
Also known as “The Black Farmer”, Wilfred has been a success in various fields. He produced and directed food and drink programmes for BBC TV before founding his own food and drink marketing company, working with brands such as Lloyd Grossman and Kettle Chips. Finally, he realised his ambition of having his own food brand when he bought a farm on the Devon/ Cornwall border marketing The Black Farmer range of sausages and sauces. In January 2005 Wilfred set up The Black Farmer Rural Scholarship to give inner-city teenagers a taste of rural life under his personal mentoring.

Event time: 15th May - 18.30-20.00 followed by a drinks reception until 21.00pm
Location: Conference Centre, St Pancras
Price: £10.00 (concessions £7.50)

More details can be found here.