Mr. Bobby A. Syed has more than 30 years’ experience, in the Media Industry, from Saatchi & Saatchi to forming EMMA in 1997. As a pioneer and innovator, displayed progressive leadership skills, through many communication strategies, and creating the EMMA TV show on BBC & ITV that helped brand Britain as this truly multicultural society. That went on to win the London Olympic bid, through ‘Multicultural’ branding, for their global audience. He helped to define the creative industry, with the first ever creative industry awards ceremony, in 1998. This unique CSR campaigns, helped to highlight the need for inclusion, which creates better business; for this industry sector that fed off previous Middle England identity whereby excluding many Minorities from a Metropolitan to Cosmopolitan lifestyle, who defined modern Britain, as Multicultural due to their 300 years of history.
In 2000, Nelson Mandela had flown over especially, after his retirement as the South African President to receive his EMMA Lifetime Achievement Award. This stands, as his first award, since retiring. He had referred to Mr Syed, at this private ceremony, in the South African High Commission as ‘Mr Multicultural’ for this outstanding initiative. He has been proven right as shown throughout Mr Syed’s distinguished career; taking on board, when he started, environment was hostile.
He equally honoured the continual struggle over Steven Lawrence death from racist, by giving his campaigning mother Doreen Lawrence her first ever award, recognising her own pain in 1999 prior to her becoming a Baroness. This has helped everyone to acknowledge, publically, on ITV, the realities behind institutional racism. It has led to The Prime Minister, Theresa May, announcing an annual “Steven Lawrence Day” in April 2018 as a form of commemoration to highlight our undeniable need for appreciating Diversity within Multiculturalism, which Mr Syed has campaigned for since 1997. So this day can form our national day for Multicultural unity, as shown through the EMMA Awards showcase.
Mr Syed’s EMMA role, as the founder, has been to formulate strategy, PR campaigns, Marketing campaigns, Advertising campaigns, Lobbying campaigns, Event Organising, Media Relation, Fundraising, TV Production, TV & Film development, Branding, Web Development, Social Media, Exhibition and Conference Planning and Consultancy in the Cross-Cultural communication sector – for the Governmental and Corporates clients. His work not only include conflict-resolution and journalism for many UK publications, as trained by CSV, but foresaw that over 1 in 6 jobs in the UK (2017) will be based in this Creative Industry, that has led to £8.5 million, generated each hour by this sector.
