Miranda’s story – The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation

With a background as an investment banker and barrister, Miranda Brawn is a multi-award winning senior business, legal and diversity executive. She is also a social entrepreneur where she is Founder of The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation. Miranda has been named as one of the UK’s leading diversity experts & the go-to person for race diversity in the City by recent press. With a robust track record managing legal risk and investments for the world’s biggest companies, she takes businesses to the next level of growth. With a refreshing and diverse background, Miranda is also an advisor & patron to a number of companies, charities, individuals & governments. She has spoken across the globe including Parliament. Her professional experience combined with her exuberant personality makes her a sought-after public speaker of the highest calibre.

 My story

I have nearly twenty years of voluntary work experience in the UK and across the globe relating to diversity and various charitable causes. These range from being a UK Global Poverty Ambassador in association with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to launching The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership (MBDL) Foundation.  The MBDL Foundation is an award winning non-profit organisation, providing the next generation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnics (BAME) future leaders with incentives and opportunities, while increasing all forms of diversity and equality especially race.  The Foundation offers scholarships, diversity leadership lectures, mentoring programmes and access to top diverse talent.

The reason for setting up a diversity leadership Foundation was to help activate change at a faster pace especially concerning race diversity which also impacts the UK economy positively. I had made UK history by launching the UK’s first diversity lecture aimed at school children which was called The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Annual Lecture. These lectures aim to raise the awareness of diversity with the next generation of BAME future leaders. Britain’s best BAME future talent come together for an inspiring event while learning more about the creation of a more diverse and inclusive workplace. More information via www.mirandabrawn.com/diversity-leadership-foundation-scholarship/

Being named a Point of Light

From since being named a Point of Light by the UK Prime Minister Theresa May in January 2017, I have made UK history again by giving the UK’s first diversity lecture to primary school children after realising that we need to capture the next generation at an even younger age.

In February 2017, I met with HRH The Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall where HRH Prince Charles personally praised my extensive diversity work especially since teaming up with The Prince’s Trust to give one of their young people a scholarship from the Foundation. The winner from the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership and The Prince’s Trust scholarship also met Prince Charles for the first time highlighting how The MBDL Foundation offers amazing networking opportunities via the mentoring programmes.

I have spoken at The University of Oxford, made TV and radio appearances talking about diversity and race diversity as part of the International Women’s Day. In addition, I was part of a senior female roundtable at the Commonwealth Palace on International Women’s Day discussing how to improve women’s economic empowerment on a global scale. This was followed by an interesting discussion with Cherie Blair CBE QC on improving gender diversity.

In March 2017, I was the opening keynote talking about diversity and LawTech at LegalEx, one of Europe’s largest legal events, and I judged the Solicitors Journal Awards 2017. On 29 March 2017, the MBDL Foundation opened The MBDL Scholarship 2017 application process which closes on 29 June 2017.  The MBDL Foundation will award four scholarships to extraordinary BAME students. To be eligible to apply applicants must be between the ages of 14-21 years, be from a BAME background, in full time education, have good academics and an interest in diversity. The scholarship package includes funding, mentoring, work experience and VIP access to The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Annual Lecture.

The Application Form can be located via http://mirandabrawn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Scholarship-Application-Form-2.pdf and emailed to info@mirandabrawn.com stating “Scholarship Application” in the subject. The scholarship winners will be announced at The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Annual Lecture at the University of Law on 21 October 2017. Further information is available via www.mirandabrawn.com 

Advice for other Points of Light

I would recommend that the Points of Light winners use this platform to help spread the word about this initiative. I had not heard about the Point of Light until I had received the call from Number 10 Downing Street informing me that I had won, hence it was a wonderful surprise! Secondly, there are so many great people doing voluntary work all over the UK so another recommendation would be to nominate someone who is deserving of this award.