BB Awards 2014, a true ‘Celebration of Diversity & Achievement’!

It is often said that, ‘seeing is believing’! This was certainly the case at the 11^th BB Awards 2014 held on Saturday 25 October 2014 at the prestigious Hilton London Tower Bridge. It has been another remarkable year for BB Awards, which has gone from strength to strength in its mission to promote ‘Diversity and Achievement’ by recognizing hard work, perseverance and success among the diverse social and economic movers and shakers in the society, wherever they come from.

There are many Awards gala nights, but certainly, there is only one BB Awards-a true ‘Celebration of Diversity and Achievement’ in display!

Willy Mutenza was one of the winners of the prestigious award on the 11^th annual BB Awards 2014 which was truly in a class of its own held at the prestigious Hilton London Tower Bridge.

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Willy Mutenza is a senior ethnic marketing consultant specialising in the African ethnic community. He has been recognised for his dedicated efforts in promoting social entrepreneurship, community cohesion and investment opportunities specifically for the Ugandan Diaspora. Willy founded The Promota Group in 1998 and has expanded his business interests in magazine publication, events management, and private equity bridging, printing and design, and property development in Uganda.

Willy has been a pillar and a community icon of the Ugandan community in UK and represented it at various levels in Uganda and UK. He founded the Ugandan UK Convention, a very successful investment forum that attracts more than 1000+ high profile Ugandans from all over the world at a yearly annual gathering in London.

Willy is also a Director at MM2 Capital, an investment broker agency and also a director of CUBL, a company that promotes investment opportunities in DRC.

Willy publishes the Promota Africa magazine, a popular high quality gloss magazine in the UK, targeting African ethnic consumers and also promoting a positive image of Africa abroad.

Willy also won an innovative award for inventing a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi marketing device (ePRO Bluetooth Long Range advertising transmitter). The “ePro Bluetooth” a mobile marketing device, allows businesses to send adverts to mobile phones by free transfer of content between mobile devices using the Bluetooth signal.

Willy is also the chairman of UDE-UK, a newly founded charity. UDE-UK, through all of its activities, aims to promote social inclusion of all members of the Uganda/African Diaspora, and encourage a smooth and productive integration into British society, whilst maintaining its members’ unique cultural characteristics and heritage.

“I am thrilled and overwhelmed by this award and I wholeheartedly thank BBA for recognizing my work. I’m especially grateful to a few amazing people whose support is the reason I’m up here right now. Our work is far from over, but what we’ve accomplished together has made a difference in hundreds of people’s lives, especially the Ugandan Diaspora. Let’s roll up our sleeves and continue this journey with more dedication than ever. “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” Willy Mutenza

About the event

The Hilton London Tower Bridge played host to this year’s magnificent awards ceremony and dinner on Saturday 25 October 2014. The venue came alive once again with an array of prestigious guests, including dignitaries, celebrities and some of our finest business owners. We were pleased to welcome among our distinguished guests, Cllr. Sunil Chopra, the Worshipful Mayor of Southwark, Cllr. Adedamola Aminu, Mayor of Lambeth, Cllr. Ian Wingfield, Deputy

Leader of Southwark Council, Rt. Hon. Simon Hughes MP, Minister of State (Ministry of Justice), Deputy Leader, Liberal Democratic Party, local MP and BBI UK Patron), Prem Goyal, BBI UK Patron and the keynote speaker Yinka sharing the true meaning of diversity and achievement with the adoring guests. Among other VIPs at the event were Femi Okutubo, founder and Chief Executive of Trumpet Newspaper and annual GAB Awards who bagged the BB Awards 2014 Personality of the Year Award trophy with his wife, Mike Abiola Publisher of African Voices and organizer of annual African Films Awards and several other dignitaries.

Hosting the event was Glastonbury Festival artist, performer and songwriter, Dionne Reid guest host of the night, who introduced the entertainment, which was without a doubt, at an optimum. Guests were treated to a live interactive fashion show and dance competition with Mr. and Mrs. Femi Okutubo becoming the winners of BB Awards 2014 Personality of the Year. The night was complemented with performance of youth dance from the Movement Factory, cool soul and hilarious night of sheer entertainment and relaxation. The evening will be incomplete without mentioning Lovell Ellis, the new Reggae sensation, Cezanne Poetess, Astride Costa and our guest artist Diva Sophia who treated us to a night of Motown classics, while the night was brought to a new start with music from DJ Big Mike who kept the evening in full swing.

Following the exit of Dionne Reid, event host, Sunny Lambe and Diva Sophia left the guests bowled over as they hosted the raffle and ‘interactive fashion show and best dressed and dance’ competitions’ which left almost everyone feeling part of the night. What a night to remember!

Then, down to the business of winning awards; 16 renewed and revamped Award Categories were available this year, including the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which was jointly won by Leanne Pero (The movement Factory) and Mohit Chopra (Miramar Legal), presented by the Worshipful Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Sunil Chopra, who could not hide the pride of being giving the honor of presenting the award to his son and the co-winner. Robbie Gee and Eddie Nestor received the Honorary Merit Award, Gary Edwards bagged the Honorary Exemplary Volunteer of the year award, Adiel Ruth Kaye, Honorary Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award, Dionne Reid, Young Entertainer of the Year Award, while Kato Enterprises bagged the Diaspora Honorary Business Award for Corporate Social Responsibility.

Simon Bell, Bell & Sons of Bermondsey walked away with the Enterprise Life Achievement Award for his 30 years enterprise life endurance and risks taking. The Social Entrepreneur Award went to Wily Mutenza, Ugandan Convention, Hospitality and Tourism Award went to Canaan Restaurant, New Business Award went to Kareem Adeshina & James Ellis, Red Degree, UK Business won by Dalgety Tea, International Business Award won by Abbey Paseda, Focus on Disability UK, Southwark Business Award won by Rea Khanu, Laptop Hospital, while one of the main highlights of the evening for the BBI UK and BB Awards founder was the annual Young Entrepreneur Game Award (YEGA) business simulation with the runner-up won by Joseph

Nsarhaza, Racebeat while the main coveted YEGA 2014 award was won by Tunde AND Valentine Olukoga, White Zebra.

The runner ups did not need to be disappointed as they were selected from a list of top achievers within their category. Well done to you all!

The Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Sunil Chopra said; “it is very inspiring to see the good work 88I UK and Sunny Lambe are doing despite the very challenging economic climate we are all enduring and Southwark Council will to continue to support 88I and their work in the community”. Similar message of support was echoed by the Deputy Southwark Council Leader, Councillor Ian Wingfield who was marking his 25^th year of councillorship.

Sunny Lambe, founder and executive director of BBI UK and BB Awards said, ‘celebrating diversity and achievement every year can break many artificial barriers that divides us and our diverse communities; this can only inspire us to do more and even bring us much closer than we are now’.

For more information on BB Awards 2014 and how you could get involved in the preparations for the 12^th BB Award 2015 through nominations, sponsorships, volunteering, planning, web design, blogging, advertising, performance, etc, please contact BBI UK Ltd, Awards Organising Committee, info@bbinitiative.com and bbinitiative@aol.com 020 7277 7333 or visit www.bbinitiative.com.