The Rise and Rise of Black British Entrepeneurs

(PPSN Members please try to attend)

The black business community forms a vital part of London's economy.
Today there are more than 10,000 black-owned private sector
businesses in London. Their combined annual turnover exceeds £4.5
billion, and they provide over 70,000* jobs to London's economy.

In celebration of this success, the British Library is holding a
panel discussion with four inspiring entrepreneurs from the black
community.

Come and hear them reveal the secrets of their success. Take the
opportunity to put your own questions to a panel of leading players
and to learn from their experiences. Enjoy an evening of networking
with BME business entrepreneurs.

The discussion will cover such key topics as: What first inspired you
to set up your own business? How did you get your idea off the
ground? What particular obstacles did you encounter along the way?
Where did you obtain your financial backing and business advice? What
are the personal qualities that drove you on to success? What is
needed to improve opportunities for the next generation of
entrepreneurs from the black community?

Moderator
Dotun Adebayo, Radio Five Live and BBC London Presenter, will chair
the discussion. Dotun currently hosts his own show, Up All Night on
national BBC Radio Five Live as well as BBC Radio London. As a child
he appeared on stage and in films. He was Music Editor at the Voice
newspaper, has written and presented documentaries for Channel 4, and
founded the X Press which publishes black fiction. He is currently
working on his first novel, Promised Land, charting 50 years in the
lives of Britain's richest black family.

Panel

Yana Johnson
Yana Johnson is the founder of Yana Cosmetics, delivering solutions
that capture the ethnic and European market alike. Prior to launching
her own line of cosmetics for women of colour, Yana had a successful
career in music. She wrote songs with Shola Ama, Roachford, Massive
Attack, and Ritchie Rich. Yana has won a number of awards including,
Black Enterprise, European federation of Black Women Business Owners,
Global Women Inventors Innovators award and Mahogany Brides. She is
now focused on expanding her Yana cosmetics brand into new markets.

Tim Campbell
Tim Campbell, 28, of Jamaican origin was born in East London,
Plaistow where he still lives with his family. Tim achieved instant
celebrity status when he secured a £100,000 a year job with Sir Alan
Sugar after winning BBC2's The Apprentice in 2005. No doubt his
psychology degree from Middlesex University helped him to win the
series. Tim's current role is as Project Director of Integra, a face
care system for Amstrad's health and beauty division.

Charles Ejogo
Charles Ejogo is founder of Umbrolly. Charles began his career in the
City but it was being made redundant as a 25-year old that spurred
him on to set up his own business. The idea for umbrella vending
machines came to him while stuck on the London Underground on a rainy
day. It took a lot of persistent negotiation to secure the rights to
install vending machines at tube stations. Despite failing to close a
deal on BBC2's Dragons Den, Charles has secured business angel
funding and has ambitious plans for overseas expansion.

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones
Also known as "The Black Farmer", Wilfred has been a success in
various fields. He produced and directed food and drink programmes
for BBC TV before founding his own food and drink marketing company,
working with brands such as Lloyd Grossman and Kettle Chips. Finally,
he realised his ambition of having his own food brand when he bought
a farm on the Devon/ Cornwall border marketing The Black Farmer range
of sausages and sauces. In January 2005 Wilfred set up The Black
Farmer Rural Scholarship to give inner-city teenagers a taste of
rural life under his personal mentoring.

* Redefining London 's BME-owned Businesses, March 2005, LDA

Event time: 18.30-20.00 followed by a drinks reception until 21.00pm
Location: Conference Centre, St Pancras
Price: £10.00 (concessions £7.50)