A husband and wife from Sutton have been announced as finalists in the British Black Awards.

Gareth and Alexandria Dauley have both been shortlisted in the awards, which recognises outstanding efforts from black professionals across the UK.

Now in its eighth year, the awards highlight “exceptional business talent” across six industries: arts and media; consumer and luxury; start-ups; financial services; professional services; and STEM.

The British Black Awards will ‘Amplify’ voices, careers and stories from a range of industries, highlighting their diverse and dynamic work.

Gareth and Alexandria join 37 other professionals, who have been shortlisted for their personal work to defy stereotypes and to reshape the business world around them.

Gareth - STEM Senior Leader of the Year

Gareth is an executive Vice President at Pacific Green Technologies.

He has started and grown energy start-ups and renewable energy projects which are rolled out across developed and emerging countries.

Gareth has a leading role in the rollout of over 1 gigawatt of projects that have supplied the equivalent of 4 million households with clean energy globally.

He has mentored and guided young people working with the London Youth Mentor scheme.

He now independently mentors young black/ethnic minority energy professionals, helping them to network, build confidence and focus on career progression.

Your Local Guardian: Alexandria Alexandria

Alexandria - Consumer & Luxury Senior Leader of the Year

Alexandria is a residential interior designer and owner of Dauley Design, a multidisciplinary design and build practice based in South London and Surrey.

She creates homes with a contemporary, modern design aesthetic, coupled with an appreciation for traditional architecture and detail driven service.

Alexandria is also tackling the issues of diversity as a co-founder of charitable organisation United in Design.

Sophie Chandauka, Executive Founder and Chair of the Black British Business Awards said: “After an extraordinarily challenging year, I am thrilled that for the eighth year running we are highlighting the resilience and abundance of brilliant, Black talent in Britain.

"Our finalists have delivered tremendous commercial value across sectors in volatile markets where entrepreneurs, in particular, have been decimated.

"They have been strategic advisors to their companies and boards as global corporations are challenged by investors to address systemic racism.

"Despite the pandemic and social unrest, they are fiercely competitive and remarkably ambitious, creative and commercially savvy, leveraging technology as their differentiator.

"They are global in their outlook and ambition and represent the very best of being British in a post-pandemic, post-Brexit Europe.”

Winners for each category, as well as the Black British Business Person of the Year, will be revealed at a virtual ceremony on October 7, 2021.

To see more information visit here.