![Founder of 56 Black Men, Cephas Williams, speaking at a Columbia Threadneedle event during Black History Month](https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/FN-AJ457_56_Bla_M_20200113094317.jpg)
Columbia Threadneedle has become the first City company to partner with the viral campaign 56 Black Men, which aims to help remove barriers blocking young black men from pursuing a career in finance.
The £380bn US-owned asset manager announced the collaboration in a statement on 13 January, after working with the campaign’s founder, Cephas Williams, during Black History Month last year.