BAME Women Mentoring Circles

Race for Opportunity’s 2008 report, Race to the Top revealed that just 6.8%, or one in 15 BAME workers were in a management position, furthermore just 34.1% of senior managers from a BAME background are women. In addition the 2009 Female FTSE report found there are only 11 BAME women on FTSE 100 boards of which none are British nationals.

One of the recommendations from the Race to the Top report therefore was to organise workplace mentoring, support employee networks and provide credible role models. With this in mind the overall objective of the programme is to help progress the career prospects of BAME women, to help redress this imbalance.

Business in the Community was one of 27 successful organisations to be awarded the Community and Local Government’s Tackling Race Inequalities Fund awarded to national organisations who want to expand their work on race equality. The Race to the Top Mentoring Programme was delivered as part of this funding

During the period February 2010 to February 2011, a total 281 expressions of interest were received from black, Asian, minority ethnic women who expressed interest in joining a mentoring circle. 166 of these women joined groups set up across London, Leeds, Manchester & Birmingham.  This pool of talented and successful BAME women from across the private, public and not for profit sectors, also represents senior women leaders, who are championing these circles as leaders, as below:

• Andrea Callander                   General Medical Council
• Anna Saunderson                  Barclays Wealth
• Anita Thandi                            Department for Business, Innovation & Skills 
• Beverley Okoye                       Department for Business, Innovation & Skills 
• Donna Herdsman                  IBM
• Evelyn Asante-Mensah          National Health Service
• Fiona Daniel                            HSBC
• Judy Douglas                          Regional Strategies
• Loraine Martin                         Olympic Delivery Authority
• Marsha Taylor                          American Express
• Naeema Choudry                   Eversheds
• Nina Bhogal                             National Grid
• Noor Ali                                     Asda
• Ras Gohil                                 HSBC
• Rita Tappia                              Shoosmiths
• Sharone Collins                      Department of Communities & Local Government
• Shalini Sequeira                     Addleshaw Goddard
• Dr Victoria Showunmi            Institute of Education

Profiles of this senior network of women can be viewed on RfO's recently launched BAME Factsheet ( see right column).

This also provides a snapshot of BAME women in the UK today demonstrating that they play an active role in all walks of life, although their representation at senior management remains at unacceptably low levels.  

At the end of the funding period 13 of these mentoring circles decided to self sustain which in turn gives RfO a 72% success rate!  We are keen to continue to build on the momentum of this unique scheme to promote and support BAME women at all levels and across sectors.
Many successes of these BAME women have been publicly recognised via wider platforms as well : Noor Ali was recently awarded Business Woman of the Year at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2011, whilst  Sanchia Alasia has been nominated at the first ever European Diversity Awards in the category of international politician of the year.

Master Classes!

RfO has sought to further support this network with a series of exciting Master Classes.

Personal Branding         December 2010          
Led by Fiona Daniel, Senior Network Propositions Manager at HSBC

Leadership/ Promotion : Increasing Influence       March 2011                  
Led by Elizabeth Solaru, previously Senior Consultant at Hoggett Bowers 

Non Executive Appointments    May 2011                        
Led by Anne Watts, Chair of the Appointments Commission

Although we are no longer setting up any new BAME Womens mentoring circles, you are welcome to put your name down for a Board Mentoring Circle ( See more details at  RfO Board Mentoring Circles) or please do get in touch  with  Anushaka Weragama on 0207 566 8661  who will be able to provide further details.