"The key to success in leadership is to continue to learn. Everyday. BBN offers us all an opportunity to do just that by helping us understand the Black community in an authentic and collaborative environment."
William Eccleshare
Clear Channel Outdoor,
Worldwide CEO
Centralising the
Black conversation
This year we are holding a two part conference focused on thought leadership around the Black conversation.
The conference will deliver a two day live and online event. Thought leaders will connect, educate and inspire. Speakers will share and inform and we will have discussions on panels that will bring topics to the table to centralise the Black conversation.
Led by Black people, empowered by the community and sponsored by our allies.
Speakers
We have a very interesting line up of speakers across a broad spectrum of society, from people in the local community to global leaders all coming together to focus on Black thought leadership and how we create a better world.
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​The conference focus will be on the Black community and the themes will cover a range of industries and topics. We will look at thought leaders and case studies of successful relationships, learning from what has worked and what hasn’t.
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As much as the conference will see contributions from high profile individuals, everyone who has been selected has been selected for a reason beyond their visibility or public status.
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We have had interest from a variety of speakers and are continuing to engage both British and International people from the Black community, a handful of leaders that are not Black (allies/collaborators) who can also contribute competently to the conversation, alongside music and artists that connect us further to authentic Black culture.
Mervyn Lyn
Mellody Hobson
Mellody Hobson will be touching on a number of topics, from sharing her personal journey to speaking on the importance of being consistent on seeing positive change for the Black community. Mellody is a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunty, a family woman and a genuine human being. More recently, Mellody has been publicly announced to be the firsts African American to have a part ownership stake in an NFL team. All this just part of an extensive list of lifetime accomplishments. At 53, Mellody is seen in many rooms as a business icon amongst her peers and across the wider society. Amongst some of her most high profile roles, co-ceo of a Black owned investment firm Ariel Investments, with over 14 billion under management and clients who have span across a wide range of companies including Pepsi, Tifanys, Madison Square Garden Enterprises and more, amongst many roles she's held including Global Chair of Starbuck, Director at JP Morgan Chase, previously Chair of Dreamworks Animation and the list goes on.
Produced by Cephas Williams
Founder of the BBN
"My interest with this conference is to further centralise a robust Black conversation, supporting the work already being done on the ground in the UK. The desire is to create something that will be insightful, engaging and energising, so those who attend leave with a higher level of social consciousness and a better understanding of how to use their individual spheres of influence to support our collective agenda."
Our Mission
Our Story
The Black British Network was birthed from ‘Letter to Zion’, which was an open letter by Cephas Williams to his son following the events surrounding the murder of George Floyd. Since the letters release in 2020, Letter to Zion has been signed by 44 executives who have committed to supporting the conversation, and coming together to collectively push toward systemic change alongside Black people throughout the UK.
The Black British Network (BBN) focuses its efforts on bringing both executives, decision makers and the wider Black community together, to construct a uniquely positioned and unified proposition for systemic change.
"Cephas’ letter to his son Zion set out very powerfully and personally his commitment to breaking down the social barriers and tackling the systemic racism that Black people face. As the UKs largest private sector employer and being present in every post code in the UK, we are uniquely placed to join forces with him to do this in the communities in which we live, work and serve."
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Jason Tarry
Tesco, CEO
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