Student organisers of the careers and entrepreneurship session at the 2026 Black at Sussex conference.
Panellists sharing insights on careers and entrepreneurship.
A cross-section of the session attendees.
Winners of the social enterprise challenge brainstorm on their business idea.
A team of Black students and Faculty at Sussex won a £200 voucher after pitching their sustainable business idea on how to tackle textile waste during a social enterprise challenge that took place at the 2026 Black at Sussex conference last month.
This challenge was among the highlights of the Black Brilliance in Business (BBIB) session organised by the 2026–’27 BBIB Student Working Group Milan Chambisse, Cindy Osei-Bonsu, Jason Djan-Bamfo and Giles Aguguesi and delivered at the 2026 Black at Sussex conference. Held on Monday 26 October 2026 and co-funded by the Black at Sussex programme and the University of Sussex Business School, the BBIB session also featured career and entrepreneurship discussions with alumni and staff from the Black community, networking, and free professional headshots for LinkedIn profiles. The session was designed to help students explore career possibilities, recognise the value of their existing experiences and consider how they could turn business ideas into practical solutions.
Students pitch business solutions to textile waste
The social enterprise challenge invited four teams to develop sustainable business ideas addressing textile waste in developing countries, while creating opportunities for designers, creators and local communities.
The winning team, comprising Business school student Ife Agwaze, external guests Adeyinka Adeyemi and Emmanuel Osasona as well as Business School Faculty Dr Makafui Kumodzie-Dussey, proposed recycling and upcycling discarded clothes to produce fertiliser, biogas and fashion accessories through a business-to-consumer (B2C) model.
This idea strongly aligned with the four criteria each team’s proposal was assessed on: environmental impact, social impact, business model sustainability and community and brand appeal. Independently, four judges considered how effectively each idea could divert textiles from landfills, involve underrepresented communities and young creators, generate sustainable income and offer products or services that appeal to consumers.
The winning team received a £200 voucher for its proposal and was offered an opportunity to explore the idea further with the Business School’s Careers and Entrepreneurship Unit, including potential support to develop it into a viable social enterprise. Discussions about taking the idea forward are ongoing.
Career pathways and making the most of your experience
Being teachable and willing to learn can matter as much as the length or type of experience a graduate brings to a role. This was among the key messages from the session’s career discussions, where speakers shared their professional journeys and advice for students preparing for the workplace.
Adetoun Ganiat Gaji, an MBA alumna and Head of the Shared Services Unit at Lagos Bus Services Limited in Nigeria, shared her transition from law into customer service before progressing into senior roles in marketing, communications and shared services. She said her interest in serving people and creating value had influenced her career decisions.
Chikondi Maliki, a 2025 Sussex graduate and Junior Business Analyst at Jean Edwards Consulting in the UK, discussed how internships helped her move from biomedical sciences towards business analysis. An internship at Coca-Cola introduced her to different corporate functions, while her placement year at Unilever exposed her to business strategy, automation and digitisation. She drew on these experiences as she moved into her current role. Explaining her work, she described how business analysts work with clients to map existing workflows and systems, identify problems and develop solutions. She encouraged students interested in the profession to develop relevant skills and speak to people already working in the field.
Hellen Athieno, Placement Coordinator at the University of Sussex, encouraged students to recognise the value of experience gained outside formal employment. Coursework, group projects, volunteering, internships and placements can all help students demonstrate relevant skills to employers. She emphasised that employers value candidates who are willing to learn and can explain how their experiences have developed transferable skills.
Learning from entrepreneurs: from business ideas to growth
Athieno, who runs a wholesale operation that supplies raw materials to small businesses, shared her experience of sourcing suppliers in China. She encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to identify genuine problems and establish whether there is real market demand for their proposed solutions before investing in a business idea.
Chukwudumebi Obi, an alumnus who runs his family business alongside working as a Community Engagement Officer at Brighton-based nonprofit Black and Minority Ethnic Community Partnership, discussed how he applied lessons from his nine MBA modules to the business. He reported that the business grew by approximately 60-80 percent during his year of study at the Business School. He highlighted the importance of learning from existing businesses and building teams with complementary skills across human resources, information technology, marketing, operations and brand design.
Students also had the opportunity to receive free professional headshots for their LinkedIn profiles, giving them an additional resource to strengthen their professional presence and connect with potential employers.
Reflecting on the experience of organising and delivering the event, Milan Chambisse, the BBIB student project lead, said:
“What stayed with me most was seeing how much energy and ambition there is around Black entrepreneurship at Sussex, and it has inspired me to keep building ventures of my own while supporting others to do the same.”
The session shows how student-led initiatives, supported by the Business School, can create inclusive spaces, professional experiences, and opportunities for peers to exchange ideas and explore entrepreneurship while developing their confidence and skills.
Learn more about the Black at Sussex programme.