Rare Recruitment

“Of London’s university students, 44% are from an ethnic minority background and 17% are black. We help excellent organisations that are truly committed to reflecting this diversity attract and retain exceptional people from diverse backgrounds.”

Rare Recruitment is a stellar recruitment agency. Founded by Oxford graduate Raphael Mokades (pictured left) and with an advisory boarded chaired by Sir David Bell, Chairman of the Financial Times, the company has recruited top quality graduates from the BME community for many leading companies.

Not only has the agency provided positions for graduates but has also been instrumental in landing internships and placements. It is also noted that Rare has a high standard of who can be put forward for the positions they are asked to place, which definitely defines a rule of excellence for the company.

Kudos to the team for continuing to both inspire and provide tangible possibilities for many of our most talented young graduates around the country.

Profile: Rene Carayol

 
Rene Carayol is one of the leading speakers in the UK. A recognised authority on leadership. An accomplished author, TV presenter and conference facilitator.René has provided leadership support to the likes of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, the Home Office and McKinsey and Co, and is now an accomplished Visiting Professor at Cass business school. In fact for many African and Caribbean professional speakers in the UK he is the pinnacle of what we would like to be back. And yes I have at least four other professional speakers who I could quote on that.

I had the privilege a little while back to be able to have a phone interview with Carayol to tap into the keys to his success. So here goes.

What is your name?
Rene Carayol

What is your background or lineage?
I was born in Gambia but grew up in Harlesden. My father was a diplomat. I went to school in Harlesden then on to university after which I held successful jobs in Marks Spencer, Pepsi and IPC Media before it was sold to AOL Time Warner.

What do you do for a living/What is your vocation?
I am a writer and speaker on leadership. My mission is to create more leaders.

When did you know what you wanted to be?
As a kid all I wanted to be was successful. Mum had 3 jobs. Dad had 2 so I was always driven never to have to do that. This drove me to be successful.

Who or what would you say was the biggest influence in your life?
Without a doubt the quote from Muhammad Ali ” I don’t have to be what you want me to be”

Who is your biggest hero and why?
I have two. Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandela.

What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome in order to get where you are today?
Most definitely a lack of self belief. I had to get over those people who surrounded me who had a victim mentality.

What, if any, is your experience of racism?
Nothing  that was insurmoutable. Isms are something we can always overcome.

What would be your top tips for success for our young people growing up in today’s society?
Know what you are great for and stand for it. Have a strong look. Dont blame anyone else for your success or your failure.

If you had one wish that could be granted to positively affect the UK black community what would that one wish be?
To have more leaders affecting positive change.

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A special thank you to Rene for sharing his wisdom here.
You can find out more about him at http://www.carayol.com

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Tags: Champions, Rene Caryol, Speaker, carayol.com

Nathaniel Peat Bags Two Awards

Good to see a good friend and damn smart business man picking up the Social Enterprise and People’s Choice awards held by the Daily Mail.<p>Nathaniel Peat runs The Safety Box a personal safety organisation which he set up after the death of Kiyan Prince. The one hour workshops he runs mainly at schools focuses on helping children and young adults how to manage conflict, raise levels of confidence and self esteem.<p> In the current negative limelight it is positive to see young black males leading the way forward for change.

Ray Lewis in the Guardian

Ray Lewis the founder and CEO of Eastside Young Leader’s academy, an organisation I think get’s the whole idea of turnaround through leadership,  get’s a great write up in the Guardian.Photo source: The Guardian

Profile: Shaun Bailey

Shaun Bailey is a potential conservative candidate for the London Borough of Hammersmith. The founder of MyGeneration and a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies, he represents a breath of fresh air for positive black males in politics. Watch this space for a more detailed write up on him soon.

Profile: Mia Morris

Although we are coming to the end of the 20th anniversary of black history month, there is still so much that can be said about a renewed sense of focus about black history in the UK. One of the key advocates of this thinking is Mia Morris (pictured)Mia is the founder of the Well Placed Consultancy, providing training, consulting, coaching and speaking. In her own words she says”Our aim is to build self esteem, increase personal effectiveness, and encourage risk taking and challenges, which will enable the individual to progress their career prospects.”

Profile: Kanya King

Kanya King MBE is the founder and owner of the MOBO Organisation. Driven with a passion to have a show highlighting music of black origin, which was woefully absent from many other award ceremonies, she established the organisation in 1996. Now a televised show reaching audiences of millions world wide she has blaized a trail for other European urban awards ceremonies, although not without controversy. When I met Kanya it was very clear that she was driven and had a driving passion to be the best at what she does. She doesn’t just talk, she takes action.Kanya’s background includes a stint at Carlton TV as a researcher and was part of the production team for the Crystal Rose Show.

Profile: Paul Gilroy

Paul Gilroy is a professor in Social Theory at the London School of Economics (LSE). He is in fact the first holder of Anthony Giddens Professorship in Social Theory.He is one of the few professors of colour in the UK and through his work has clearly shaped the dialogue and discussion, at least from an Afro Caribbean point of view, about race and culture in the United Kingdom.

Walk Like A Champion

Many years ago I started out with the idea of a project. The project was called Walk Like A Champion and its main premise was to be the creation of a book that would be used to empower young black men to achieve both academically and in enterprise.

As a speaker, youth worker and mentor I was constantly frustrated with the constant emphasis being placed on sports, entertainment and crime being the holy trinity of career options for inner city students, and felt that there was so much more out there that could be offered to such students. Yes of course there are inequalities of access, poverty, racism but there are so many who achieved against the odds that to offer a glimmer of hope surely had to be the way forward. Such stories could provide inspiration and empowerment to a new generation.

Walk Like A Champion has since evolved into somewhat of a wider dream. Not just for young black men, but young black women as well to see what they can achieve and those that have gone before them. The purpose of this weblog is to capture those experiences both in word and visually of the people and programmes that help to empower students and make them see that there are role models out there, that there is a network of succesful black professionals in business, academia, the creative arts, government and the community. Not to have to wait on some charity handout or government policy to do so, but to act from within. So this weblog is the seedling, where we can start to encourage that champion walk and who knows raise to the parapet existing but low profile projects which seek to do the same.

It is still my lofty ambition to not only complete such a book, whether self published or in partnership with a recognised publishing house, but to be able to have a TV programme as well, and a readily available resource in the hands of those who need it.

Whilst I may seem biased towards sports and entertainment, there is enough acreage of media dedicated to achievements here, its time to broaden the scope. I give no apologies for ignoring the negative to accentuate the positive. I want to highlight the stories and achievements of successful black professionals to empower a new generation. To empower them to walk and talk and behave like champions. Plain and simple.
magnificently yours
David McQueen