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Kike Oniwinde founded BYP Network in 2016 in an endeavour to harness and elevate the status of Black professionals, shatter misconceptions of the Black narrative and promote equity and inclusion in the workplace. We spoke to Kike about her motivations, plans and the importance of connecting Black talent.

What led you to create the BYP Network?

Prior to BYP, I was a top student academically and was interested in working in the finance sector. I did a Masters at the University of Florida, and previously gained some work experience in investment banking before working in fin-tech. I was quick to realise that for me, tech is the future, and I wanted to be at the heart of innovation.

However, the lack of diversity in the workplace and the difficulties in meeting other Black professionals in the city were stark. I thought, where were all the talented Black students that I had met during my studies? Why weren’t they in these top corporations? It was troubling to see the lack of role model visibility. 

This, coupled with the discussions around Black Lives Matter, motivated me to ‘change the Black narrative’ and create BYP Network as a platform for Black professionals to connect with each other and to major corporations, and properly tackle issues of diversity and inclusivity.

Sounds like a great mission. How has the journey of BYP Network been so far?

We’re very proud to have now amassed over 150,000 community members across the globe, and to have worked with 1,000 leading corporate partners – the likes of Sky, TikTok, Meta, and Morgan Stanley. Over 15,000 of our members have been up-skilled through mentorship, thought-leadership events and industry-specific insight, with all our members boasting an enhanced network and some even being hired through the mentorship programme. While 2020 was a tough year due to Covid-19, we were fortunate to launch a successful multimillion crowdfund with over 1,200 investors, and were able to grow the company tenfold. 

It’s been an amazing experience to watch the platform grow and see so many people benefit from it. Our current team are all incredibly skilled and dedicated professionals, and we’re presently gearing up for the fourth edition of our BYP Leadership Conference, which I’m very excited for. 

Tell us more about the conference?

We host the conference each year during Black History Month; this year it’s taking place on October 6th and 7th, and the theme is ‘Knowledge is Power’. The first day brings together a variety of inspirational Black speakers and pioneering sponsoring companies to share insights on leadership, navigating workplace challenges, upskilling and mentoring, exclusive career and sector insights, pushing Black stories to the forefront, and so on.

We’re expecting 600 guests in-person and thousands more online. The second day is then a virtual career fair with CV workshops, panel discussions, networking, job opportunities, etc. It’s such a clear and fantastic way to get these talented Black professionals in front of the right people, to showcase how they can mutually benefit from each other’s backgrounds and expertise. Through their presence, the attendees also feel more confident knowing that the companies are actually interested in making a difference in diversity and inclusion, and having a positive impact on society. 

We enjoyed having will.i.am’s charismatic presence at the conference last year, and this year we’re thrilled to have the likes of The Apprentice’s Timothy Campbell, writer and broadcaster, Sir Trevor Phillips, and CEO of Stemettes, Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE joining us. I’m also looking forward to this event as it ties in with both my 30th birthday and BYP’s 6th birthday! So, there’s a lot to celebrate.

Congratulations! What’s it like being a young CEO and balancing the workload? 

I have always been a bit of a go-getter, liking to keep busy. In fact, before I started focussing on the banking and finance industry, I was a javelin-thrower for Great Britain as well. I can’t lie, it can be hard and you have to put in the work. You have to be passionate about what you’re doing – which luckily, we all are at BYP Network. I used to be in the habit of having to stay up late to do things myself but now the team has grown, it’s a relief to be able to delegate work and trust that it is done well. The team is a mix of ages but we all have the opportunity to contribute equally and put forward ideas. It’s a very collaborative space, and everyone helps out and listens to each other.

This year came with an added challenge as I became a first-time mother, but I only took out 6 weeks of maternity leave as there is so much to do. Having a daughter has made me even more determined to build a better future and equity for Black female professionals. According to reports, 52% of Black women in the UK are still quitting their jobs due to racial issues. The leave was shorter than I would have liked perhaps, but it’s also good to get back into the routine of work and stay on top of the activities we have planned for the conference and platform. It’s made me have to plan well and keep a tighter schedule, which can help with productivity and efficiency too. 

What’s next for BYP Network?

We’re continuously enhancing our product offerings and services – our mentorship programme, our jobs board, Black Experience Course, and a range of events, for instance. We always look for ways we can be better and serve our community and partners better. We’re hoping to expand more internationally – so next year we may be looking into the US and other countries for opportunities. Our events in Dubai have already been very successful. 

We’ve had some new additions to the company recently and will be searching for more promising individuals who support our mission and values to come on board. We’re looking more at expanding our reach and promoting the fact that it’s not just a Black person’s issue, but something for allies to get involved in too. BYP Network just has so much potential and so much to offer in this space. There’s really no limit to what’s next.