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Winners announced at the Black British Business Awards

Sajid Javid at the Black British Business Awards - ©2017 Steve Dunlop All Rights Reserved
Sajid Javid at the Black British Business Awards - ©2017 Steve Dunlop All Rights Reserved

The winners of have been announced for the Black British Business Awards, which celebrate trailbrazing members and rising stars of the black British business community.

Andrew Ramroop OBE, creative director at historic tailors Maurice Sedwell on Savile Row, has been named Black British business person of the year. The awards were set up to find "exceptional performance and outstanding achievements of black entrepreneurs and professionals".​ 

Other winners of the awards in the categories, which included entrepreneurship, arts and media, consumer and luxury, financial services, professional services, and STEM industries, included staff from Lloyds, Deloitte and PwC.

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Mr Ramroop said: "When I was 17 I aspired to Savile Row - I sailed in a boat from Port of Spain to Savile Row. Although in Trinidad I had a reputation as a good young tailor, I wasn’t good enough for Savile Row." He studied at the London College of Fashion.

"The only person to give me a job was Maurice Sedwell and to cut a long story short, I now own that shop," he said. "There was another tailor who turned me down for a job who I wanted to work for as they made suits for Sean Connery and the like. I now also own that shop.” 

Andrew Ramroop OBE - Credit: Steve Dunlop
Andrew Ramroop OBE Credit: Steve Dunlop

At the ceremony, Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, gave a speech on the importance of shining a light on the contribution being made by the black community within commerce in the UK. 

Mr Javid said: “It is inspiring to see the  exceptional talent showcased by these awards, and across so many fields.  Black business leaders have made great strides over the past few years, with more and more businesses established by members of minority ethnic communities and more diverse companies than ever before.

"However, there is still much more to do, in ensuring that Britain is a place where everyone can succeed, and I commend the work of the Black British Business Awards to both highlight role models and to help advance economic empowerment and equality.”

Sandra Federighi, the global chief financial officer at Stella McCartney, won consumer and luxury leader of the year. After being made a finalist, she started setting up a foundation to support young black and minority ethnic people to enter and thrive in the fashion industry.

 

 Sajid Javid and the co-founders Melanie Eusebe and Sophie Chandauka
Sajid Javid and the co-founders Melanie Eusebe and Sophie Chandauka

Melanie Eusebe, chair and co-founder of the awards, said: “We are thrilled to be celebrating the wealth of talented exceptional business people as winners of the 2017 awards. From creative entrepreneurs to seasoned bankers, the awards continue to uncover a healthy pipeline of role models who are breaking through stereotypes and changing the game for UK industry.”

The judging panel was chaired by Sophie Chandauka, executive director of Morgan Stanley’s legal and compliance division in EMEA.

The Telegraph is a media partner for the awards, which are being sponsored by Baker McKenzie, Bloomberg, BNP Paribas, Barclays, Cisco, JP Morgan, MDC Group, MediaCom, Thomson Reuters and Virgin Money. 

The list of winners

Black British Business Person of the Year: Andrew Ramroop, Creative Director and Master Tailor at Maurice Sedwell Ltd on Saville Row

Image Award: Adrian Grant, Original concept and Executive Director, Thriller Live

Arts and Media Rising Star: Kymberlee Jay, Founder and Director, DoodleDirect

Arts and Media Leader of the Year: Dr Gus Casely-Hayford, Director, Smithsonian Museum

Consumer and Luxury Rising Star: Chrissa Amuah, Founder and Creative Director, AMWA Designs

Consumer and Luxury Leader of the Year: Sandra Federighi, Global Chief Financial Officer, Stella McCartney

Entrepreneur Rising Star: Martin Ijaha, Co-Founder and CEO, Neyber

Entrepreneur Leader of the Year: Femi Oguns, CEO, Head Agent and Principal, Identity Agency Group and Identity School of Acting

Financial Services Rising Star: Bernard Adjei, Lead Project Manager, Lloyds Banking Group

Financial Services Leader of the Year: Albertha Charles, Partner, PwC

Professional Services Rising Star: Jeremy Boon, Chief of Staff, Analytics and Information Management, Deloitte

Professional Services Leader of the Year: Carolann Edwards, Global Director of Learning and Organisational Development, Norton Rose Fulbright

STEM Rising Star: Siobhan Titre-Johnson, Clinical Trial Manager and PhD Candidate, University College London

STEM Leader of the Year:Andrew F. Alalade, Neurosurgeon, NHS