Black History Month 2021

19 October 2021

Categories: Walker Hamill, diversity, inclusion, awareness, equality

Joelle Badiabo joined Walker Hamill earlier this year with two purposes: namely to lead our private equity candidate research efforts and also, as a thought leader and advisor to both us and our clients, on all diversity and inclusion matters. October is Black History Month in the UK and we asked Joelle to share her thoughts on what this means to her:

"For those of you who don’t know, October is Black History Month in the United Kingdom. It’s an Annual Commemoration to remember the history, achievements and contributions of Black People in the UK and beyond. Last year, Black History Month took on a special significance, following the passing of George Floyd in May 2020. The emotional response that took place globally was unprecedented. Many realised that diversity and inclusion is not just a matter for women, Black people, Asian people, LGBT people…but rather it’s a matter for everyone. Indeed, we are all accountable for shaping our society and we are all collectively re-creating it every single day. As a member of various ‘diversity’ categories myself, it is inspiring to observe that many business leaders, including within the Private Equity industry, are actively taking steps to publicly voice that diversity, equity and inclusion matter to them and their businesses.

It is such a privilege for me to be able to help make a difference by actively promoting practices that favour equal opportunities in hiring processes, for some of the ‘top jobs’ in the UK. Likewise, I find empowering the opportunity I have been given at Walker Hamill to share powerful knowledge, useful resources & actionable best practices with colleagues and clients alike.

Hence, Black History Month 2021 is more important than Black History Month 2020 to me. Because, if the year 2020 acted as a trigger for many business leaders to get into the D&I race towards a better and more equitable business world, Black History Month 2021 is about endurance. So good luck to everyone running this race. We are all in this to win.

To celebrate Black History Month 2021, I'd like to re-extend my offer to consult with anyone of African or Caribbean Heritage who has trained in M&A, or strategy consulting, or Big 4 professional/deal services and who is now considering a move into private equity or growth capital: please contact me at jbadiabo@walkerhamill.com to arrange a discussion." 

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