When Sophie Chandauka took to the stage last month and jived to the infectious beat of Ivory Coast band Magic System, an elegantly dressed crowd of almost 500 bopped from their seats at Leonardo Royal Hotel St Paul’s. The top Black business talent showcased at the ninth Black British Business Awards were at home with the deep rhythms of Africa reverberating in the room. 

“There are many people in this room who know that I’m Zimbabwean and I’m also British,” the awards’ co-founder began in her welcome address. “Those two statements can be true at the same time.”