Celebrating Black excellence in the designed and built environment

The event featured a panel of inspiring speakers including NTU alumna, Nicole Crenstil, a London-based cultural producer, public speaker and entrepreneur named by Forbes as one of ‘100 women to follow on Twitter’.

Nicole shared her personal journey, from studying design at school to graduating from university and the challenges she faced throughout. Experiencing barriers applying for industry placements and graduate jobs, Nicole highlighted her ‘non-linear’ career path and that it took moving into marketing and PR roles to find her niche. Since then that she has co-founded Black Girl Fest – the UK’s first festival celebrating Black British women and girls, and BIG SIS – a platform dedicated to supporting the personal development of creative working women.

Discussing the importance of celebrating creativity and her Ghanaian heritage in her work, Nicole emphasised the value in recognising and developing transferable skills and using them to pursue other creative ideas. Passionate about laying the foundations for future generations of Black graduates and creatives, Nicole powerfully remarked, “I don’t just want to open doors, I want to break the doors down to ensure there’s more seats at the table for everyone."

Read more about what went on at the event and the other panellists who attended.