The Black Talent Awards (BTA) has unveiled its 2026 finalists as the national platform prepares to mark its fifth anniversary, celebrating five years of recognising Black professional achievement, leadership, entrepreneurship and impact across the UK.
Since its launch, the Black Talent Awards has recognised 95 winners across its programme.
This year, more than 300 nominations were considered by an independent judging panel of 31 senior leaders drawn from sectors including law, technology, media, education and healthcare.
The judging process also included 10 youth judges as part of BTA’s commitment to developing the next generation of leaders and bringing an intergenerational perspective to the Awards.
The 2026 shortlist spans 15 categories, recognising professionals, entrepreneurs, employee networks and organisations working across industries including finance, STEM, education, professional services, media, public services, retail and social impact.
The winners will be announced at the black-tie Chapter Five ceremony at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham, on 2 October.
The fifth anniversary provides an opportunity to recognise not only this year’s finalists, but the 95 individuals and organisations who have previously taken home a BTA award and the wider community that has developed around the Awards.
Birmingham City University is headline sponsor, with Lloyds Banking Group as Gold Sponsor; Vision for All and FD2i as Bronze Sponsors; and AXIOM JV as Media Room Sponsor.
The Awards are further supported by Barclays Eagle Labs, Jaguar Land Rover, Merlin Entertainments, Purple Squared AV and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, bringing together
Denise Myers, founder of the Black Talent Awards, said: “Chapter Five of the Black Talent Awards is about much more than reaching a five-year milestone. It is about recognising what happens when Black talent is seen, celebrated and given a platform.
“BTA started as a grassroots initiative in Birmingham and has grown into a national stage for professionals, entrepreneurs and organisations making a real difference across the UK. To have recognised 95 winners over those five years is something I am incredibly proud of.
“This year’s finalists represent the breadth of that journey. They are working in boardrooms, classrooms, businesses, communities and organisations across the country, demonstrating that Black excellence is not confined to one postcode.
“Bringing the Awards back to Edgbaston Stadium for our fifth anniversary is incredibly meaningful because this is where The BTA's started. The story is now national.
“Chapter Five is about celebrating how far we have come, recognising the people who are shaping Britain today, and looking ahead to the next chapter.”
Finalists for the Black Talent Awards 2026 are;
Charity & Change Employee of the Year
Bob Clarke — MAMA Youth Project
Leila Thomas — Urban Synergy Youth Empowerment & Social Mobility Charity
Sarah Chitongo — Black Blossom Alliance CIC
Public Sector & Services Employee of the Year
Gianina Harvey-Brewin — University of Roehampton
Mark Corbin — West Midlands Combined Authority (Transport for West Midlands)
Sandra Simpson — Coventry City Council and West Midlands Associate Directors for Adult Social Care
Marketing, Media & Creative Employee of the Year
Joelle Owusu-Sekyere — Penguin Random House
Lee Dasilva — TUI
Myvanwy Evans-Davis — Louder Than Words
ERG (Employee Resource Group) of the Year
Barclays Bank UK PLC
Microsoft UK&I
TUI UK&I
Retail, Leisure & Supply Chain Employee of the Year
Alisha Cohen — McDonald's
Andrew Kyte — TUI
Marcus Hunter — Dunelm Plc
Rickey Devonish — JD Sports Group
Rising Star of the Year
Jenny Daniel — UKRI
Jessica-Mary Onuoha — Anglia Ruskin University
Nadia Kanyike — Amentum UK & International
Professional Services Employee of the Year
Dr Chris C Aniche PhD — Curling Moore Solicitors & Advocates
Emma Osman — Google Cloud
Kizzy Augustin — Mishcon de Reya
Small Business of the Year
Creative Rhino
Mahogany Inclusion Partners
Sandwell African Caribbean Mental Health Foundation
People & Culture Employee of the Year
Mabinty Esho — Comic Relief
Professor Amos Fatokun — Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Tiger de Souza — Macmillan
Senior Leader of the Year
Dr MaryAnn Ferreux — Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex
Kizzy Augustin — Mishcon De Reya
Tunji Akintokun — Pathos Communications plc
Entrepreneur of the Year
Aggie Yemurai Mutuma — Mahogany Inclusion Partners
Carla Willis-Brown — Syncdin
Simone Bell — Simone Bell Counselling
Excellence in Education
DGCL Digital Cloud Academy
SEN Bytes
The Open University
Social Impact Organisation of the Year
Black British Initiative (BBI)
VISION FOR ALL CIC
Walsall Black Sisters Collective
STEM Employee of the Year
Chinyere Simon — Deloitte
Kelvin Ibrahim — Citibank United Kingdom
Kwadwo Benko — Microsoft
Financial Services Employee of the Year
Alexander Matambo — Bloomberg
Carleen Dussard — Barclays Bank PLC
France-Lise Nsimba-Lay — Coutts
There will also be a Special Recognition Award and Trailblazer Award, which will both be announced on the night.
