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Acknowledge accomplished Black professionals and organizations with Obsidi by BPTN Awards

Let’s Shine a Light on Future Black Legacies!

Join us on June 28, 2023

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It’s Time to Celebrate Black Excellence in Tech!

" Obsidi by BPTN Awards, presented by BMO, is a game-changing movement. Get ready to be inspired and amazed by all the exceptional achievements taking place within our global Black tech ecosystem. We know that Black professionals are crushing it in their careers but now we’re providing them a platform to cement their legacies. Are you down to make history? Submit your Black Excellence nominations now! "

Lekan Olawoye, CEO & Founder, Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN)

"We are honoured to partner with BPTN to recognize Black professionals in technology. The best teams are diverse teams, and BMO is committed to celebrating top talent and their achievements in the industry. These awards are the first of their kind, and we're thrilled to raise the bar for future generations to come."

Bojan Pavlovic, CIOO North American Personal & Business Banking and Wealth Management, BMO Financial Group

About Obsidi By BPTN Awards, presented by BMO

We’re bringing the best and brightest minds in the industry together to celebrate Black Excellence. This is a time to uplift, connect, and empower one another.

Obsidi By BPTN Awards, presented by BMO, is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of stakeholders and individuals who continue to fortify the global Black tech ecosystem through innovation and grit. Our aim is to not only acknowledge the accomplished Black professionals and organizations making a tangible difference in the industry but equally illustrate how the Black professional community continues to be a major disruptive force for innovation in the global tech industry.

2023 Award Winners

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This award will recognize a Black professional executive who has shaped the tech industry with their innovative thinking in North America. The award recipients are valued individuals for their vital role in driving leadership and innovation. In addition to a dedication to fostering collaboration within their organization.

Krista Satterthwaite

Senior Vice President and General Manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Linkedin
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This award will recognize a Black Employee Resource Group (ERG) that has a proven track record of success and can show impact created for Black professionals, based in North America. The awards nominee must be a member of the ERG with an employer. Testimonials, past achievements, and ongoing projects can all be included in this submission.

Tarisai Madambi

Director, Advisory - Management Consulting at KPMG

Linkedin
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This award will recognize a Black professional who is innovative, creative thinking, and hard working in the marketing industry. Celebrate your hard work with this award recognizing data-driven excellence. *Please note this award is for individuals only, agency or project-specific nominations will not be considered.

Siobhan Mondesire

Vice President, Demand Generation at Vena Solutions

Linkedin
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This award will recognize a Black-led Venture Capital in North America whose unwavering commitment and exceptional realizations in venture capital investments over the past year have propelled their business into high growth, increased profits and innovative technological advancements. This award celebrates an unprecedented level of success worthy of recognition!

Isaac Olowolafe Jr.

Co-Founder & General Partner at BKR Capital

Linkedin
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This award will recognize a Black professional that is breaking into the sales industry. The award is open to professionals with less than 3 years of work experience who can demonstrate that they’ve achieved significant growth during their short time within the industry.

Hugh Lawson

Head of Business Development at EHN Canada

Linkedin
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This award will recognize a Black professional that is breaking into the technology industry. The award is open to professionals with less than 3 years of work experience who can demonstrate that they’ve made significant professional strides during their short tenure within the tech industry.

Olabode Idowu

Staff Software Engineer at Intuit

Linkedin
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This award recognizes a seasoned Black professional working within the vast fields of product innovation, management or development. For example, but not limited to software engineers, developers, and scrum masters. The product professional, stemming from varying areas of expertise within this sector, will be able to demonstrate a body of work that is game-changing and contributions which truly advance the industry forward.

Mo' Ekujumi

Director at SkillHat

Linkedin
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This award recognizes an experienced Black designer – from a wide range of design fields who is forward-thinking and strives for optimal results. The award recipient is selected in the varying areas of expertise within this sector, including but not limited to product design, web design, UI design, and graphic design, will be able to demonstrate a body of work that is aesthetically appealing, functional, smart and innovative.

Shad Uadiale

Experience Designer at BMO

Linkedin
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This award recognizes a seasoned Black professional within the tech industry who has made an outstanding contribution to the Black tech community and ecosystem. This award recipient’s work illustrates a commitment to the Black tech community that has developed through years of engagement and supportive contributions.

Melisa Ellis

Founder & CEO at Nobellum Enterprise

Linkedin
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This award recognizes a seasoned Black entrepreneur who has started and developed a successful North American technology business or start-up in the past three years. The award recipient has positively impacted the technology industry and their contributions have pushed the boundaries in terms of innovative.

Thierry Lindor

Co-Founder & CEO at Happly

Linkedin

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Nomination Process

It’s time to nominate a Black professional and organization who has been killing it this year and deserves some much earned recognition! They work hard, they play hard, and they're an inspiration to us all. So, let’s give them their flowers!

01

Phase 1 - Call for Nominations

Nomination portal is officially open for nomination submissions in all award categories.

Key Dates

December 15, 2022 until January 20, 2023, 11:59 PM ET

02

Phase 2 - Call for Nomination Closes

Nomination portal is officially closed for all nomination submissions in all award categories.

Key Date

January 20, 2023 11:59 PM ET

03

Phase 3 - Nomination Evaluation & Voting Period

All award submissions provided by the nomination close date will evaluated by a judging panel. The judging panel are award committee members ranging from industry leaders and senior executives who hold a depth of experience in each nomination category.

Key Dates

January 21, 2023 until February 1, 2023, 11:59 PM ET

04

Phase 4 - Winner Announcements

All winners will be announced in February 2023 but award recipients will receive their awards on June 28, 2023.

Key Date

Stay tuned!

Award Selection Committee

Lekan Olawoye

Founder and CEO at Black Professionals in Tech Network

Linkedin

Mathew Mehrotra

Chief Digital Officer at BMO Financial Group

Linkedin

Marilyn Whittingham

Partner, Experience Design at Deloitte Digital

Linkedin

Gave Lindo

Head of Content Programming at TikTok

Linkedin

Lavonne Monroe

Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition and Onboarding at Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Linkedin

Andrew Alleyne

Partner | Corporate/Commercial Lawyer | Technology | Outsourcing | M&A at Fasken

Linkedin

Renee Laforet

Interim Chief Technology Officer | Transformation Executive | Coach and Mentor at City of Toronto

Linkedin

Diana Luu

Canada Country Manager at LinkedIn

Linkedin

Damion Wright

Global DE&I Talent Programs Leader at Intuit

Linkedin

Frequently Asked Questions

Nominations open from December 15th, 2022 - January 20th, 2023.

Stay tuned on Obsidi.com.

Obsidi By BPTN Awards, presented by BMO, will be hosted on June 28, 2023.
There will be 10 awards given out at the Obsidi By BPTN Awards, presented by BMO.
Yes, you are able to submit more than one nomination for each category. However, repeat nomination for the same individuals or organizations submitted by the same person will be assessed as a duplicate nomination. These sorts of submissions will not be accounted into the evaluation process.
  1. To nominate a Black professional or organization, you must already be a member of Obsidi. Sign up today for free here.
  2. Fill out the nomination form and input your Obsidi referral link into the form.
  3. Hit submit.

 

Note: Need additional assistance to complete your nomination submission? Review our YouTube nomination submission tutorial: https://youtu.be/M2_mcXjKDY0.

It’s time to nominate a Black professional and organization who has been killing it this year and deserves some much-earned recognition! They work hard, they play hard, and they're an inspiration to us all. So let's give them their flowers!

  • Black professionals in tech and business who fit the categories listed.
  • Black Employee Resource Group (ERG)
  • Black Venture Capital Firm

Once you have received a nomination notice by email, please complete the following steps to proceed to the phase of the process.

  • Create a membership account on Obsidi.com. You will need to be a member of Obsidi to be eligible to receive the award. Sign up today for free here.
  • Fill out the nominee form and input your Obsidi referral link into the form field received by email.
  • Hit submit, and you’re good to go!
  • You will be contacted by email before the announcement if you are an award winner.
No, you can only win up to one award in the categories listed.

If you've been nominated for an award, you will receive an email following the submission. Then you must create an Obsidi member profile, complete the nomination form and also submit your Obsidi member referral link as part of your form submission. If you are successful, you will be contacted via email in February 2023.

Need additional help completing your Obsidi By BPTN Awards nomination acceptance form? Check out our YouTube tutorial now: https://youtu.be/Mqyl1kGP764.

No, at no point during the nomination or award process do we intend to share the name or contact details of the person who initially submitted a nomination form with the selected nominee ( e.g. person or organization chosen).

Many companies block non-work-related websites so you may encounter issues trying to access the website from these devices. Suppose you clear your cookies and the issue persists. We recommend you submit your nomination and complete the nomination acceptance form from a non-work device without a company VPN.

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