The Top Black Business Leaders to Follow in 2026
Black leadership continues to shape British business, workplace culture and organisational performance. For decision-makers seeking fresh perspectives, the top Black business leaders to follow in 2026 offer valuable insight into resilience, inclusive leadership and sustainable growth.
Why is Black Leadership Important in Business?
Black leadership brings valuable perspectives to conversations around organisational culture, representation, talent and decision-making. Research found that companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity on executive teams had a 39% greater likelihood of financial outperformance than those in the bottom quartile. The research identifies an association rather than proving that diversity alone causes stronger financial results, but it reinforces the commercial relevance of who reaches leadership positions. Representation also influences employees’ experience of the workplace. Separate research found that respondents who described their organisation’s leaders as diverse were 1.5 times more likely to report feeling very included. For employers, that makes inclusive leadership a practical workforce issue rather than simply a matter of representation.
How Can Organisations Build a More Diverse Leadership Pipeline?
Organisations can build a more diverse leadership pipeline by ensuring that recruitment, development and promotion processes provide equitable opportunities for progression. This includes transparent promotion criteria, access to leadership development, senior-level sponsorship and regularly reviewing workforce data to identify where representation falls away. The need for this remains clear. According to the 2026 Parker Review, ethnic minority professionals account for just 11% of UK-based senior managers in FTSE 100 companies, compared with 20% of FTSE 100 board positions. Among the 834 ethnic minority senior managers recorded, only 74 were Black. This gap highlights why organisations need to focus not only on representation at board level, but on developing a sustainable pipeline of diverse talent capable of progressing into future executive positions.
Who Are The Top Black Business Leaders to Follow in 2026?
From technology CEOs and entrepreneurs to organisational psychologists, campaigners and high-performance experts, these Black leadership speakers bring distinct perspectives to business audiences. Using feedback from 120 leadership events across 2024-2026, these are the top 10 black business leaders to follow:
- Scotty Mills
- Derek Redmond
- Dean Forbes
- John Amaechi
- Pauline Miller
- Piers Linney
- June Sarpong
- Patrick Vernon
- Bianca Miller-Cole
- Tim Campbell
1. Scotty Mills
Scotty Mills is a former Royal Marines officer whose 32-year military career gives him considerable authority on leadership, culture and high performance. Rising to become the highest-ranking Black officer in the history of the Royal Marines, Scotty served in four war zones and was responsible for the physical training of thousands of Commandos. His experience gives corporate audiences an unusual perspective on building trust and sustaining performance when pressure is high. For organisations developing senior leaders or strengthening team cohesion, Scotty connects military leadership principles with the everyday behaviours required to create accountable, resilient teams.
Official Testimonial For Scotty Mills:
“Scotty Mills has inspired me as a Leader and has had a big impact on what I’ve done over the last couple of years.” – Gareth Southgate OBE, England Football Manager
2. Derek Redmond
Derek Redmond combines elite sporting achievement with substantial experience in performance management. A World and European 4x400m relay champion, he became globally recognised after completing his 400m Olympic semi-final in Barcelona despite suffering a serious hamstring injury. Beyond athletics, Derek has served as Director of Development for Sprints and Hurdles at UK Athletics and Group Performance Director at Thomas International. His corporate speaking translates lessons from sport into discussions around leadership, change and sustainable performance. For businesses managing setbacks or demanding targets, Derek offers a credible perspective on how individuals and teams respond when plans change unexpectedly.
Official Testimonial For Derek Redmond:
“Derek was absolutely amazing! He inspired our whole team with his ambition and determination to never give up. He is a fantastic storyteller – we were all on the edge of our seats when he shared footage from the 1992 games. The content was relevant and well delivered. Thank you so much for being a part of our virtual off-site!” – Rav, Business Associate, Snapchat
3. Dean Forbes
Dean Forbes is CEO of European industrial software company Forterro and one of Britain’s most prominent technology executives. His career has included senior leadership positions at Primavera Systems, Oracle, KDS, CoreHR and The Access Group, giving him extensive experience of scaling and transforming technology businesses. Dean was ranked number one on the Powerlist 2025, which recognised Britain’s most influential Black people, while his wider work includes supporting disadvantaged communities through the Forbes Family Group. For corporate audiences, his experience creates valuable conversations around growth, transformation, social mobility, resilience and creating opportunity within high-performing organisations.
4. John Amaechi
Professor John Amaechi OBE is an organisational psychologist, Professor of Leadership at the University of Exeter Business School and founder of APS Intelligence. Before establishing himself in organisational psychology, John became the first Briton to play professional basketball in the NBA. He has since advised FTSE 100 boards and senior leadership teams, applying behavioural science to leadership, culture and workplace performance. The bestselling author of The Promises of Giants and It’s Not Magic, John is particularly relevant for organisations examining accountability, psychological safety and management behaviour. His keynotes challenge leaders to consider how everyday decisions shape organisational culture.
Official Testimonial For John Amaechi:
“Without a doubt, John is consistently an inspiring and impressive role model, and he is one of the most thoughtful and articulate people I know. With every interaction, he somehow manages to convey an authentic interest and care for each and every person in the room. I would be honored to work with John in any capacity, should I have the chance, and I look forward to listening and learning from his public events and Jedi efforts for years to come.” – Eric, Founder of oSTEM.org
5. Pauline Miller
Pauline Miller is an experienced diversity, equity and inclusion leader whose career has encompassed major organisations across financial services, insurance and communications. Her senior positions have included Chief Equity Officer for EMEA at dentsu and Head of Culture at Lloyd’s of London, where her responsibilities covered culture, diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and talent development. She has also been closely involved with the global Dive In Festival for diversity and inclusion in insurance. Pauline brings business audiences a practitioner’s understanding of cultural transformation, helping leaders explore how representation, organisational systems and leadership behaviour interact in complex workplaces.
Official Testimonial For Pauline Miller:
“Just a quick follow-up to say Pauline attended today and was absolutely fantastic – her speech was interesting, engaging, and got people thinking about a lot of things they hadn’t considered before. We also got great feedback from the people in attendance as well – many of them stayed on afterwards to discuss what she said among themselves and with Pauline. Pauline was also lovely to speak with – she was very easy to work with when we were planning how to start the event, what the director and myself would say, and how we would introduce her.” – Steamship Insurance Management Service Ltd
6. Piers Linney
Piers Linney is an entrepreneur, investor and former BBC Dragons’ Den investor with experience spanning technology, finance and business growth. He has built and led technology businesses and previously served as a Non-Executive Director of the British Business Bank. More recently, Piers co-founded Implement AI, focusing his attention on the practical application of artificial intelligence in organisations. His combination of entrepreneurial experience and emerging-technology expertise makes him particularly relevant to leaders considering productivity, innovation and business transformation. He also brings perspective on access to opportunity and the realities of building and scaling companies in competitive markets.
Official Testimonial For Piers Linney:
“Piers was invited to speak at our conference. The focus of his content was AI, providing an overview of its current capabilities and how they might evolve over the next few years. The subject area was incredibly current for our business, uncovering a thirst for more insight across the audience. Piers had a deep knowledge of AI, answering surprisingly advanced questions with ease, his delivery was engaging and held the audience right to the end.” – Adrian, CEO, Taylor Rose
7. June Sarpong
June Sarpong OBE has developed a career spanning broadcasting, organisational culture and diversity leadership. She made history as the BBC’s first Director of Creative Diversity and the first Black woman to sit on its Executive Committee, giving her direct experience of influencing representation within one of the world’s best-known media organisations. An author of books including Diversify and The Power of Privilege, June has continued her work around workplace culture and inclusion. Her combination of executive experience, communication expertise and diversity advocacy makes her a strong choice for businesses examining culture, representation and responsible leadership.
Official Testimonial For June Sarpong:
“We absolutely loved the session with June Sarpong. And June made for a formidable duo that rocked the house of Co-Op! Haha, that sounds like a quote out of Pose. But it was truly a fantastic session. June was powerful in her storytelling and very honest in sharing her thoughts around inclusion, bias and allyship. Thank you all for your support in helping us to deliver this session during Black History Month.” – Ash, Co-Op
8. Patrick Vernon
Professor Sir Patrick Vernon OBE is a campaigner, cultural historian, author and public leader recognised for his work on racial equality, health inequalities and Black British history. He founded the 100 Great Black Britons campaign and led the long-running campaign for national recognition of Windrush Day. In 2026, Patrick received a knighthood for services to racial equality. His career across public services, charities, community organisations and campaigning enables him to place modern workplace discussions within a wider historical and social context. For organisations addressing race equity, belonging and responsible leadership, Patrick offers experience grounded in sustained institutional and societal change.
Official Testimonial For Patrick Vernon:
“I have been stopped multiple times by attendees after the event, every single one of them wanted to let me know how much they enjoyed the Black History Month talk with Patrick. Everyone I spoke to found him fascinating with so many interesting topics to talk about. Thanks to Patrick for joining us and speaking on so many important issues, it was a privilege to listen to him. 100% of attendees rated the session as 8/10 or higher.” – Rosie, BMW Group UK
9. Bianca Miller-Cole
Bianca Miller-Cole is an entrepreneur, author and personal branding specialist who founded The Be Group to help individuals develop their professional identity and career potential. She became widely known after reaching the final of BBC’s The Apprentice before launching Bianca Miller London, a hosiery brand designed around a more inclusive definition of nude. Her business experience also extends to mentoring entrepreneurs and working with major organisations on personal branding and professional development. Bianca is particularly suited to audiences interested in entrepreneurship, inclusive product development, personal brand and career progression, combining practical commercial lessons with experience of challenging established market assumptions.
Official Testimonial For Bianca Miller-Cole:
“Her passion for helping people identify their own personal brand is something you need to see to believe. The fact that every member of the audience walked away feeling inspired and committed to making themselves the masters of their own destiny simply demonstrates how influential Bianca MillerCole is.” – HSBC
10. Tim Campbell
Tim Campbell MBE first entered the national business spotlight as the inaugural winner of BBC’s The Apprentice and has since developed a career spanning enterprise, investment and social mobility. He founded the Bright Ideas Trust to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in developing businesses and was awarded an MBE for Enterprise Culture. Tim later returned to The Apprentice as an adviser to Lord Sugar and has held leadership roles across international business and financial services. His experience makes him particularly relevant for events focused on entrepreneurship, inclusive leadership, talent development and widening access to commercial opportunity.
Official Testimonial For Tim Campbell:
“Please can you pass NCFE’s heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Tim for his contribution to yesterday’s milestone event. His speaking slot was absolutely fantastic, and we really appreciated how much effort he had made to understand our organisation and what we do.” – Lindsay, Head of PR & Communication, NCFE
Hire a Black Business Leader Speaker Today!
The top Black business leaders to follow in 2026 bring practical experience of entrepreneurship, transformation, inclusive leadership and high performance to corporate events. The right speaker can help turn these subjects into meaningful conversations relevant to your organisation. If you are interested in hiring a Black business leader speaker,contact us today by calling us on 0203 0070 320, or alternatively, fill out our online contact form.
- Top 10 Lists
- 25 August, 2026
