STUDENTS TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR FUTURE BY GETTING A HEAD-START ON THEIR UNIVERSITY SKILLS AND CAREER PROSPECTS The Powerlist

Foundation in association with Powerful Media, publishers of Powerlist magazine and Future Leaders magazine welcomed sixty student delegates, industry leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs and African Caribbean Society Presidents and Vice Presidents at a seminar on Friday 20th September titled Sharing University and Career Success. The seminar was hosted by Thomson Reuters in Canary Wharf and organised by the charity, Powerlist Foundation especially for students aged 18-19 who had achieved the equivalent of three As in their A-levels and were about to start university. The Powerlist Foundation is a UK registered charity whose objective is to help young people to advance in life by applying the power of those who have already achieved success to raise the ambitions and ease the path of those in the community who are yet to realise their full potential. The Foundation gives the best and the brightest students the opportunity to attend seminars and create networks that can forever change the trajectory and velocity of their careers. The seminar was facilitated by Geoffrey Williams, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist at Thomson Reuters and began with a presentation by Ken Olisa OBE, Chair of the Powerlist Foundation. Mr Olisa delivered a lively presentation regarding the Powerlist Foundation's efforts to give young people's leadership prospects a turbo-charge that they couldnt get otherwise. The presentation was informative and entertaining and left many students confident about their prospects as tomorrow's leaders. Other speakers included Courtney Mentore, the EMEA Business Manager for the Banking and Research division at Thomson Reuters, who helped delegates to build valuable life skills, Edwin Broni-Mensah, Founder of GiveMeTap who showed students that even in a recession a good idea, passion and perseverance is essential to succeeding in life, Jasmine Ennis, Operations Administrator of the Powerlist Foundation who encouraged students to use a 'vision board', Selvin Brown MBE, Deputy Director Communications at Department for Work and Pensions, Vernon Franois one of the most sought-after hair stylists and image consultants in the UK, who was named among Powerlist Magazine's Top 20 Influential Under 40s of 2013 and Sandie Okoro, General Counsel at Baring Asset Management Limited. Messages that resonated with students included "Always aim for things that seem out of reach" - Sandie Okoro and "Dress for the job that you want, not for the job that you have" Selvin Brown MBE.

Satisfied participants Students left the seminar equipped with the vision, the knowledge, the wherewithal and the experience to pave their way as tomorrow's leaders. One student said "I have looked into some of the histories of the respective speakers and what I learned was inspiring more than anything. Meeting the speakers has also given me an insight into the level of commitment and drive needed to succeed in one's field. The additions I made to my network will also serve me well in my future career aspirations." Other students said that as a result of the seminar, they will try and network more actively with their peers, ensure that they continually push themselves academically and participate in extracurricular activities. Others said that they now realise that they needed to be more switched on to real-world developments. Veronica Martin, who manages the Powerlist Foundation's day to day operations , said: I am delighted that our first seminar on 'Sharing University and Career Success' has built on the success of our Annual Leadership Programme. We had an exceptional turnout and those who joined us at our seminar enjoyed the wealth of knowledge provided by all the speakers." -ENDSNotes to editors: About the Powerlist Foundation The Powerlist Foundation is a UK registered charity and exists to promote the development of young people, under the age of twenty-five, in achieving their full potential by providing support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in and contribute to society as mature and responsible leaders. The Powerlist Foundation was conceived in 2009, at the time of the publication of that years Powerlist, a catalogue of the UKs most influential black people, published by Powerful Media Ltd. Formally launched in November 2010, the charity has a stated vision of a world where personal achievement depends on talent and application and is not affected by colour, race, gender or religion. We intend to help make that come about by applying the power of those who have already achieved success to raise the ambitions and ease the path of those in the community who are yet to realise their full potential. www.powerlistfoundation.org.uk