Ghanaian-British CEO of travel company Talking Drums has been named as a finalist in the prestigious Black British Business Awards (BBBAwards) 2023, as the awards prepares for its 10 year anniversary in October.
Yaa Ofori-Ansah and her company ,Talking Drums, were named alongside esteemed individuals excelling in their careers and working in acclaimed global establishments including Netflix, Farfetch, ASOS, LinkedIn, and KPMG among others.
The awards recognise the exceptional performance of Black professionals and entrepreneurs as the premier UK awards ceremony of its kind. The BBBAwards ceremony will be held at the InterContinental London, Park Lane on 13th October.
Yaa is a finalist in the category of Consumer and Luxury Rising Star alongside Kelsa Albert, People Development Lead, Farfetch and Nomalanga Senda, Founder, Noma Creates.
Talking Drums is an Africa-focused sustainable travel platform and marketplace, that aims to bring people together, connect them to Africa, and promote diversity and positive impact in travel.
With over 10 years of experience as a solo traveller, Yaa has over the past few years, through her company, promoted the African continent and local businesses by consciously curating trips across Africa and working with local businesses to deliver them.
She has also personally visited 12 African countries to date.
Over the past decade, the BBBAwards have showcased over 370 individuals and 80 organizations that are championing Black excellence in business. This year the BBBAwards celebrate rising stars and senior leaders across six categories, representing the likes of Netflix, Accenture, Sky, Farfetch, ASOS, LinkedIn, KPMG and exceptional startups in industries ranging from publishing to healthcare.
For this anniversary year, the BBBAwards theme is #WeAre – celebrating the collective power of the Black community and their Allies coming together to drive racial equity in companies in Britain.
In honour of the 10th Anniversary, this year’s celebrations and ceremony will be bigger both in sentiment and in size. The BBBAwards are also a key highlight of Black History Month in the UK and the event will be attended by senior business leaders, government officials and prominent opinion shapers and influencers from all races across Britain.
Sophie Chandauka MBE, Chair and Executive Founder of the BBBAwards said: “As we reflect on a decade of challenge and transformation, the 10th Anniversary of the Black British Business Awards is a testament to the immense spirit and unwavering resilience of Black British entrepreneurs and professionals. Our finalists navigated a difficult global economic environment to deliver extraordinary value, showcasing innovation as entrepreneurs and strategic brilliance in some of the most iconic commercial brands and systemically important corporations. I am proud to welcome the Class of 2023 to our world-class showcase of Black talent, and we specifically applaud the investment of their companies and Allies who have stood with them to ensure their success today and for
years to come!”
The 2023 BBBAwards is honouring exceptional performance and outstanding achievements by Black professionals and entrepreneurs across six industry categories, celebrating both rising stars and senior leaders. The finalists for
the 2023 BBBAwards are as follows:
Arts and Media Rising Star
● Aaron Lynch, Senior Manager, Global Creative Marketing, Netflix
● Abiola Bello, Director, Author and Publisher, Hashtag Press Ltd
● Oluwatobi Demuren, Global Head of Advocacy Marketing, LinkedIn
Arts and Media Senior Leader of the Year
● Angela Ferreira, Managing Director, Douglas Road Productions
● Charlene Gravesande, Sky Sports Assistant Producer, Sky UK Limited
● Louisa Olafuyi, Co-Founder and COO, Kunda Kids
Consumer and Luxury Rising Star
● Kelsa Albert, People Development Lead, Farfetch
● Nomalanga Senda, Founder, Noma Creates
● Yaa Ofori-Ansah, Founder and CEO, Talking Drums
Consumer and Luxury Senior Leader of the Year
● Alexis Cepeda Maule, Managing Director of UK and Europe, Reformation
● Roger Shakes, Head Chef and Owner, Rogers Kitchen
● Vanessa Spence, Senior Creative Director, ASOS
Entrepreneur Rising Star
● Chloë Downes, Founder and CEO, SHFT
● George Imafidon, CEO, Motivez
● Myles and Bradley Jensen, Founders, Jensen & Jensen
Entrepreneur Senior Leader of the Year
● Fungai Ndemera, Founder and CEO, CheckUp Health
● Gail Waterman, Co-Founder and Owner, Watermans Corporate Enterprises Limited
● Ken and Mary Okoroafor, Founders, The Humble Penny and Financial Joy Academy
Financial Services Rising Star
● Joshua Bright, Vice President, Debt Syndication, SMBC Nikko
● Kwaku Kyei-Manu, Director of Wealth Application Support, SS&C
● Sutanya Chedda, European Equity Strategist, UBS AG
Financial Services Senior Leader of the Year
● Adejuwon Ogunsanya, Managing Director, Head of UK, Africa and Israel Banks Coverage, CIB, Wells Fargo
● Nigell Todd, Head of Global FX Trading, Fidelity International
● Tosin Akinluyi, Head of EMEA Macro Research, Morgan Stanley
Professional Services Rising Star
● Harold Memela, Senior Manager – Transformation and Change, KPMG
● Kyle Collins, Adobe Workfront Operations Lead UKI, EMEA, IBM
● Liseli Sumbwanyambe, Associate, McKinsey & Company
Professional Services Senior Leader of the Year
● David Otudeko, Head of Prudential Regulation, ABI
● Dinah Cobbinah, Partner FS Intelligent Process Transformation, KPMG
● Hannah Awonuga, Global Director, Head of DEI Colleague Engagement, Barclays
STEM Rising Star
● Audrey Limery, Founder and CEO, Kweevo
● Dr Azzedine Dabo, Investigator, GSK
● Tolulope Osobu, Management Consultant, Accenture
STEM Senior Leader of the Year
● Evelyn Kamau, Senior Director DCT Strategy and Innovation, Thermofisher Scientific
● Erica Nyoni, Senior Product Owner, S&P Global Mobility
● Tanya Davis, Cyber Security Data Manager, Lloyds Banking Group
In celebration of their nomination, finalists and senior representatives of the BBBAwards will convene this Thursday for a reception held at Wells Fargo in the City of London.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
