Business leaders and mentors attended the first gala dinner of Migrant Leaders, a UK-based migrant charity, earlier this month.

Founded in 2017, it provides free mentoring, work experience, skills workshops and networking opportunities for young people from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds.

Anglo American, BP, Salesforce, KPMG, Clifford Chance and Amazon are among leading companies supporting the programme. Awards were presented to participants and mentors who showed commitment and made an impact at the event at Landmark Hotel in London on September 12.

Winners included participants Machi, Israel and Fiza, and mentors Fabiola, Belen, Nitin and Allan, a statement said.

Elham Fardad, who founded and leads Migrant Leaders, said the gala was special because it celebrated the achievements of 4,000 participants.

The programme began in summer 2018, when she interviewed 100 young people to join.

Fardad said: “I still live and work every day from the impetus of the stories those young people – and ever since – have shared with me.”

The event highlighted the charity’s plans to grow the initiative as it aims to reach 10,000 young people by 2027.

Speakers included Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE DL, a business leader and diversity advocate; Isha Johansen, former president of the Sierra Leone Football Association; and Saeed Atcha MBE DL, chief executive of Youth Leads UK and deputy lieutenant of Greater Manchester. 

The charity supports more than 4,000 young people by connecting them with 2,000 senior mentors from Britain’s 95 FTSE 100 companies and other leading firms.

Participants receive coaching, work experience and connections to achieve their goals, a statement said. The event was supported by Salesforce, Infineum, Smith & Nephew, Ciena, Verian Group, BP, Genpact, Swan Partners, NWD Wealth, The Bicester Collection, House of Emirates and the Asian Media Group, which publishes Eastern Eye and Garavi Gujarat.