DJ and Instagram influencer Mercedes F Benson is on a mission to get more black, Asian and minority ethnic talent into the creative industries

When Mercedes F Benson looked around the office at the tech firm she used to work for, she saw few people who looked like her. “I was working for one of the biggest tech companies in the world,” recalls Benson, a north Londoner with Nigerian heritage, “and yet I was the only black female in their marketing department”.

This is not uncommon. According to government data, BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) employees account for just 11 per cent of the workforce in the UK’s creative industries, despite making up nearly 20 per cent of the population. In an industry that thrives on ideas, Benson says the lack of diversity stifles creativity.

Research suggests she could be right. According to a 2013 study by the Harvard Business Review, companies with diverse workforces were more innovative and more likely to have increased their market share in the previous year than those without.

Benson believes that one reason behind a lack of diversity in the workplace is recruitment agencies and HR teams not knowing where to look for young, diverse talent. “They aren’t really able to understand where that talent lives, which is on social media.”

With that in mind, Benson took to Facebook in 2017 and set up a group called SocialFIXT, where people from BAME backgrounds could share adverts for creative jobs and provide support and guidance to each other. “We built a community that wants to see others win and gain amazing jobs within the industry,” explained Benson.

SocialFIXT’s following has increased since, and now the initiative is making its first tentative steps towards becoming a specialist recruitment agency. The enterprise has launched a dedicated website and runs events throughout the year for its members.

Benson decided to take SocialFIXT to the next level after attending a bootcamp run by Red Bull, a company that is using its experience to support up-and-coming social entrepreneurs all over the world.