Black strategy professional network launches

The international online community initially launched with three people via WhatsApp and now has around 100 members.

Ayo Fagbemi, founder of Blackstrat, and strategist at Mother, said: "I started this group last year after working on a project where we were talking about the fact that if you can’t see it, you can’t be it. At that moment I thought to myself I don’t know any strategists at a senior level that looked like me."

Fagbemi said the aim of the group is to be more “visible to encourage more black strategists to join a discipline that we all know can be very closed off and elitist”.

The group offers members opportunities to share best practices and resources, advice, and learn from others.

Rob Scotland, head of strategy at McCann London, said: "The strongest communities are rooted in empathy and a will to drive positive change for all its people. There’s something very empowering and humbling about being part of a community that not only understands you but wants to see you thrive."