Entrepreneur, consultant, strategist, student activist, community champion and now Endsleigh Student of the Year, Joseph Akinnagbe has inspired and contributed in a big way to students’ lives and the community in Manchester.
Joseph, a second year international student at the University of Manchester is currently the youngest ever President of Manchester Entrepreneurs, the largest university entrepreneur network in the North of England. He is passionate about empowering others and his work is felt deep into the community.
Manchester Entrepreneurs engages with 1200 students, equipping its members with the right mix of education, inspiration and quick initial funding opportunities through a micro-fund Joseph pioneered.
He is also the creator of Apprentice Manchester, a week long competition based on the BBC2 series. It allows students to test their business acumen, improve their employability and raise money for charity. It is the most applied to business competition in the University and raised £4,000 for Princes Trust in its first day.
Due to his work with Manchester Entrepreneurs, he was selected as one of the top 250 entrepreneurs in the Northwest of England. He is also the youngest member of Lord Davies’ Black Entrepreneurs Roundtable, which gave policy advice to the Labour Government on supporting black and ethnic minority entrepreneurs.
Joseph is also very accomplished student representative, helping to solve everyday student issues. He’s been elected onto the Students’ Union Executive Committee as the International Student Officer. Prior to this he was co-ordinating the largest course rep scheme in the University and sat on Union Council as a faculty representative, being a member of three sub-committees of which he chairs two. He is also part of the NUS International Committee.
Joseph has shown incredible passion for his community. He’s taught deprived children and has assisted with drama productions staged in front of the Mayor of London’s representatives.
His community impact put him in line for a Manchester Leadership Gold Award and he has gained recognition for his work from Greater Manchester Youth Network and Vinvolved.
Joseph has also impacted greatly on African Caribbean societies and their students. He helped launch the African Carribean Society website, a technology platform which empowers ACS groups across the country to connect, communicate and collaborate. The company now boasts of the likes of Google UK as clients.