Mentoring programme Fast Forward 15 (FF15) has announced a new initiative to encourage, support and inspire BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) women to join the FF15 community.
FF15 founder Fay Sharpe has invited three women that know the FF15 programme from experience to become BAME ambassadors. The ambassadors will help encourage ethnic minority women in the events, travel and hospitality sector to engage and apply for a place in the programme either as mentee or mentor. The ambassadors are appointed for at least one year.
The first ambassadors are Priya Narain, Gabrielle Austen‐Browne and Felicia Asiedu. They will assist and support with input, ideas and engagement to grow and uplift BAME women.
Felicia Asiedu, content marketing manager at Cvent, said “I am really excited to be an FF15 BAME ambassador and be part of the important discussion on inclusion and diversity within the meetings and events industry, with a specific focus on the lack of BAME representation. I’m also grateful that Fay and FF15 are open and willing to start this conversation and am extremely positive about what we can achieve over the next year. For me, words without action are simply useless and this is absolutely a step in the right direction.”
The ambassador role aims to:
‐ Provide advice on diversity and inclusion issues at FF15 training sessions
‐ Promote and collaborate to advise on any policies or procedures to ensure inclusion
‐ Assist on recruiting future suitable BAME mentors to join the programme
‐ Promote FF15 to the BAME community to ensure inclusivity across our industry
Gabrielle Austen‐Browne, event and sales manager and co‐founder of Diverse Ally, said: “Fast Forward 15 are always ahead of the curve, so I am delighted as former mentee, to come on board as an Ambassador for this new initiative to engage and uplift my BAME community.
Priya Narain, sales manager at Boulevard Events and co-founder of Event First Steps, said: “I am excited to join the team as a diversity ambassador and look forward to championing the work of FF15 and encouraging women from BAME communities to get involved.”
Fay Sharpe said: “FF15 is only a tiny piece in the jigsaw of the event industry, however my aim is to have as wide and diverse community as possible, having our trusted Ambassadors promoting our programme and engaging with the BAME event community can only enrich and inspire more women across the sector to be involved.”
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
