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A company started by a City alumna has been nominated for the National Diversity Award.
Shine Media, founded by Joanna Abeyie (Magazine, 2009), was nominated for the Microsoft and PWC-sponsored award.
The organisation has once again been recognised for promoting diversity and has been nominated for ‘Best Community Campaigner’. It has won an award every year since 2010, their most recent one being the 2015 Black British Business Award.
The company helps journalists from diverse backgrounds get a foot on the career ladder and break into the media industry by providing financial support and helping them with CVs and interviews. These include journalists who have disabilities or are from BME or low socio-economic backgrounds.
Abeyie, who founded Shine Media before studying Magazine Journalism at City in 2009, said: “Sometimes individuals – for example, someone with a disability – are treated like they are a different type of human. I’m trying to even that playing field because they are just as talented as the next person even if their circumstances are slightly different.”
She told XCity Plus: “Actually, those individuals that have faced more challenges in life tend to be more resourceful, more independent and are good at using their initiative because they’ve learnt that you either sink or swim. I think those individuals widen any business’ opportunity to widen their audience because the more diverse your staff is the more you are able to reach out to different people.”
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