European Diversity Champion

European Diversity Champion

Congratulations to Pink Dynasty for winning the 2021 EDA Social Mobility Award

The European Diversity Awards (EDA) revealed Pink Dynasty as the winner of the 2021 SOCIAL MOBILITY INITIATIVE – sponsored by Accenture, at their annual event, in London’s Landmark Hotel.

We are elated to be found a worthy winner of this prestigious award, and will continue to work alongside our passionate mentors, corporate partners, and stakeholders to break down the invisible barriers that prevent young women from low-income and marginalised backgrounds from upward mobility, especially in these unprecedented times.

As we embark on a brief hiatus, we want to thank everyone who has supported our journey thus far, and look forward to reintroducing Pink Dynasty as a charitable incorporated organisation in due course.

Here’s to more success in 2022 and beyond!

Best regards,

PD Management

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day

Lets celebrate IWD 2021: A Salute To Inspiring Young Women

In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2021, we’ll be dedicating the rest of March to highlighting some inspiring quotes on our Instagram and LinkedIn pages from phenomenal women we think everyone should know. Each woman is renowned and respected for blazing a trail in their fields—whether they’re authors, artists or climate justice activists. Here’s to Jameela Elfaki , Candice Brathwaite, Kristy Drustman, Chloé Zhao, and Mikaela Loach, for all the awesome work they do. We salute you today, and always!

Jameela Elfaki

Jameela posing sitting down

“Accepting that it’s okay to not fit into a box or belong to just one place is a beautiful and liberating thing. It’s okay to have multiple cultures, homes and communities, it is your choice how you express your identity”

Jameela Elfaki

Jameela Elfaki, the founder and editor-in-chief of AZEEMA mag has many plates spinning, and one in particular is growing her platform that seeks to empower and uplift womxn within the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia diaspora. AZEEMA grew from what began as Jameela’s final project at Central Saint Martins. Having graduated from the fashion communication and promotion course back in 2017, Jameela and AZEEMA have grown together in perfect harmony. Here, we talk to Jameela about the “gambles” you take as a freelancer, her life-changing project and how she’s adapting to shooting from home during lockdown. Caption taken from an interview written by Siham Ali

Candice Brathwaite

Candice Brathwaite smiling

“I want people to learn, especially white people, that being an ally doesn’t always have to be a grand gesture. It certainly doesn’t always have to be public. Maybe it’s you mentoring a black person, or helping them to climb that career ladder – all those things add up”

Candice Brathwaite

Candice Brathwaite is an author, journalist, TV presenter, and founder of Make Motherhood Diverse – an online initiative that aims to ensure many more people see themselves reflected online. Candice started blogging in 2016 to tell her own motherhood story keen to show that young black families weren’t just surviving but thriving and her straight-talking, original content really struck a chord with fans and brands alike. Her debut book I Am Not Your Baby Mother – about being a black British mum – published in May 2020 by Quercus made the Sunday Times Bestseller list.

Kristy Drutman

Kristy Drutman posing

“My vision is that I can start bridging the gap between these ideas of what it means to be an environmentalist between, regardless of your race, your gender, your age. What does that look like, how can we start exploring that, and what are the gaps and what are the opportunities for collaboration?”

Kristy Drutman

Kristy Drutman is a Filipina environmentalist and digital strategist who wants to save the world one post at a time through her podcast and media series, Brown Girl Green. She interviews environmental leaders and advocates about diversity and inclusion as well as creative solutions to the climate crisis. Follow her journey at @browngirl_green on Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to the Brown Girl Green Podcast.

Chloé Zhao 

Chloé Zhao posing

“It’s very important for feminism for us to tell our daughters that they should be strong. But to tell our sons that they can be vulnerable, to have these characters on screen that are not perfectly masculine cowboys that never fail, for our boys to change their psyche as well, that’s equally important for feminism” 

Chloé Zhao

Chloé Zhao is an award winning filmmaker who started writing and making films because of her fascination with multiculturalism and its role in the world. Her films usually reflect this curiosity and the desire to explore. Recently, Chloe made history by becoming the second woman to win a Golden Globe for directing ‘Nomadland’. Zhao was raised in Beijing and England, received her BA in Political Science from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and is now a MFA thesis student at New York University’s graduate film program.

Mikaela Loach

Mikaela Loach posing

Fashion is often connected to empowerment, if you wear a great outfit you feel good, you feel empowered,” Loach tells Global Citizen. “But if your empowerment is causing the oppression of someone else, is that real empowerment?”

Mikaela Loach

Mikaela Loach is a climate justice activist and ethical fashion blogger. Mikaela enjoys sustainable living and lives in Edinburgh, where she studies Medicine at university. On her Instagram, you’ll find posts about ethical fashion, low impact living, and advice on looking after your mental health. Mikaela aims to encourage conscious consumerism and save our beautiful planet, whilst honouring the other humans on it!

Happy IWD #ChooseToChallenge

Black Herstory Month

Black Herstory Month

Lets celebrate Black Herstory: A Salute To Inspiring Black Women

October is Black History Month in the UK, and we’ve got plenty of reasons to celebrate! Today, meet some of our favourite sheroes in Black British  Herstory, each renowned and respected for blazing a trail in their fields—whether they’re politicians, authors, artists or activists. Special thanks to Diane Abbott , Phyll Opoku-Gyimah , Dr Annabel Sowemimo, Elle Hallal, Nana Afua Antwi, Deborah King, Davinia Tomlinson, Favour Jonathan, Shingai, and Shakaila Forbes-Bell for agreeing to feature in our #BlackHerstory series. We salute these remarkable women today, and always!

Diane Abbott MP

“My forebears refused to cut the sugar cane for plantation owners, and I am recognisably a product of that background”

Diane Abbott

In 1987, Diane Abbott made history by becoming the First Black Woman ever elected to the British Parliament. She has since built a distinguished career as a parliamentarian, broadcaster and commentator. Thank you Diane, we appreciate you, and everything you have done, and are doing, to make life better for marginalised women! Check out The Diane Abbott Foundation, an independent registered charity that was created to formalise, extend and increase the capacity of Diane Abbott MP’s work around inequality in education and employment.

Lady Phyll

“When we rise together, we are mighty.”

Lady Phyll

Phyllis Opoku-Gyimah, also known as Lady Phyll, is a force to be reckoned with. Her pioneering activist work has increased visibility and advocacy for Queer, Trans and Intersex People of Colour (QTIPOC) in the UK and beyond. One of her landmark achievements is as the co-founder and director of Black Pride, the first event of its kind in Europe celebrating “LGBTQ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent to promote and advocate for the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual health and wellbeing” of these communities.

Dr Annabel Sowemimo

“It’s okay not to fit into the boxes that society has created. It’s okay to be more than any one thing at any one time. People are frightened by difference and that’s their own insecurity – we are taught from a very young age to conform.”

Dr Annabel Sowemimo

Dr Annabel is a community sexual and reproductive health doctor and founder of non-profit Decolonising Contraception. Annabel is also a freelance writer and contributor for online platforms including Black Ballad and gal-dem.com. Please look out for Annabel’s book –  Decolonising Healthcare, a “vital, eye-opening history of race and health” that will be published in 2022 by Wellcome Collection and Profile Books.

Elle Hallal 

“When you’re determined to make a  positive change in the world, you need to be prepared to overcome the many trials and tribulations” 

Elle Hallal

Elle is a Software Engineer at 8th Light, a software consultancy. Her journey into STEM was via a non-traditional route. She became a Software Engineer a year ago, and has contributed to projects in a number of industries since. Elle volunteers at Coding Black Females – a non-profit organisation, which aims to provide opportunities in tech for Black women. She is a member of the leadership team, mentors, and is passionate about enhancing visibility, and increasing the number of Black women in the sector. Check out Elle’s “Learn to Code Using Free Resources” blog post.

Nana Afua Antwi

“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of Enthusiasm”

Nana Afua Antwi

Nana is a model, and founder/creative designer of Adopted Culture. A contemporary sustainable women’s wear which exudes confidence with style. Adopted Culture is innovative, modern and chic designed for today’s woman who is bold and a trendsetter. Nana is also the founder of Florence + Doris Foundation, a Mother & Daughter project devised to support Women with Endometriosis🎗 Dedicated to Mental Health & Wellness. Visit  linktr.ee/fndfoundation.com for more information

Davinia Tomlinson

“If you can’t see it, you can’t be it”

Davinia Tomlinson

Davinia is the Founder & CEO of rainchq, a company set up in 2018 to help women take control of their financial futures. Today scores of rainmakers are levelling up their finances and building long term wealth as a result of their rainchq membership. To find out more visit www.rainchq.com/rainmaker or follow @rainchq on all social platforms.

Shingai Shoniwa

“We are able to speak for ourselves through our music rather than being defined and put into the spotlight in a very male kind of groomed way for an obviously predominantly male audience”

Shingai Shoniwa

Shingai Shoniwa is a Zimbabwean born musician, vocalist and lead-singer of UK indie rock band Noisettes, who are perhaps best known for their hit single Don’t Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go). She is also famous for her fashion icon status. Listen to her new album “Too Bold” now.

Deborah King

“By wearing the name you embody the greatness that figure represents and keep the past alive. We tell their stories because they are relevant to who we are today”

Deborah King

Deborah is the VP Head of Paid Social at Essence, for clients including Google, NBCU, BT, EE, Nandos, Peloton and L’Oreal. For more than 14 years working in paid social for companies including Facebook and Bebo. Deborah is determined to progress cultural change. In 2019, she setup and championed Essence Village – building a community who are committed to driving Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic diversity through celebrations and awareness across the agency and change across the advertising Industry. In 2017 Deborah also co-founded I AM History a black lifestyle and culture publication designed to raise awareness and be a voice for Black voices and stories – both historic and present day.

Shakaila Forbes-Bell

“As great as it feels to be a Black woman breaking barriers, it feels even better to create spaces for Black women coming after you”

Shakaila Forbes-Bell

As seen in VogueGlamourThe GuardianCNNMarie ClaireStylist and more, Shakaila Forbes-Bell is a published Fashion Psychologist, consultant, experienced marketer, writer and founder of ‘Fashion is Psychology’. She has worked with global fashion brands like Next, Sainsbury’s and AfterPay to help consumers understand the psychological significance of their clothing and beauty choices. She has bylines in renowned magazines including, i-D, Glamour and Marie Claire. Her work investigating the impact of racial diversity in fashion media has been published in the International Journal of Market Research. Check out  FashionisPsychology.com for more information.

Favour Jonathan

”Don’t forget about the one person that has always been there for you no matter what. that’s you! we tend to think about what we want to build, our futures and those who need us, as humans our eyes always looks out but remember to reverse that gaze now and then and check in on yourself. if you need to splash out on a new bed so you get a better rest, do it.”

Favour Jonathan

Favour is a talented Multidisciplinary Artist based in London. Favour is inspired by the traditional arts of the Bini People of Edo State, Nigeria. She uses their cultural knowledge, beliefs and traditional values in her work as a way of articulating in the contemporary world her own values and ideas of resilience, strength, and power. Please check out Favour’s artwork that explores Benin Kingdom, we absolutely love her aesthetic, she is a blessing to the art scene both here and in Nigeria. For more information visit https://www.favourjonathan.com/

Happy Black Herstory Month!

We Need Your Support

We Need Your Support

Weʼre raising £2,000 to support our members, who are in some of the most challenging and difficult circumstances, especially during this pandemic.

Over the past couple of weeks, many corporate leaders have been speaking up in support of Black Lives Matter , and while speaking up is an essential first step, we believe there is so much more that needs to be done. We would encourage companies to stand behind their statement of solidarity by supporting our organisation.

As a London based Community Interest Company (Company Number: 11052459), on a mission to break down the invisible barriers to corporate jobs in the UK for talented women from Black, and Minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds, our members have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

We are working hard to ensure that we continue to support our most vulnerable members with their transition from higher education into employment, understandably, it is difficult to do so effectively while operating under the current social distancing measures. In order to meet the needs of our members safely, we have transitioned our mentoring programme online, i.e. all meetings and workshops are delivered remotely. However, without access to reliable and affordable online tools we’re struggling to cope.

If you want to support our members and fight against structural racism, please start by making a donation.

On behalf of everyone at Pink Dynasty and the inspiring young women we support ‘Thank You’ in advance for your generosity!

Best regards,

PD Management

Respecting Others’ Time

Respecting Others’ Time

Respecting each others’ time is key to a successful mentoring relationship

It has been brought to our attention that a few members have missed mentoring sessions and not responded to their mentor’s calls, emails or texts.

As mentioned in your welcome pack and at the induction event, respecting each other’s time is key to a successful mentoring relationship. Therefore, we expect mentees to value their mentors’ time by attending scheduled meetings, responding to calls and emails. Furthermore, if you are unable to attend a meeting, you are expected to provide an explanation and sufficient notice for your absence.

To establish a successful mentoring relationship, where each person feels respected, please follow the guidance below:

Schedule a meeting, make sure you stick to it – avoid time-wasting, agree a date/time that works best for both of you and come prepared.

Create clear benchmarks for success – Set productivity goals and make sure that your goals are clear and accomplishable.

Listen actively – In other words, pay close attention to what is being said and make sure that everyone is on track before moving forward.

Embrace new modes of communication – During this period of quarantine we have all had to adapt to the social distancing restrictions, and embrace online meeting platforms like Zoom or Hangouts. So don’t be afraid to start using platforms that you are comfortable with.

Ask for help – If you ever face any issues please contact hello@pinkdynasty.org immediately and we’ll do our very best to provide any support needed.​

Remain committed – All new relationships take time to blossom, however, without mutual dedication, the relationship is doomed to fail. If you haven’t been as committed to your mentoring relationship, please apologise to your mentor and start each new interaction armed with greater enthusiasm.

By following this guidance, your mentoring relationship will improve. Failure to do so could lead to the discontinuation of your Pink Dynasty membership.

Please let us know ASAP if you are facing any issues with maintaining your mentoring relationship.

Best regards,

PD Management