The value of networks and partnerships (aka in praise of five white guys)

Years back when I started my diversity side hustle in 2017, I was pretty naïve – to be fair, I think I still am.

I had spent a few years already trying to work out how to fix the UK PR and comms industry’s glaring DEI problem and kept on hitting at best, indifference and at worst, trolls and lots of hate, so I decided to go solo.

I had some pretty big dreams and pretty big ambitions and what I lacked in resources and manpower I made up for in optimism, naivety, and – if I can blow my own trumpet for once – creativity, motivation and a pretty brutal work ethic. I’m an immigrant after all, and if you’ve seen Hamilton, you’ll know we get the job done.

When I look back at everything I’ve done since that January 2017 launch, I’m struck by how crucial so many wonderful partnerships have been in helping me on my little mission to give talented Black, Asian, mixed race and ethnic minority (BME) PR and comms pros the careers they deserve, and how fortunate I am to have received the support of so many great people and organisations.

Progress made possible with partnerships

My tiny, Black-owned (female, African, and immigrant too) micro business experiences all those things that tiny, Black-owned, female-owned, African-owned, immigrant-owned businesses face: lack of funding and a precarious existence shuttling from late invoice payment to late invoice payment as well as racism, sexism, misogynoir, and lots of other crappy stuff (tip to Black women running businesses: get yourself a good counsellor).

The lack of funding means no budget for an HR, legal, or finance person, let alone money for promotion and marketing. My tiny business has no subscribers and no members – everything we have sold, from conference tickets to award ceremonies, has been through kind people posting content and spreading the word through LinkedIn, Insta and Twitter/X.

Yet here I am in 2024 receiving applications for the fourth year of The Xec. leadership scheme for Black, Asian, Mixed Race and Ethnic Minority PR and comms pros.

The Xec., the first leadership scheme of its kind, was developed by BME PR Pros, is supported by Google, and delivered in partnership with PRovoke Media and the CIPR.

It is a bold and ambitious project, aiming to create the next generation of BME leaders and to increase boardroom diversity client and agency-side, and our first cohort which graduated in 2022 suggests it will do so.

Real experience with real experts

Unlike other leadership courses, I wanted The Xec. to give our Black, Asian, mixed race and ethnic minority future leaders the chance to learn from the best in the business, from experts at the top of their game, and from practice rather than theory.

When I started out in PR in 2006, I knew pretty quickly my options would be limited. I never thought I would ever walk through the doors of Google or be fortunate to meet and work with an industry trade publication so passionately committed to DEI.

When I met Alastair McCapra, CIPR CEO, in 2014, I never knew how much his support would positively impact my business several years down the line.

Because of Google, PRovoke Media and the CIPR, our future leaders on The Xec. get to spend an incredible day with leaders and comms pros of one of the biggest companies in the world, speak at an event for the only publication covering the global PR industry, and get to have complimentary membership to a trade body that has been doing genuinely meaningful DEI work before it became fashionable to do so.

These partnerships have provided our future leaders with invaluable opportunities my little business couldn’t have provided, my work a reach I couldn’t have dreamed of, and the cohort with invaluable networks and connections.

Every project I have created and developed has been alongside great BME leaders like Daljit Bhurji, Claire Quansah, Kristian Foged, Julian Obubo, and Ete Davies.

But when I think about The Xec., I can’t help remembering a great episode of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on the important role white men in senior positions can play in DEI and I’m struck by how five white guys – Tim Chatwin (along with Jen Jamie and Jo Ogunleye at Google), Paul Holmes (along with Arun and Maja at PRovoke Media), Brendan O’ Grady (ex-Guardian), David Wilding (ex-Twitter) and Alastair (CIPR) – played a significant role in making the leadership scheme a truly great, money-can’t-buy thing.

I am grateful to the wonderful partnerships I have made and the wonderful people I get to work with. In the midst of everyday racism, everyday sexism, everyday misogynoir and culture wars, they keep me keeping on and are reminders how much more good there is out there than there is bad

Elizabeth Bananuka is the founder and CEO of The Xec., Blueprinted, and BME PR Pros.