Celebrating Black Leadership at SLaM
Last month, to mark both Black Leaders Awareness Day and Nelson Mandela Day, colleagues came together at a special BME Staff Network event to honour the contributions of Black leaders across South London and Maudsley (SLaM) and beyond. The event created space for honest dialogue, shared pride and collective inspiration.
Through powerful storytelling, Chief Operating Officer, Ade Odunlade shared his personal leadership journey - from humble beginnings to executive leadership. He also spoke about being one of the only Black leaders in executive roles.
Ade said: “Irrespective of how you may want to think you feel, you see it. You notice when you’re the only person at the decision-making table who looks like you."
Ade offered insight into the challenges and values that shaped his path, whilst recognising the collective effort behind his journey:
“Leadership as a Black person in this country, especially in public services, is not just about capability – it’s about endurance. It’s about navigating systems that weren’t built with us in mind. We’re breaking grounds.
Whilst representation matters, transformation matters more. We don’t just need to be in the room, we need to shape the agenda.”
He notes: "I did not get here alone. Mentors, communities, my family uplifted me. They reminded me that my Blackness was not a barrier but a badge of resilience. Being a leader is about impact. It’s about making sure that those coming after us don’t have to climb the same steep hill. We must be excellent, yes, but also radical in our commitment to equity, to mental health and wellbeing and to lifting others as we rise.”
Duty Senior Nurse (DSN), Sinemi Muyambo also spoke powerfully on the idea of legacy - how every interaction is a chance to lead with purpose. She encouraged attendees to reflect on the impact they want to have: “In the grand scheme of things we are all leaders in different ways. We all impact the bigger picture in different ways."
As the event closed, the message was clear: leadership is more than just a role or a job title - it’s an influence. It’s the everyday decisions, conversations, and values we carry that help shape a more inclusive and equitable future. The reflections also reinforced that supporting and recognising Black leadership is a crucial part of that journey.
Reflecting on the event, Chair of the BME Staff Network, Jide Ashimi, shared: "The day proved to be very engaging, with powerful accounts of leadership journeys and motivation. The importance of cultural heritage and cultural values were strong themes that came up throughout. There was an emphasis on our own capacity to lead by example and how this is a vital part of our everyday interactions, leadership was not always seen in relation to career advancement, but what inspires and motivates a person to do the work that they do. In the words of Audre Lorde: “the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change”. It is incumbent on Black Leaders to set a course for change and recognise that we can no longer be complicit in inequity".
The event formed part of the wider journey towards anti-racism at SLaM - with the BME Staff Network continuing to play a vital role in creating space for reflection, visibility and meaningful dialogue.
