From Leicester to Lagos, Black women across the diaspora are transforming professional events—replacing networking clichés with purpose-driven, culturally rooted ecosystems that centre care, clarity, and community.
Across industries—healthcare, entrepreneurship, law, finance—Black and minority women are stepping away from conventional models of networking. New initiatives like New Season, The Executive Branch, To My Sisters, and ARA NINI are not just events. They are strategic responses to systemic inequities, offering tools, connection, and visibility often denied in traditional spaces.
These platforms are architecting new routes into leadership and well-being. They are challenging corporate structures that exclude, healthcare systems that misdiagnose, and legacy networks that gatekeep opportunity.
A Shift Beyond Aesthetics
Women’s events have historically swung between extremes: overly aesthetic yet hollow, or too corporate to be inclusive. These newer platforms offer a third path—a space that’s both functional and affirming. They meet women in transition, founders, creatives, and professionals where they are—offering not just access, but alignment.
This is a response to data as much as experience. Black women in the UK report higher levels of healthcare dismissal, are less likely to receive pain management, and secure less than 0.34% of venture capital funding. Representation is not translating to access.
New Season: Purpose Beyond the Capital
Founded by Rodna Ntabeni, New Season launched in Leicester to bring accessible, high-impact leadership events outside London. The gathering drew over 100 professionals across sectors to the Leicester Marriott Hotel.
With a focus on self-discovery and practical tools, speakers tackled subjects from finance to faith. The lineup included Lisah Kangoni on confidence, Arlyne Chinyanganya on financial empowerment, Krisztina Kapuvari on social impact, and Sheila Chingono on navigating health recovery within legal systems.
Rodna’s vision is grounded: many women carry vision, but few are given the safe, resourced environments to build. New Season creates that space.
The Executive Branch: Building Across Borders
What began as a call to community for Ruth Kudzai has become a pan-African leadership engine. The Executive Branch (EB) spans the UK, Zimbabwe, and soon Kenya, offering mentorship, business strategy, and leadership development.
“Our work isn’t about elitism,” Kudzai says. “It’s about access. It’s about reminding women they don’t need permission to lead—just support.”
Events range from immersive retreats to sold-out summits, but EB’s real power lies in its infrastructure—rooted in community, not hierarchy.
To My Sisters: Friendship as Strategy
Founders Courtney Daniella Boateng and Renée Kapuku have grown To My Sisters into a global brand by reimagining friendship as a framework for success. Through live shows, international retreats, and a widely followed podcast, they offer practical and emotional support for women navigating career shifts, identity changes, and self-worth.
Their sold-out Cape Town event in partnership with Spotify Africa showcased the platform’s global reach and grassroots relevance.
ARA NINI: Reclaiming Health Literacy
Launched by UK-based physician Dr. Joyce Omatseye, ARA NINI is shifting the narrative on women’s health through culturally sensitive education. Named after the Itsekiri phrase for “good health,” the initiative hosts open conversations around fertility, menstruation, mental health, and chronic illness.
With support from WHO, UNICEF, and YouTube Health, Dr. Omatseye’s mission is simple: to equip Black women with knowledge that affirms, not alienates.
Why These Spaces Matter
These ventures are more than meetups—they’re movements.
Black women remain among the UK’s most educated groups yet face systemic obstacles across funding, media, and healthcare. These platforms confront that imbalance not with slogans, but systems: care without condescension, visibility without erasure, ambition without apology.
What unites them is not aesthetics, but infrastructure.
As strategist Ruvimbo Dzumbira puts it: “Today’s women-led spaces aren’t built on clout—they’re built on care. And care builds legacy.”
Looking Forward
This isn’t about brunch. It’s about architecture.
It’s about what happens when women design spaces from their lived realities—when rest, ambition, and identity are allowed to coexist.
And when Black women lead that redesign, they don’t just host events. They rewire the system.
By Korrine Sky | Editor-at-Large, The Southern African Times
