MBM launches Creative and Cultural Industries Freelancer Directory

Heart of the City | 1 October 2024 | News
MBM launches Creative and Cultural Industries Freelancer Directory

Minority Business Matters (MBM), the leading business support project working with London ethnic minority businesses to boost revenues, build resilience, and enhance their reputation, while benefiting local economies and communities across London, has launched a new Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) CCI Freelancer Directory.

The CCI Directory aims to support the drive for diversity and inclusion within the Creative and Cultural Industries, offering an easily accessible resource of ethnic minority freelancers. It is free to use for any London-based ethnic minority freelancer as well as those looking to secure CCI freelancers’ services.

Nadia Forde, the Minority Business Matters’ programme lead at the Heart of the City

Nadia Forde, the Minority Business Matters’ programme lead at the Heart of the City 

Through a simple sign up and certification process, ethnic minority freelancers in the creative industries are now able to offer their professional services through the CCI Directory. Talent seekers have the opportunity to easily access a pool of verified talents through a search, enabling them to quickly find the freelance talent that meets the required business need. 

“We are delighted to be launching the CCI Directory, as a simple search tool for ensure ethnic minority freelancer talent living and working in London. It enables businesses of all sizes to access this pool of verified talent in an accessible and straightforward way. Our aim is to power London’s ethnic minority freelancer workforce to succeed, and contribute to sustainability and resilience across the wider London economy” comments Nadia Forde, the Minority Business Matters’ programme lead. 

Freelancers who sign up to the CCI Directory will be able to enjoy a number of benefits, including:

  1. expand their reach to talent seekers; enhance their visibility to more than 120 private and public
    sectors organisations
  2. boost procurement expertise, business acumen, and capabilities
  3. gain access to exclusive networking events with potential clients and fellow creatives
  4. build relationships with minority-owned businesses
  5. join a community creating social value for London

Jean Chawapiwa, Head of Member Services at MSDUK comments: “Our aim is to partner to facilitate the creation of a healthier ecosystem in support of ethnic minority businesses and freelance talent. By enabling access to buyers, creatives and users, we are helping to bring solutions to some of the long term challenges that ethnic minority business and freelancer talent face: unconscious bias, discrimination, disconnection from mainstream business networks, and disproportionate lack of access to opportunities. The CCI Directory is a positive step in realising our mission.”

The CCI Directory is part of the Minority Business Matters programme, a partnership between Heart of the City and MSDUK, an advocacy network that actively supports and promotes supplier diversity for ethnic minority owned businesses.

Jean Chawapiwa, Head of Member Services at MSDUK

Jean Chawapiwa and Nadia Forde at the MSDUK and ESDP Conference & Awards dinner

How to join the CCI Directory 

Once the application has been submitted online, MSDUK’s certification officer will verify the entry and the freelancer’s details will be published in the Minority Business Matters CCI Freelancer Directory, ready to be found.

Freelancers must belong to one of many ethnic minority groups living in the UK and be based within one of London’s boroughs.

The Creative and Cultural Freelance Directory is part of Minority Business Matters, which offers free business support to London’s ethnic minority businesses. Run in partnership with Heart of the City and MSDUK, it is funded by the UK government, through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

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