More Black Female Leaders now!
Report by Joyce Thornton
Black female leadership is in short supply in the UK in many sectors – and academia is no exception. The statistics are shocking. In 2018, there were just 25 Black women professors – contrasted with a massive 12,500 white men.
Hear from three inspiring women who are leading the way forward
Join pioneering Black women at the University of Westminster’s upcoming event, Being a Black Female Leader at 18.00 on Tuesday March 10th 2026 and hear from three inspiring women who are leading the way forward.
Heading the line-up of speakers is Westminster’s Chancellor, Natalie Campbell MBE, who, in addition to her role as Chancellor, is an award-winning social entrepreneur and broadcaster.
As co-founder of the Belu water brand, her company has given £6.1 million in funding to Water Aid. Natalie ran as an independent candidate for Mayor of London in May 2024.
Joining Natalie on the speakers panel, is Westminster alumnae Professor Miranda Brawn, who, following a 30+ year career as an investment banker, hedge fund trader and lawyer, now focuses on her work as a philanthropist, portfolio board director, advisor, social entrepreneur, creator and host of 'The D.A.R.E. Podcast' where global leaders and celebrities focus on successful mindsets.
In addition, they are joined by Dr La Toya Quamina, who is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Westminster Business School. Dr Quamina’s recent work focuses on Higher Education and examines the role of AI and the lived experience of people of colour within this sector. Her research interests include brand management, consumer behaviour, and digital marketing.
Get your tickets for the event here
Good News!
As a powerful initiative to combat this woeful lack of Black women in positions of influence within academia, the organisation, WHEN (Women in Higher Education Network) instigated the 100 Black Women Professors NOW programme in 2021.
The focus of the on-going programme seeks to dismantle deep-rooted barriers to gender and race equity.
From then until now, the number of Black female professors has doubled, but is still not where it should be. The focus of the on-going programme seeks to dismantle deep-rooted barriers to gender and race equity. The organisation supports Black women academics with mentoring, career coaching, sponsorship and community building.
Their efforts have begun to see results through a clear focus on the most under-represented and disadvantaged group of Black women – those from the African diaspora who still number just 0.2% of the UK’s professors.