Look for support and know where to find that support: that was one of the key messages coming out of ‘Advancing Black Careers: An evening with London Business School’, an event which drew LBS’ Black History Month celebrations in October to a close.

Members of LBS’ Black Employee Network, Black in Business (BiB) student club and guests of BYP London were warmly welcomed by the School’s Dean François Ortalo-Magné before being treated to a poem specially commissioned by the School to highlight Black excellence and its profound impact on shaping our world.

A fireside chat between Tabria Lenard MBA2021 and Charlotte Smith, Recruitment & Admissions Director and Lead Ally of Black Employee Network at LBS followed, with Tabria discussing why culture, community and commerce have been the guiding principles that have shaped her career in fashion and her life in general.

Tabria, who moved to the UK from the US in 2019 to study at LBS, spoke passionately about the origins of BiB, which she co-founded in 2020 as a way to increase representation, build awareness and enhance opportunities as a response to the global heightened racial tension following the death of George Floyd in the US.

Championed by the Dean, members of faculty and allies like Charlotte from across the LBS community, Tabria found that telling her story helped others to get onboard and the development of Black at LBS remains one of her proudest achievements.

“Find people who want to be your voice, your help, your resource and once you find commonality and people who want to do the work, don’t be afraid to ask,” advises Tabria.

The power of advocacy, allyship, mentoring and sponsorship was reinforced during an insightful panel discussion moderated by Charlotte during which Vyla Rollins, Executive Director of the Leadership Institute at LBS; Dr LBS’ Governing Body; and life and career coach Sharon Wilson shared their personal experiences of discrimination, as well as their views on how to advance Black careers.

All panellists highlighted mentorship as a good way to help build a career. Knowing the rules of engagement and having a safe space to be authentic enables people to function better. Having strong sponsors willing to advocate for Black colleagues, and allies, is also very important.

Not having the right role models can be a challenge as this equates to a lack of best practice examples. For budding entrepreneurs, getting expert advice helps to instil ideas properly. Given that less than 1% of Black entrepreneurs get VC funding, taking advantage of the opportunities that exist, such as Black accelerators, is really important. Most of all, patience, perseverance, persistence and people skills are key to being an entrepreneur.

“Network, network, network” is the advice of Sharon who feels that having a community who can help is essential. This belief in the power of networking is shared by Henry: “You can’t just sit in an organisation and hope things will work out for you,” stresses Henry.

Vyla’s advice is to be self-aware and have awareness about other people as this is what makes it easier to navigate the world of work and have an impact. Communities are not monolithic so it is important to focus on how to engage with people and connect with people, sharing stories and seeing what similarities there might be.

Bukky’s advice is to “step through doors, stop limiting yourself and stop preventing yourself from taking up opportunities.” She believes that it is important to recognise that whatever you think disadvantages you is actually a source of competitive advantage.

At the end of the day, diversity shouldn’t be a moral issue; it should be a business issue. As LBS’ Black History Month poem advocates, it’s time to acknowledge a struggling past, celebrate the present and advocate for a brighter future.