Website of the UK government

Michael Barrington Hibbert, 29
Director,  Odgers Select 
Northampton

Michael left school at 16 with a handful of GCSE qualifications. He subsequently went on to secure a full scholarship at the University of New York.

Alexander Beresford, 28
TV Weather Presenter
Bristol

Last year, Alex became the first Black or mixed-race person to present the ITV National Weather. In his spare time, Alex visits inner city schools to talk to children about careers in the media.

Lieutenant Commander Neville Bryce MBE, 49
Royal Navy Engineer
Isle of Wight

Neville left his council estate after being constantly stopped by the police and became the first Black 'Chief of Boat' on HMS Opportune. He was awarded an MBE in 2002.

Junior Crawford-Brown, 38
Probation Officer
Wolverhampton

Junior's current profession and previous work experiences give him an understanding of the challenges Black men can face in society today. He works with people every day to help them address difficult and challenging issues.

Karl George, 40
Business Consultant and Author
Birmingham

Karl grew up in inner city Birmingham and saw some of his peers incarcerated in the Handsworth riots. He founded his own mentoring organisation at 20.

Dorian Leatham, 59
Independent Chair, Nottingham City Council
Brixton

Dorian left school with no qualifications and faced discrimination in employment. He eventually gained a Masters degree and went on to become Chief Executive of an organisation with over 4,000 staff.

Clive Lewis, 37
TV Reporter/Presenter and Army Officer
Norfolk

Clive grew up on a council estate in Northampton.  He now works on the BBC programmes Politics Show East and BBC Look East News and is also a Lieutenant in the 7 Rifles Regimen

Piers Linney, 37
Corporate Financier & Company Director
London and the North

Piers grew up in Lancashire before moving to London and has a background in the City. A qualified lawyer and corporate financier, he now has a range of business interests spanning a number of sectors.

Aleck Matambo, 33
Manager, Ernst & Young
London

Zimbabwe-born Aleck is a member of British MENSA and holds an MBA. He is active in a number of volunteering activities including MERLIN and the Peckham Seventh Day Adventist Pathfinder Club.

Rob Neil, 44
Civil Servant
Harrow

Rob has had a career in the court service and a wide range of jobs in the Civil Service. He was the first elected Chair of the Civil Service Race Equality Network.

Obi Nwofor, 32
London Underground Project Manager
Hornchurch

Obi moved to the UK from Nigeria in 1992, aged 16. He pursued education while working as a street cleaner and is now a senior manager with London Underground.

Buchi Onwugbonu, 37
Financial Management Expert
Global Management Consultancy Practice
Hayes

Buchi returned to the UK, aged 19, after 15 years in Nigeria. After funding his way through college, Buchi gained his chartered accountancy qualification and an MBA. He now works as a manager at Accenture.

Richard Reid, 30
Fire Fighter
Herne Hill

Richard has facilitated sessions at London Fire Brigade open days to encourage more BME men and women to consider the Fire Service as a career.

Kevin Reynolds, 42
CEO Artist Management Company
West London

Kevin became a professional musician at 21 and now does voluntary work with school children about their career options. He emphasises the importance of 'business ability’ in all the work that he does.

Adrian Rollins, 36
Teacher
Romford

Adrian was born and raised in East London. After ten years as a County Cricketer for Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, he studied for a maths-based degree and is now a teacher.

Matthew Ryder, 41
Barrister
Brixton

Matthew is a highly regarded barrister, specialising in criminal law and human rights. He supports the Stephen Lawrence Trust and founded the “Rough and Ready” basketball tournament.

Karl Sewell, 49
Local Authority Senior Manager
Sidcup

Karl was born in Lewisham and lived in Reading, Brixton and Plumstead as a child. He is now the head of Policy Performance and Communications at Sevenoaks District Council.

Lanre Sulola, 25
Accountant
Newham

Lanre works for professional services firm, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and has just completed his chartered accountancy exams. He is actively involved in mentoring and works with youths who are not in education or employment

Mark Sutherland, 37
Head of Property: One Stop (Tesco Group)
Birmingham

Mark is a chartered surveyor and has directly helped young Black people to get work experience in the property sector, an area in which they are under-represented.

Phillip Thompson, 27
Design Consultant
Wolverhampton

As a young teenager Phillip was initially part of a gang until he saw three of his close friends die. Now qualified within the architectural field, he designs residential and commercial properties.

Inspiring a generation

Read more about each of the REACH role models’ inspiring stories.

• Inspiring a generation Opens new window