Black Excellence UK x Loughborough Business School
📍 Loughborough Business School
📅 Thursday, 23rd October 2025
The second edition of the Black Excellence UK (BE UK) and Loughborough University Business School collaboration brought together students, staff, and community members for an evening of reflection, insight, and purpose under the theme:
“Leadership to Legacy: Building Futures with Purpose and Pride.”
Hosted at the Loughborough Business School, the event explored what it truly means to lead with purpose and how each of us, regardless of title or age, can build a legacy that outlives us.
An Evening of Inspiration and Authentic Conversation
Moderated by Opeyemi Sanwoolu (BE UK Team Member and Leadership Coach), the event featured thought-provoking talks and honest reflections from three inspiring speakers:
Obi James – Leadership Expert, Board Trustee, and Author of Let Go Leadership – opened with an honest reflection on her own journey of purpose and discovery, from Helsinki to London. She reminded us that real change does not begin by trying to fix everyone else, it begins by asking who we need to become to influence the systems we are part of, even when those systems feel unfair.
She left the room with three piercing questions:
- Who are you becoming when no one is watching?
- What lessons have you outgrown but still obey?
- Who gains confidence from your leadership?
Professor Martin Morgan Tuuli, Professor of Operations and Project Management at Loughborough Business School, built on this by grounding leadership in service. Drawing from his experiences in Somaliland, he reminded us that leadership is not about position or control – it is a call to serve.
“Purpose,” he said, “cannot just be a slogan. It has to be something we live by, measure, and demonstrate through our actions.”
He left us with a popular African proverb:
“Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”
This is a powerful reminder that if we don’t tell our own stories, others will, and their version may glorify those who shouldn’t be glorified.
Cllr Dr. Ashiedu Joel, Culture Change and Inclusive Leadership Enabler and BE UK Trustee, closed the speaking session by bringing everything full circle – from purpose to community. She spoke passionately about the need for our community to become power brokers that are not content with being “the only one in the room.”
Her words struck a chord: true leadership is about influence, and influence is shown in how we keep doors open for others, not in how we close them behind us.
Interactive Reflections
The audience, made up of students, university staff, and community members, engaged in small breakout discussions — reflecting on key provocations from the speakers and sharing what leadership and legacy mean in their own contexts.
This year’s event also saw deeper involvement from Loughborough University’s leadership team, with Sarah Barnard offering the welcome address on behalf of the Dean – Jan Godsell, and Ruth Cufflin helping shape the planning and structure of the evening.
Books, Connections, and Takeaways
A highlight of the event was the generous donation of 30 copies of Let Go Leadership by author Obi James, allowing attendees to take home not just inspiration but a practical guide for continuing their leadership journey.
Overall, the three speakers emphaised that that purpose demands accountability, it begins with a clear understanding of who you are and what you are striving to achieve. True leadership, they shared, is not passive; it calls us to act with intention and responsibility.
We must reach a point where we recognise that “help is me.” If help starts with us, then it also means we each have a duty to lift someone else up. When we pour into others, we strengthen a cycle of support so that when the time comes, those we have invested in are empowered to pour back into us and into others.
They also cautioned that being the “only one in the room” can become deeply exhausting over time. This is a reminder of why collective empowerment and shared representation are vital for sustainable leadership and wellbeing.
The atmosphere in the room was one of gratitude, curiosity, and connection — the kind of energy that makes Leadership to Legacy more than just an event, but a movement of purpose-driven people committed to growing together.
What’s Next for BE UK
Building on the success of this year’s forum, Black Excellence UK is moving from talk to transformation through new initiatives, including:
- Leadership Circles (“Legacy in Action”) – small peer groups that help participants apply lessons from the forum and stay accountable to their leadership growth.
- Expanded University Collaborations – including planned masterclasses at the Wolfson School of Engineering (with Prof. Sheryl Williams and Dr. Ogbonnaya Chukwuma) and the School of Arts (with Dr. Kerri Akiwowo).
- Leadership to Legacy 2026: “Legacy in Motion – From Talk to Transformation.”
- 2027 BE National Conference – a one-day national gathering to showcase BE UK’s work and scale its impact across universities and communities.
“Leadership without purpose leaves no legacy.
What we’re building through these conversations is a community of action where leadership becomes collective, inclusive, and grounded in purpose.”
— Dr. Ayodeji (Deji) Akiwowo, Founder, Black Excellence UK
Thank You
Special thanks to Loughborough Business School, our speakers, moderator, and the entire BE UK team for their dedication and heart.
The legacy continues — one conversation, one action, one leader at a time.
