Christ the King Sixth Forms Celebrate Black History Month with Inspiring Alumni Speaker Series
Christ the King Sixth Form College proudly marked Black History Month 2025 with a series of inspirational events held across all three CTK sites throughout October.
With the theme “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”, this year’s celebrations brought together former CTK students who have gone on to excel in fields including leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives and professionals across law, finance, media, technology, property, communication and design. Each have built an impressive careers while breaking barriers and contributing to their communities.
The Alumni Speaker Series provided students with the opportunity to hear first-hand experiences, ask questions, and connect with role models who once studied at CTK.
The events highlighted the importance of representation, empowerment and raising aspirations, as our alumni shared stories of resilience, identity, leadership and the impact of their CTK education on their personal and professional journeys.
Students from across the Sixth Forms valued the opportunity to learn from those who have progressed into exciting careers, gaining insight, advice and confidence for their own future pathways.
Meet our inspiration Alumni Speakers below and read about their journey and stories:
Nana Akande
Director of Data Products and Services, Royal Mail Group
Nana Akande is the Director of Data Products and Services at Royal Mail Group, where she is spearheading a major transformation in how the 500-year-old organisation uses and delivers data. Recognised as one of the 2025 Future Leaders in Data and Analytics, she is shaping the future of the business by modernising platforms, redefining leadership in larger businesses.
An international speaker and proud mother of three, Nana balances family life with driving innovation in one of the UK’s most established institutions. She is passionate about building inclusive pathways in data and inspiring the next generation of leaders, particularly women and young professionals. Born and raised in Brixton, Nana’s journey reflects resilience, determination and ambition. She studied at CTK between 2004 – 2006, before embarking on a career that has taken her to the forefront of UK data leadership.
Kayne Kawasaki
Cultural Theorist and UK Black History Educator
Kayne Kawasaki is a Cultural Theorist and UK Black History Educator from Peckham. He began his career teaching in secondary schools in his hometown. He has now shifted the focus of his teaching skills towards UK black history and started creating educational content online.
Kayne has amassed over 55,000 followers on Instagram, has a TEDx Talk under his belt and has consulted for English Heritage, Notting Hill Carnival and Tiktok, where he featured on their nationwise 2021 BHM Billboard campaign and was nominated for ‘Voice for Change’ at TikTok’s 2024 award show.
Kayne has quickly become one of the go-to-voices for factual, historical and statistical inform regarding race relations and history. Literally bringing the history to the streets! For BHM, Kayne is pioneering a revamp of the website showcasing all of the Black Saturday Schools in the UK. His hope is to make them easier to find and to raise awareness.
Dr Joanne Abeyie
Founder and CEO of Blue Moon & Partners
Dr. Joanne Abeyie is a multi-award winning social impact entrepreneur, inclusion strategist, author and thought leader. Founder and CEO of Blue Moon & Partners, a premier inclusive executive search and D&I consultancy practice, has founded or led multiple ventures such as Shine Media and Hyden, which focuses on increasing access and opportunity for underrepresented talent. She has placed thousands into roles across media, creative, tech and leadership pipelines.
Her advocacy and impact have been recognised formally: she was awarded an MBE in 2020 for services to diversity and inclusion, has received honorary doctorates and civic honours such as Freedom of the City, and has been honoured with numerous awards in the media, inclusion and leadership spaces.
Ade Ahmadu
Strategy & Transformation Leader. Founder, Cerculate.
Racial Equity Advocate
Ade Ahmadu is a strategic leader and accredited executive coach with experience spanning eBay, Meta, and GSK. A proud South Londoner, he studied at Christ the King Sixth Form College between 2004 and 2006, building the foundation for a career in strategy and transformation. He later earned an Executive MBA from Warwick Business School, doing his final empirical research on the barriers Black men face in advancing to senior leadership. He has since held senior positions delivering programmes across technology, pharmaceuticals, and financial services, including HSBC, Barclays, Deloitte, and KPMG.
Alongside his corporate career, Ade founded Cerculate, a leadership and development practice dedicated to supporting underrepresented professionals, with a passion for Black men, to navigate and thrive in corporate environments.
Seyi Solaru
Lawyer and Property Investor
Seyi is a qualified solicitor and property investor whose career bridges the legal and business worlds. After training and practising as a solicitor, she expanded into entrepreneurship building multiple businesses and property ventures that combine her legal expertise with a passion for wealth creation and sustainability.
Today, she uses her experience to empower women to build purpose-driven businesses, manage their finances with confidence, and explore property investment as a tool for long-term security.
A proud alumna of Christ the King Sixth Form College (2003–2005), Seyi went on to study law at university, qualifying as a solicitor before carving out her own path as an entrepreneur. Her journey reflects resilience, excellence, and a commitment to breaking barriers not only achieving personal success but also inspiring others to pursue their ambitions boldly
Femi Okulaja
Head of Enterprise Sale, Bloomberg
Femi Okulaja is a results-driven sales leader with more than 15 years of proven success in driving revenue growth and commercial performance across the financial services and technology sectors in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Femi attended Christ the King from 2004 -2006 and has since built a reputation for consistently delivering ambitious targets while designing scalable strategies that fuel sustainable growth. His leadership is defined by a strong passion for coaching and empowering diverse, high performing teams helping sales professionals unlock their potential and exceed expectations.
With professional experience spanning both the UAE and the UK, Femi has shaped and strengthened core sales functions at every level, from C-suite engagement and lead generation to pipeline progression and data-driven solution selling.
Rafiu Fashanu
Director, Structured Credit Trader, UBS
Expertise in Structured Credit and Risk Management Rafiu Fashanu is a seasoned financial services professional with over 15 years at UBS, specialising in structured credit, trading, and risk management across global markets.
In this role, he has full end-to-end responsibility for pricing, risk, P&L, and operational oversight, demonstrating both technical expertise and strategic acumen in a complex asset class.
Across his career, Fashanu has consistently combined analytical rigour with strong leadership, ensuring operational resilience while enabling trading teams to deliver performance in fast-paced environments. His progression through risk and trading roles underscores his versatility and ability to drive impact across multiple dimensions of investment banking.
Rik Taylor
Investment Banking Technology Specialist
Rik Taylor is an experienced financial technology professional with over eight years of expertise supporting complex production environments for banks, hedge funds, dark pools, and wealth managers across London, New York, and Switzerland.
A proud South Londoner and former student of Christ the King Sixth Form College, Taylor has built a career defined by versatility and technical depth. His background spans the full trade lifecycle, with hands-on experience in OMS/EMS execution platforms, FIX connectivity, Windows and Unix systems, MS SQL and Oracle databases, risk and compliance processes, and CRM solutions. This breadth of knowledge enables him to bridge the gap between technology and trading, ensuring resilience and reliability for mission-critical financial systems.
Obi Oburota
Managing Director, Drop Out UK
Obi Oburota is the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Dropout UK, a platform that blends music, culture, lifestyle, and youth media into a powerful voice for the next generation.
Raised in South London, Obi attended Christ the King Sixth Form College between 2003 and 2005 before going on to study Business Management. He made the bold decision to leave university early, choosing instead to pursue entrepreneurship a move that sparked the creation of Dropout UK.
Under his leadership, the brand has grown from a digital magazine into a cultural hub. Obi has built a platform that celebrates authenticity and provides a stage for emerging talent and stories often overlooked by mainstream media.
Augustine Atobatale
Founder of Studio Augustine
Augustine is the founder and creative director of Studio Augustine, a London-based design practice celebrated for its ability to blend heritage, storytelling, and contemporary aesthetics.
A proud South Londoner, Augustine attended Christ the King Sixth Form College between 2003 and 2005, before pursuing a path that would take him into the world of design and creative entrepreneurship.
Augustine’s work has been widely featured in leading outlets including House & Garden, Elle Decoration, Homes & Gardens, Metro UK, Grazia, Ideal Home, and Stylist Magazine. Beyond design, Augustine has become a sought-after speaker and panellist, contributing to industry forums and cultural events where he shares insights on heritage-inspired design, entrepreneurship, and creative storytelling.
Sarah Awanah
Talent and Brand Attraction Manager, Lloyds Banking
Sarah Awanah is an Emerging Talent Branding & Attraction Manager at Lloyds Banking Group, where she plays a key role in shaping how one of the UK’s largest financial institutions engages with future talent.
A proud South Londoner, Sarah attended Christ the King Sixth Form College between 2003 and 2005, before going on to build a career in corporate communications and brand leadership.
Creative and results-driven, she has extensive experience leading both internal and external campaigns, managing brand reputation, and driving impactful content delivery. Within Group Corporate Affairs, Sarah has also served as Inclusion & Diversity Communications Lead, ensuring that Lloyds’ values of equity and representation are embedded across its communications strategy
Femi Oladigbolu
Award Winning Writer and Director
Femi Oladigbolu is an award-winning writer-director from South London with Nigerian heritage. Femi’s talent lies in subtle storytelling, creating warmth and affinity for characters through thick subtext and light humor.
In 2022, Femi won a writing competition run by BBH and directed his latest short film, ‘Oba,’ which has been screened at several BAFTA and Oscar Qualifying international festivals. Femi also has an extensive background in directing commercials and music videos; his videos have amassed millions of views. His video for Pa Salieu’s “My Family” won the UKMVA for best hip-hop video, and he was nominated for best new director in the same year. Since then, he has been nominated five times in different categories.
Tola Adeshina
Senior Leader, Financial Crime Risk & Control, HSBC
Tola Adeshina is a strategic leader with expertise in brand, culture, and social impact. She has built a career helping organisations strengthen their identity, embed inclusion, and align purpose with performance.
A proud South Londoner, Tola attended Christ the King Sixth Form College between 2003 and 2005 before going on to develop a career at the intersection of creativity and corporate strategy.
Recognised as a speaker and panellist, she regularly shares insights on culture transformation, leadership, and brand purpose, championing diversity and authenticity at the heart of organisational success.
Adeola Odegbaroye
Lead Analyst, BDO financial
Adeola is a Lead Business Analyst in the financial sector, recognised for her passion and impact in driving transformation. She developed a project management tool that became the second most used tool in her firm, helping teams track progress and prioritise effectively. She also leads both the BA Community of Practice and an AI Community, where she created a prompts library to help colleagues apply AI solutions tailored to their deliverables.
Adeola attended Christ the King Sixth Form College between 2003 and 2005 before going on to study Law and English Literature. Originally set on a legal career, she discovered her love for problem-solving and innovation, which led her into business analysis.
Today, she continues to combine expertise, creativity, and leadership to shape how organisations across the financial sector work and deliver value.
Oluwaseunnla Edunjobi
UK Content Creator – ~300k community
Oluwaseunnla Edunjobi is a UK-based content creator, host and digital entrepreneur, recognised for her engaging storytelling across lifestyle, family and culture. She is the founder of OluwaseunNla on YouTube and has built an active community across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, where she shares authentic and relatable content with a growing global audience.
A proud alumna of Christ the King Sixth Form College (2004–2006), OluwaseunNla has gone on to build a career that blends creativity, influence and entrepreneurship. OluwaseumNla has the ability to connect with audiences
authentically while delivering measurable impact for partners.
Victor Idieho
Head of Data Analytics and BI Dev, IQ-EQ
Victor is a seasoned professional who brings a wealth of expertise in financial reporting, application development, data analysis, and process optimisation to his role at IQ-EQ. With experience spanning both technology and financial services, he leads the design and delivery of analytics and business intelligence solutions that support smarter decision-making across the organisation. A passionate advocate for the power of data, Victor champions its use as a driver of insight and performance at every level of the organisation. He holds a BSc in Business and Management from Brunel University, London, where his dissertation explored the social dynamics of knowledge acquisition for sustained competitive advantage an early reflection of his career-long focus on harnessing knowledge and data to unlock value.