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Dance Theatre of Harlem, the professional ballet company and school based in New York City, has named Jaime Wynn, president of Jimmy Choo Americas, to its board of directors, the company announced. According to a press release, Wynn brings more than 25 years of experience in luxury fashion, business transformation, and brand growth. She has held senior roles at LVMH, leading global planning at Marc Jacobs, and at The Jones Group, where she helped scale Ralph Lauren’s licensed business and launched a $550 million private-label brand. Since 2021, Wynn has served as president of Jimmy Choo, per LinkedIn, guiding the brand’s evolution into a lifestyle fashion house with a focus on market leadership, omnichannel expansion, and operational innovation. She first joined the company in 2016 as vice president of sales & planning. Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Dance Theatre of Harlem, as the company, led by executive director Anna Glass and artistic director Robert Garland,...
After 32 years at Black Entertainment Television (BET), former CEO Debra Lee continues shaping culture and business. Today, she sits on the boards of Warner Bros. Discovery, Marriott International, and Procter & Gamble — but her legacy at BET remains untouched. At AFROTECH™ Conference 2025, Lee reflected on how her leadership from 2005 to 2018 helped define generations of Black entertainment, from shaping beloved programming to setting new standards for representation. Lee began at BET as the company’s first in-house counsel, building the legal department from the ground up. She later — and unexpectedly — became president and chief operating officer, succeeding founder Bob Johnson. “When people started writing articles, ‘Debra Lee is the heir apparent,’ it really shocked me,” Lee recalled. “I thought I was just going to continue to do the work, and Bob would get all the credit. That’s the way it went. No big deal. And it wasn’t until Bob left and I became CEO that people started...
At 21 years old, Brooklyn Frost brings her creativity to her streams, social media, and music, engaging millions of fans across Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube with her voice, energy, and perspective. Streaming Success Brooklyn Frost has built an audience that spans 1.3 million Instagram followers, 2.2 million TikTok followers, over 600,000 Twitch followers, and more than 1 million YouTube subscribers. Per Essence Girls United, watching her brother create content first, she said she was drawn to the energy, creativity, and connection that streaming offered. Stepping in front of the camera herself, she realized she could tell her own story. “Streaming gave me a space to be myself in real time, to laugh, to talk, and to build a genuine community that grew with me,” Frost told AFROTECH™. Her first Twitch subathon in December 2024 was a milestone, earning her 10,000 new subscribers and averaging 13,000 views per stream, according to Complex. Frost celebrated the achievement with...
From financial uncertainty to high-fashion success, Salehe Bembury has shaped modern sneaker culture with creativity and vision. Salehe Bembury On Landing Versace In a conversation with “The Cutting Room Floor” podcast host Recho Omondi, Bembury shared how he secured opportunities with luxury brands like Versace, an experience that established him in the world of high-fashion sneakers. Bembury recalled a moment of financial uncertainty. “I’m out of money. I’m getting scared. I look like the image of unemployment. I’m in my underwear eating cereal on my couch,” he said in a clip from the Patreon podcast. View this post on Instagram A post shared by OMONDI (@omndi) At that low point, he reached out to Dean Quinn, a design director at Versace, through LinkedIn. “Forever grateful for him replying,” Bembury said, adding that he pitched a project for Versace’s sneaker line. He suggested that Versace could create sneakers incorporating the brand’s signature elements, including the...
Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye has turned a new leaf. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, N’Diaye-Mbaye announced the closing of her beauty brand Ami Colé in July, which was on Sephora shelves across North America. Rather than being able to focus on moves that would have positioned the company for longevity, she admitted to allocating time to appraising investors who were not all consistent in their support of inclusivity. “Instead of focusing on the healthy, sustainable future of the company and meeting the needs of our loyal fan base, I rode a temperamental wave of appraising investors — some of whom seemed to have an attitude toward equity and ‘betting big on inclusivity’ that changed its tune, to my ears, from what it sounded like in 2020,” she told The Cut. Joining SKIMS N’Diaye-Mbaye said her belief in beauty hasn’t changed and that she was optimistic about what’s ahead. It appears her journey has led her to SKIMS, the shapewear brand founded by Kim Kardashian alongside Emma Grede and...
Even successful entrepreneurs face investments that don’t work out. Kevin Hart, known for his comedy and film career, has shared one of his most difficult business experiences: investing in his friends’ ventures. Kevin Hart On His Worst Investment In a clip from an episode of “The Late Late Show with James Corden” in August 2022, Hart discussed his various business ventures and revealed, midway through the interview, that his worst business decision came from supporting friends’ ideas. “The worst business investment that I’m currently involved in is the business of investing in your friends,” he said to Corden at the time. “You never want your friends to feel like their ideas are not good ideas, but thus far, these ideas have been an endless pit of bankruptcy,” he also added on the show. On the 2022 episode, Hart highlighted one particular venture as the most regrettable: a friend’s company that designed headphones that could open up into speakers. The concept was intended to allow...
The AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 is in full swing! Thousands of attendees have flocked to Houston for the third day of powerful panels, fireside chats, and workshops, while also visiting the expo hall to connect with recruiters and try out the latest gadgets. Day 3 also marked the final day for student ticket holders. Photo Credit: Alan Castelan To set the tone, Senior Vice President of AFROTECH™ and Live Events at Blavity Inc. Simone Ashley Tyler affirmed this year’s theme, “Building What Is Next,” during the packed opening ceremony . “We’re not just talking about building the future. We’re talking about what it looks like for us to build it together. Over the next few days, you’ll experience a lineup that reflects the brilliance and range of our culture, from groundbreaking sessions on AI, venture capital, and entrepreneurship to curated meetups,” she told the audience. Building on the momentum of Tyler’s nearly eight-minute speech was a conversation held with “Classic Man” artist...
Stacey Abrams wears many hats. The first Black woman nominated for governor in U.S. history, she is a national leader, voting rights advocate, romance and thriller novelist, and serial entrepreneur with her own media and podcast ventures. At AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 in Houston, Abrams joined Dr. Rachel Gillum, vice president of ethical and humane use of technology at Salesforce, for a session titled “Democracy in the World of AI,” highlighting AI’s rapid spread, its impact on every sector from health care to the economy, and its connection to democracy. Abrams explained that her commitment to democracy is driven by her experience with poverty, which she called immoral, economically inefficient, and solvable — a reality she is determined never to return to. “Democracy is how we have always advanced the cause of more voices being involved in the answer,” Abrams shared from the stage. “I create companies because I was poor, and I don’t like it, and don’t ever want to do it again. My...
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is expanding his business ventures with a new 6,800-square-foot steakhouse and cigar lounge at Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia, PA, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. The property’s owner, Boyd Gaming Corp., has not yet announced the name of the steakhouse or its official opening date. The company confirmed Barkley’s involvement and said the new venue will be located near the casino’s food court. Barkley, who played eight seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers after being drafted in 1984, said in a statement that he wanted to “bring something new” to the Philadelphia area, which he described as a place that has “always felt like home.” “We’re creating a spot that’s fun, comfortable, and full of personality,” Barkley said. “I want it to be the kind of place where people can unwind, share a great meal, and feel that same energy and connection that make this community so special.” According to the Philadelphia Business Journal,...
South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe has completed another major transaction in the global mining sector. According to Business Insider Africa, Harmony Gold, the mining company supported by Motsepe, has finalized a $1.01 billion acquisition of MAC Copper Limited, the owner of the high-grade CSA Copper Mine located in New South Wales, Australia. The acquisition, which was first announced in May 2025, officially went into effect on Oct. 24 through a Jersey law Scheme of Arrangement. Harmony Gold acquired all of MAC Copper’s securities at $12.25 per share, according to BusinessReport, with the total equity value of the transaction reaching approximately R18.4 billion ($1.01 billion). The deal was financed through a combination of cash reserves and a $1.25 billion bridging facility. For Harmony Gold, this marks a major step in its strategy to diversify beyond gold. The company announced plans to increase copper’s share of its total production to around 40% by 2035, per...
Founder Piersten Gaines turned a white space in the market into a money-making business. The Harvard Business School (HBS) graduate noticed her friends traveling from Boston, MA, to other cities, such as New York and Houston, TX, forking over $250 for blowouts. Meanwhile, she spent only $45 at a dry bar and avoided the inconvenience of the travel costs. Gaines was convinced that there should be a solution out in the world to address this pain point for the textured hair community. She was determined to launch one, despite not having any prior experience in the industry, she said during a fireside chat held during an exclusive happy hour, hosted by Slauson & Co. and Black Women in Venture Capital, to kick off AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 in Houston. Pressed Roots It would be losing her mother to lymphoma during her second semester at HBS that reshaped her goals and inspired her to create Pressed Roots, Boston Voyager reports. Its formation was aided by Gaines’s hairstylist from the dry...
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones plans to open The North Star Books + Bar in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in 2026, according to its website. The literary space will occupy the former Macon Hardware store at the corner of Macon Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard, a Black-owned business that closed in 2023, notes the Brownstoner. Hannah-Jones is partnering with local entrepreneurs Rotimi and Ayo Akinnuoye, the husband-and-wife team behind Bed-Stuy establishments Bed-Vyne Wine, Bed-Vyne Brew, and Bed-Vyne Cocktail, and DJ Johnson, owner of Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, per The North Star Books + Bar’s website. The group will convert the two-story brick building into a bookstore and bar with community-focused programming. “I’m very plugged into the writer community, I’m friends with a lot of great writers, and I wanted to bring those writers into our community,” Hannah-Jones told Brownstoner. “Whenever you have big book events in the city, they’re not...
Qatar Airways is breaking new ground in the world of art and culture. The airline has teamed up with Grammy Award-winning producer and entrepreneur Swizz Beatz to launch the Qatar Airways Creative 100, a global initiative celebrating 100 of the world’s most influential creatives, according to a press release. The partnership was unveiled during Art Basel Paris 2025, where Qatar Airways serves as a Premium Partner across all five of the art fair’s international exhibitions. The Creative 100 is the first platform of its kind for an airline, designed to highlight visionaries shaping global culture across music, fashion, technology, design, sports, and more. The initiative will debut with a flagship event at Art Basel Qatar in February 2026, showcasing the work of creatives whose ideas cross borders and influence multiple industries. The first inductees include Grammy-winning South African DJ Black Coffee, Olympic fencing champion Miles Chamley-Watson, and Kristian Teär, CEO of luxury...
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) has opened the Joyce F. Brown Academic Building, its first new academic facility in nearly 50 years, named in honor of outgoing president Dr. Joyce F. Brown, according to a press release from the institute. FIT is part of the State University of New York (SUNY). The 10-story, 100,000-square-foot building, located in New York City, features 26 energy-efficient classrooms and studios, collaborative student spaces, and the Knitting Lab, which is now the largest campus knitting and weaving facility in the country, per the release. Students, faculty, alumni, and industry professionals attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 23, 2025, ELLE reports, recognizing Dr. Brown’s 27 years of leadership since she assumed the role in 1998. Among her milestones, she is also FIT’s first Black president and first woman president, as previously reported by AFROTECH. Throughout her tenure, she has focused on expanding educational access and creating...
Steven Christian is a neuroscientist who doubles as a technologist. Pivot From The Athletic World The Sacramento, CA, native admitted that pursuing a career as a doctor was the natural path to follow, as it is often a top career suggestion for those with an interest in math and science. He was also an athlete and played football at the University of Hawaii while pursuing a pre-med track, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and, at Oregon State University, a master’s degree in psychology and sports medicine, according to his LinkedIn profile. However, by his 21st birthday, two hip reconstructive surgeries cut his NFL aspirations short — but also led to a career in medicine. “As I got injured … I started to learn more about the human body. I sort of navigated life and I started to make these connections with things that specifically impact Black people in Black communities from a health perspective, whether they know it or not. I just drew more intrigued by it. And I had a...
