Black History Month | Shane Ryan on Leading with Conviction and Community In the second of our interview series for Black History Month, we speak with Shane Ryan. He is Senior Advisor to The National Lottery Community Fund and a long-standing advocate for equity, youth empowerment and inclusive leadership. Shane’s leadership journey is shaped by lived experience and a deep commitment to fairness. From frontline youth work to national policy, he’s spent over two decades challenging systems that exclude and building platforms for those too often left out. In this wide-ranging conversation, Shane reflects on the realities of leading as a Black man in the voluntary sector, the emotional labour of inclusion, and why symbolic gestures are no substitute for structural change. His message is clear: inclusion is not a favour, it’s a recognition of value, excellence and truth. Read the full interview and explore the series: https://lnkd.in/dShxTQVE

Black History Month is a time to honour the leadership and lasting impact of black pioneers in healthcare, whose resilience and contributions continue to shape a more inclusive NHS today. Our recent blog explores key figures in NHS history and why diversity is a strength in healthcare. https://ow.ly/HI6V50X9LRf

'Representation in senior leadership spaces is often dismissed as symbolic. But our experience has shown that it is anything but.' 💚 For Nomalanga Makhanda and Malany Kalicharan, leading the CAHPO Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Strategic Advisory Group has been a chance to drive real change, ensuring lived experience shapes the future of the NHS. As we mark Black History Month, their reflections remind us what power and pride look like in action. Read their story: https://loom.ly/EDWs728

Black History Month: Celebrating Black Healthcare Professionals 🖤 This Black History Month, we celebrate the incredible contributions of Black Healthcare Professionals across the UK. Black staff make up around 8% of the NHS workforce, yet they continue to face barriers to career progression, with fewer reaching senior leadership roles. Despite these challenges, Black Doctors, Nurses, and Allied Health Professionals are shaping patient care, leading research, and inspiring future generations. 💡 Let’s recognise their impact, support equity, and create pathways for the next generation of Black Healthcare Leaders. #BlackHistoryMonth #NHS #HealthcareHeroes #DiversityInMedicine

Black History Month: Celebrating Black Healthcare Professionals 🖤 This Black History Month, we celebrate the incredible contributions of Black Healthcare Professionals across the UK. Black staff make up around 8% of the NHS workforce, yet they continue to face barriers to career progression, with fewer reaching senior leadership roles. Despite these challenges, Black Doctors, Nurses, and Allied Health Professionals are shaping patient care, leading research, and inspiring future generations. 💡 Let’s recognise their impact, support equity, and create pathways for the next generation of Black Healthcare Leaders. #BlackHistoryMonth #NHS #HealthcareHeroes #DiversityInMedicine

October is Black History Month 🌍 At the launch of the R.E.A.Lising Potential programme, Bev Hendricks - the Executive Director for Children, Lifelong Learning and Families in London Borough of Merton - shared a powerful message about leadership, purpose and racial equity. 🗣️ Bev spoke about her journey through social care, the importance of representation, and her hope that future leaders will "fall in love with the profession again" by building a workforce that reflects, understands and serves all of London’s communities. 💬 The R.E.A.Lising Potential programme, commissioned by the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services (ALDCS), supports Black and Global Majority professionals aspiring to senior leadership. ⚖️ By tackling under-representation, London is helping to ensure fairness, quality and relevance in services for children and families, creating space for every voice to be heard. 🌱 Find out more about how London is the ideal place to build your social work career in an equitable and nurturing environment: https://lnkd.in/eT6km9hM

On 29th September, the Association of London Directors of Children's Services (ALDCS) launched the REALising Potential leadership programme, with 66 Black and Global Majority children's services nominees 🌟 REALising potential reflects ALDCS longstanding determination to increase the diversity of children's services leaders in London. It forms part of wider ALDCS Racial Equity and Leadership (REAL) activity, which tackles racism and disproportionality as experienced by children, families and the children's workforce 🤝 Bev Hendricks, Director of Children's Services for London Borough of Merton and co-lead of the ALDCS Racial Equity and Leadership (REAL) work alongside Jacquie Burke, Director of Children's Services for London Borough of Hackney shares a powerful message about leadership, purpose and racial equity 😍

Access to finance remains one of the biggest hurdles for Black business owners—often limiting growth before it begins. In celebration of Black Business Week, our Senior Manager, Policy and Strategy Natalie Gasson-McKinley MBE MBA sat down with three inspiring founders to talk about their challenges, the breakthroughs, and the role of backing in turning ambition into growth. Watch Gary Izunwa, Co-Founder and CEO, Tangent, TJ Bouchada, Director, Moody Cow Nails and Bolu Fagborun, Co-Founder, Same Day Solutions Limited (SDS) explore what it really takes to build and scale a business as a Black entrepreneur in the UK, and how access to the right funding and support can make all the difference.

This Black Business Week, it was a privilege to hear from three inspiring Black entrepreneurs who have been supported by the Bank. While ambition and innovation are strong within the Black business community, too many still face barriers when it comes to accessing finance. We’re committed to changing that — by breaking down obstacles and helping to build a more inclusive and equitable funding landscape. Through our £2.6bn commitment to support entrepreneurs across the UK’s nations and regions, we’re ensuring that businesses led by founders of every background have the opportunity to start, grow, and thrive. I’m also proud of our Community ENABLE Funding (CEF) programme, which will unlock up to £150m of additional finance over the next two years, driving meaningful change for underserved business owners nationwide. Watch the video below ⬇️

In alignment with ABC’s mission to eliminate race-based structural barriers, we spotlight Black pioneers whose leadership and achievements have redefined excellence across industries. Today, we honor Cathy Hughes—a media mogul, entrepreneur, and trailblazer. Hughes founded Radio One (now Urban One), the largest African American-owned broadcast company in the United States. In doing so, she created vital platforms that celebrate Black culture, music, and voices, filling a void in mainstream media. Hughes became the first Black woman to lead a publicly traded media company, demonstrating the power of ownership and representation. Her career began with a small radio station in Washington, D.C., but her vision for culturally relevant programming transformed Urban One into a multi-billion-dollar empire. Beyond business, Hughes has been a passionate advocate for diversity in media and mentorship, empowering countless Black professionals. Hughes’ legacy is a testament to the transformative power of entrepreneurship, showing how Black leadership can shape industries and uplift communities through media.