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Winnie Awa is an award-winning entrepreneur, racial equality speaker, and textured hair expert. She is the Founder and CEO of Carra, an AI-driven haircare platform dedicated to the personalisation of routines for textured hair, as well as Co-Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the British Beauty Council. Winnie’s lived experience as a Black woman navigating industries that historically underserved people of colour has profoundly shaped her mission as an advocate for racial equality. Through her ventures and public speaking, she tackles subjects like entrepreneurship, textured hair, women in technology, and diversity with authenticity and impact. Her passion for addressing racial disparities is rooted not just in professional insights but in her personal journey, making her a powerful voice for change.
Winnie’s career journey began in business consulting as an Analyst at IBM Business Consulting Services in 2005, progressing to Senior Consultant at Ernst & Young in 2007. Her pivot into the fashion and beauty-tech industries saw her take on pivotal roles such as Strategic Programme Manager for NET-A-PORTER in 2012 and Technical Platform Lead at ASOS in 2013. After seeing first-hand the glaring gap in services for textured hair customers, she founded Antidote Street in 2015, a pioneering platform celebrated by Vogue, Dazed, and Harper’s Bazaar. Subsequent consultancy roles, including Product Management Consultant for LVMH and Creative Partner at andVerv, further honed her expertise before she launched Carra in 2020, a company rooted in technological innovation and cultural inclusivity.
Winnie’s achievements are numerous and notable. She was the recipient of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation award in 2022, and was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Beauty Disruptor Award the same year. She also serves as a mentor for Innovate UK and has been a trusted expert for renowned brands such as Dove, Tresemmé, Unilever, and GHD. Winnie regularly contributes her insights as a judge for the Glamour Beauty Power List and the Women’s Health Beauty Awards, and her expertise has been cited in significant publications, including the book Palette and Looking Beyond The Car In Front.
Winnie’s speaking engagements span crucial topics including entrepreneurship, the textured hair market, women’s advancement in technology, and the broader need for diversity in beauty and tech industries. She eloquently connects these areas back to the systemic racial inequalities she seeks to dismantle. Her work with Carra and Carra Labs exemplifies her commitment to building solutions where representation has historically been lacking. Organisations hire Winnie because she combines lived experience, technical expertise, and business acumen, delivering not only insight but inspiring, actionable change.
Winnie Awa is regularly booked to engage audiences at events, read their latest feedback below:
“Winnie was a fantastic guest speaker for our client – a high-profile haircare brand team. Super engaging, she shared her fresh insights and expertise in beauty and tech innovations to inspire the team. Highly recommended and delightful to work with.”
“In my role as Events Director of GLAMOUR, I had the absolute pleasure of working with and booking Winnie as a speaker for a number of different events. Most recently Winnie was a segment moderator for GLAMOUR’s popular Black Beauty series and hosted The Black Hair Conversation. Not only was Winnie’s delivery seamless, but she expertly captivated our in-person audience whilst simultaneously engaging our online viewers. Winnie also ensured our brand partners and sponsors were name-checked – as per the brief – whilst ensuring the conversation flowed organically. Equally, Winnie ensured the Creators being interviewed remained engaging and on topic. I thoroughly enjoy working with Winnie for events and speaker engagements, particularly as when she is booked to speak or moderate, I’m always assured that the segment/s will run smoothly.”
The BAME Speakers Agency has been one of the UK’s leading bureaus for Black, Asian and minority ethnic speakers since 2020. We supply speakers for corporate and public events across the world, and cater to both in-person occasions and online webinars.
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