Chris Lambert OLY’s Post

2024 is the fourth year of Black Leaders Awareness Day (BLAD). The awareness day takes place every year on the 18th July and was created to highlight the importance of black leaders and the impact they have made throughout history and the impact they have today and will have in the future. It is vital we ensure that we understand and acknowledge the impact these leaders have. https://lnkd.in/eCPc9DtY Black Leaders Awareness Day #blackleadersawarenessday #blackleadersawarenessday2024 #BLAD #beyondouryouth #generationalleadership #quotes #leadership #leaders #nextgeneration

Great insights in this article, well worth a read

In our final spotlight in celebration of this year’s Black History Month, we’re highlighting a leader who has spent his career in the food and service industry: Charmers Redd. When asked what Charmers loves about the food & beverage business, the answer was simple: the people. He believes we are in the people business, serving food — not the other way around. Keeping that in mind, it’s extremely important to form genuine connections and foster environments where people feel valued and understood.    For anyone looking to enter the F&B industry, Charmers’ advice is this: “Prioritize empathy and understanding. Recognize that every interaction is an opportunity to make a positive impact on someone's day. Treat each person with respect, kindness, and attentiveness. Also, never underestimate the power of relationships. Networking within the industry can open doors to new opportunities and provide invaluable support and guidance along your journey. Remember, in our industry, people are at the forefront of everything we do. By putting people first and fostering meaningful connections, you'll not only succeed in your career but also contribute to the heart and soul of our business.” 

On Tuesday the power-house that is Flavilla Fongang launched what is shaping up to be a project profoundly useful for the Black community and professionals at large. I've seen first hand the work and time she has personally invested here, so it's only right I share this with my Network. In Flavilla's own words... "BLACK RISE is here to bridge the opportunity gap for black talent in business. Black talent in business faces significant barriers to growth due to the absence of a robust ecosystem that facilitates connections, the sharing of knowledge and opportunities. This economic loss is estimated at $1.6 trillion in the US and 300 billion in the UK each year. So we built an AI powered business platform to help them reach their full potential by harnessing the power of the Black talent network." The total addressable market is $25 billion based of 650k B2B users and 71 million Black professionals outside of Africa." To follow the journey, give BLACK RISE and Flavilla Fongang a follow! 😉

What did you do this Black History Month? This BHM I took time to listen and help identify how I can serve as a more effective ally. I'm so proud of the work my wonderful colleagues in our Black Excellence network did. And attending their external webinar yesterday, that facilitated a deeper understanding of the importance of the month, one of the questions got me thinking about the harnessing the power of the collective and just asking, what we can do differently? So before I engage further with other teams and our ERG on this, here's my first few musings on things we could do: 1. Pass the mic- get our ERG involved in our external social media - let them do a takeover to voice what they thought needed to be said. 2. Community engagement - highlight some of the great organizations our ERG works with and their efforts 3. Interviews - pieces on on how we can help address this like the racial wealth gap, navigating corporate culture while embracing authenticity, how to be a better ally What would you prioritize / add that you've seen that was really impactful?

Black History Month is almost over...so have you thought about what you're going to do to maintain the momentum? Or is it just a topic to be left on the back burner for another 12 months? Check out the link in the comments to read my Q&A with Flexa and see some of my thoughts on how companies can continue to empower their Black talent throughout the year and throughout their careers! #BlackHistoryMonth #Flexa #KeepTheMomentum

Black History Month is a time to reflect and a time to look forward. To recognize this, BIIC is featuring insights from Black professionals throughout the month. Please join us in celebrating the work that is being done to promote positive change within the risk management and insurance industry. Q: What words of wisdom do you have for up and coming Black risk management and insurance professionals? A: Allow yourself time to think, meditate, evaluate, and give serious thought to your behavior, attitude, motivation and desires. Be honest and transparent. Know that you are not alone on your journey to success. Ask questions, seek guidance, and be of help to others around you. Integrity is the key to success. Thank you, LaVonda Lovett of Gallagher.

There's a way to get Black History Month very wrong - but there's also a way you can get it right. Let's focus on how to get it right... 📝 Take notes from brands like adidas, YouTube & Ben & Jerry's who have been doing an exemplary job engaging with Black communities through the 'stewardship' framework ⏰ Find out where the future of brand engagement is headed when it comes to engage diverse communities 💡 Take actionable notes on how you can avoid critical mistakes and make sure your Black History Month Campaigns don't suck in our re-recorded webinar which you can find here: https://lnkd.in/eu84W-Dv

🌟 Celebrating Black Excellence! 🌟 Get to know Wesley Hall, Solutions Engineer at Merkle, in this special #BlackHistoryMonth feature as he shares his story, insights, and aspirations:

Here’s what UK Black History Month has taught me: Black History Month is a time to honor and celebrate black lives, talent, and excellence that shapes our communities, society and our world. I’ve quietly sat back this month, to see how many people put a spotlight on it 👀 From the content creators, to culture teams, the DEI experts and the proud business owners. And as someone who scrolls LinkedIn for hours everyday, proportionally speaking, it’s been poor. I’m no expert but as a human with eyes and a brain, I can see that black communities still face deep-rooted systemic challenges. Black people are still fighting for their rights to recognition, equity and justice. So you can tell yourself, that strides have been made and “but my best friend is black”. But it’s clear as crystal, that there’s a lot of work still to be done, on and off this platform. ✨✨✨ Follow me (Taq) and ring my ding dong 🔔 for more unsolicited recruitment advice on how to improve your hiring process, random stories and attention-seeking selfies.