💥 You’ve been invited to join us for ‘AGORA Presents’ - a series of pop-up events, each focused on specific topics dedicated to helping budding entrepreneurs on their journey! 🔥

Would you like your business to be able to help young people in London?

Would your employees like to support their local community and use their skills to make a positive, tangible difference?

Are you lacking in the resources to develop a corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy?

Do you want to improve your attraction and retention of diverse talent?

Join us for an evening with The Drive Forward Foundation, where they will discuss how they can work with you to reach more diverse candidates as well as provide opportunities to improve the work readiness of their clients, and thereby achieve two of the key pillars of any CSR strategy: community engagement and an inclusive workplace.

This is followed by a panel discussion, featuring...

• Maggie Collier - Former CEO @ Flamingo
• Rihards Simanovics - Drive Forward Ambassador & Web Development Assistant @ Module Media
• Floyd Steadman - Executive Head @ Clifton Lodge; Former Saracens Rugby Player

...where we'll cover topics including how to develop a CSR strategy, the relationship between CSR and diversity and inclusion, and why small businesses are well suited to supporting their local community.

Following that, we’ll have a short Q&A session as well as a networking session afterwards to help you meet other entrepreneurs on the same journey, and to engage with our guests (over drinks 🥂🍻 ) to discuss issues more specific to you!

What is AGORA? 🤔

AGORA is a two-part early-stage fundraising platform. Our team analyses and profiles your start-up’s approach to a pre-seed or seed fundraise round, issuing tailored feedback ranging from pitch deck support to legal advice. Once all preparation criteria have been met, we connect your start-up with the most appropriate investor from our network, before closing your fundraise with the assistance of our partners SeedLegals.

Click here to sign up to AGORA for free!

The Drive Forward Foundation:

Drive Forward Foundation are a London-based charity who work with young disadvantaged adults, aged 13 - 26, in and leaving foster or residential care, to build and maintain successful careers. As a small and local charity, they see great potential in partnering with SMEs and start-ups who can offer flexibility in their approach and a nurturing working environment. Given the challenges that SME’s can face in developing a CSR strategy, a partnership with Drive Forward Foundation offers a win-win solution.

// Speaker Bios//

Floyd Steadman:

"After a very challenging childhood, life has been generally kind."

As someone with care experience, Floyd is keen to give back and work with other individuals with care experience at Drive Forward Foundation. With an impressive and diverse career, including being Head at St. Paul's Prep School and the captain of Saracens Rugby team, this has not come without its challenges. Namely, as the first black man in both of these positions, navigating new territory and, at times, discrimination. Floyd is joining the panel to talk about his experience. He will also discuss unconscious bias, something which he continues to challenge within the education sector, championing diversity and inclusion.

Maggie Collier:

Maggie Collier spent many years working in consumer insight and brand strategy for some of the world's leading businesses. Maggie was Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Flamingo, which she helped build into a global organisation and which is now part of the Omnicom group. After over 20 years leading and building her business, Maggie exited and now works as an independent consultant.

Flamingo had a long standing relationship with Drive Forward and Maggie has seen at first hand the life changing work of the charity and the valuable contribution care leavers bring to a medium-sized business. In 2017, Maggie was delighted to join Drive Forward as a Trustee. Maggie is also a trustee of a charity called Purposeful, a feminist movement-building hub for adolescent girls working mainly in Sierra Leone. She is part of the development committee of the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond. Maggie serves as a mentor to various young women across different organisations. Maggie lives in West London and has three grown up children.

Rihards Simanovics:

Rihards works as a full-stack web developer at Module Media. Rihards came from Latvia at the age of twelve with his parents. At the age of sixteen, he was placed in care and shortly after came to know Drive Forward Foundation. Rihards used Drive Forward as a platform to network with employers as well as get to know other individuals in care. It was through this platform that he got to know Module Media, a team of nine, whom he impressed and has since joined.