Urban Synergy, a leading charity focused on empowering underrepresented young people, hosted its annual UShine Awards Ceremony 2024 on Monday 16 December. The event brought together inspiring role models, corporate partners, teachers, and mentors, along with the charity’s supporters, to celebrate the remarkable achievements of young people and the volunteers who empower them.
The ceremony, held at Salesforce’s beautiful Ohana Room in London and hosted by Urban Synergy’s Patron, the broadcaster Eddie Nestor MBE and Darae Palmer, honoured outstanding individuals across various categories, recognising their contributions to mentorship, leadership, social mobility and diversity.
Leila Thomas, CEO of Urban Synergy, highlighted the importance of celebrating the positive impact of young people and their supporters in creating safer and happier communities. “So often we hear about the cost of living crisis, food banks and crime. Today, the charity celebrates the young people and their supporters who are creating safer, happier communities,” she said.
The UShine Awards also showcased Urban Synergy’s mission of empowering underrepresented young people to unlock their potential and achieve their goals. Thomas expressed the difficulty in choosing winners among the many deserving young people and supporters, saying, “Choosing the winners was incredibly hard from among all of our young people and supporters. We would have loved to invite everyone to our event and truly value each person’s contribution. However, due to limited venue capacity, we are unfortunately unable to extend an invitation to all of the Urban Synergy ‘family’.”
The winners of the UShine Awards 2024 are as follows:
Teacher Advocacy Award
Holly Power, Principal, Aquinas Campus Christ The King Sixth Form College, was recognised for her dedication to helping hundreds of students by involving them in corporate insight days and taking them into companies. She was praised for her work in growing the Urban Synergy programme and leading from the front as a senior leader.
Star Mentee
Chibi Ajero, Mentee Alumni & L6 Apprentice, Finance & Investment, Bloomberg, was described as “amazing” and “determined, motivated and wanting to suck in information.” Ajero’s determination and motivation impressed the judges, making him a deserving winner of the Star Mentee Award.
Outstanding Role Model
Sharon Blackman, OBE, Managing Director, Global Head of Services Legal, Citi, was recognised for the time she spends with students and her impressive achievements. She was described as “literally a rock star” by one of the judges, making her a clear winner of the Outstanding Role Model Award.
Mentor Award
Awah Tumban, Collateral & Liquidity Management, LSEG, was praised for his impressive ability to make time to mentor and support numerous young people, despite his busy role at LSEG. The judges were impressed by his dedication and commitment, making him a deserving winner of the Mentor Award.
Work Experience Hero Award
Jacquline Alcindor, Global Diversity & Inclusion Programme Partner, Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), was recognised for her dedication and support for the charity on multiple touchpoints, including running in the charity’s 5K Battersea Park Run. She was praised for her generosity with her time, making her a deserving winner of the Work Experience Hero Award.
Paul Lawrence Award
Jadon Black, Management Consultant Apprentice, PwC, was recognised for consistently paying it forward and looking out for other young people behind him on their journey to success. Black’s commitment to helping others impressed the judges, making him a deserving winner of the Paul Lawrence Award.
The independent judging panel, consisting of social mobility and diversity champions from Thomson Reuters, Deutsche Bank, Deloitte, Barclays, PwC, Goldman Sachs, and Bloomberg, had the difficult task of selecting winners from the impressive list of finalists.
Urban Synergy expressed its heartfelt gratitude to its generous sponsors, Boku, Salesforce, Moody’s, Aegon, 25 Bedford Row, and XCHG NewFlex, for making the UShine Awards possible. The charity also thanked Brentford FC and Tottenham Hotspur for their kind donations to the auction and the Chair of their Corporate Advisory Board, David Craig.
Each sponsor shared their commitment to creating social mobility and empowering young people. Boku’s CEO Stuart Neal said, “Boku is proud to support Urban Synergy in empowering young people to thrive and break barriers.” Salesforce, a leader in customer relationship management, is committed to building a future driven by equity and inclusion. Moody’s, a global integrated risk assessment firm, supports initiatives that advance education and opportunity for underrepresented communities. Aegon, with a long history of helping people achieve financial security, champions initiatives that promote education and social mobility, saying, “We’re honoured to support the next generation of leaders through Urban Synergy.” 25 Bedford Row is committed to increasing access to, and diversity within the legal profession. “We
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