In this letter Cephas lays out his vision for a better Britain for the Black community and for us all. He touches on what has been happening in the UK and the global awakening that took place in 2020 from a personal perspective, in form of a letter to his son. Following the birth of his son, Cephas took this letter to leaders within his network as a manifesto for change and as a letter introducing the vision and need for the Black British Network.
Allies & Leaders Signed Up
The following list of executives, industry leaders and allies have read 'Letter to Zion' and committed their time, resources and organisations to stand with us as we drive targeted change focused on the Black community in the UK and ending systemic racism. We are looking for allies who are not afraid to have candid and constructive conversations that lead to dismantling systemic racism and creating an equal playing field for the economic advancement of the Black community in the UK
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Our aim is to use our collective influence and strategic position to keep the conversation going beyond moments of trauma and public traction whilst taking brave, tangible and meaningful steps to create the change we need to see.
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All leaders listed have read Cephas Williams letter to his son, Zion and have committed to the BBN's 4 Key Deliverables using their influence and business' to support Cephas' mission and the legacy of the BBN.
Andrew Denton
Alfa Systems
CEO
Barry Cupples
Talon Outdoor
CEO
Stephen Woodford
Advertising Association
CEO
Mervyn Lyn
Strategic Partnership Solutions Ltd
Founding Partner
Helen Calcraft
Lucky Generals
Co-founder
Sharon Ament
Museum of London
Director
Andy Medd
Broody
Founder
Steve Murrells
The Co-op Group
CEO
Sue Frogley
Publicis Media
CEO, UK
Zahra Bahrololoumi
Salesforce
CEO, UK&I
Nicola Mendelson
VP EMEA
Paul Polman
Imagine
Co-founder & Chair
Rob Love
Crowdfunder
CEO / Co-founder
Daren Rubins
Conker
Co-founder
Mark Evans
O2 (Telefonica UK)
CEO
Hywel Ball
EY
UK Chair & Managing Partner UK&I
John McGrath
MIF
Artistic Director & Chief Executive
Katie Mackay-Sinclair
Mother London
Partner
Simon Roberts
Sainsbury's
CEO
Magnus Djaba
Saatchi & Saatchi
Global President
Nick Ring
Columbia Thread Needle
CEO
Steve Hatch
Director, UK&I
Simon Pegg
Stolen Picture
Co-founder
Richard Bon
Clear Channel UK
Managing Director
Keith Weed
WPP
Non-Executive Director
William Eccleshare
Clear Channel Outdoor
CEO
Steve Varley
EY
Global Vice Chair, Sustainability
Richard Parsons
Sony Pictures
COO
Robert Savile
Mother London
Co-Founder
Jason Butwick
Dechert
Partner
Shaheen Sayed
Accenture
Senior Managing Director
Alan Jope
Unilever
CEO
Johnathan Reekie
Somerset House Trust
Director
Phil Thomas
Ascential
President, Marketing Division & Chairman, Cannes Lions
Danny Brooke-Taylor
Lucky Generals
Co-founder
Jude Kelly CBE
The WOW Foundation
Founder & Director
Justin Coachrane
Clear Channel
CEO, UK & Europe
Jason Tarry
Tesco
CEO
Sophie Devonshire
The Marketing Society
CEO
Sarah Douglas
AMV BBDO
CEO
Anette King
Publicis Groupe
CEO, UK
Simon Eaves
Accenture
CEO, UK&I
Aline Santos
Unilever
Global Executive VP Marketing
Halla Tómasdóttir
The B Team
CEO & Chief Change Catalyst
Imagine if all our major companies and their executives stood together, to support the Black community in the UK to priorities our economic advancement and the eradication of systemic racism. Imagine if we stopped paying lip service and put our money and our resources where our mouths and hearts seem to be. If we kept the momentum and energy that came after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, so that it does not take for the death of another Black person before we see the true state of the landscape toward Black people again. We need to act now and come together to create seismic and authentic change, change that will last. What if we had an alliance, a network of leaders and leading companies standing shoulder to shoulder with the Black community, not saying 'we are perfect' but saying 'we will honestly and wholeheartedly work together with the Black community, to ensure that 20 years from now, the next generation of Black people have a level playing field in the UK'. Imagine the change we would see if we centralised the conversation and worked together.
Together We Are Stronger.
BBN Corporate Members
This is a list of the companies that have signed up to be part of our Roundtable Conversations & The Black Paper. Working with the BBN to collectively dismantle systemic racism and create an equal playing field for the economic advancement of the Black community in the UK. Using their business, resources and our combined networks to drive this agenda forward together.
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BBN Associated Organisations
This is a list of the organisations who are either nationally or globally recognised bodies that represent or bring together groups of people in society or a group of companies connected to an industry. The role these organisations play in working with us to dismantle systemic racism is to use their influence and the power of their national/global position to communicate what they learn from our Roundtable Conversations across the people and companies within their networks, while using their influence to propel change in this area.
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Together​ We Are Stronger
4 Key Deliverables
Over the course of the next year, we will be looking at delivering on the following 4 things. This is just the start, we aim to do much more as we grow our network, our footprint and our impact.​
"For the longest time in the UK (on a mainstream level) our stories have been controlled and curated by people who do not look like us, people who are disconnected from our reality and people who can't directly relate to being Black. As such we are only celebrated as a community in October 'Black history month'. On top of this, because of the lack of control we have around who tells our stories, there are very specific notions and ideas that are amplified about the Black community that are not true in some cases and do not represent a wholistic and honest picture of what it means to be Black in the UK."
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Cephas Williams
Founder, The Black British Network