'My win is for the people who don't fit the mould'

A woman who has been listed in the Forbes 30 under 30 media and marketing list for her work supporting underrepresented talent on and off-screen said the recognition was "monumental".

Stacey Olika, 29, from Bristol, entered the creative industries after graduating with a degree in graphic design from the University of the West of England, but said she did not see people who looked like her in creative spaces.

She said she decided to make changes to encourage people who "don't fit the mould to use that as their unique selling point".

"If you enter a space and don't see yourself there, that's more reason to be there, have a seat at the table, and be louder than usual," Olika added.

Olika was one of about 5,000 applications Forbes said they received across 10 categories for the Under 30 Europe list this year. Those 5,000 are then whittled down to 30.

Candidates can nominate themselves, be nominated by some else, or may be found through the Forbes research team.

Alexandra York, associate editor, 30 Under 30, said: "As we enter a new era for Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe, this year's Gen Z honourees represent a generation inspiring their peers and redefining ambition, innovation and impact in today's world.

"From building industry-defining businesses to shaping culture on a global scale, they are setting the pace for what comes next."

Olika said to be in the position she is now, after graduating nine years ago, and "for [my work] to be recognised in the Forbes 30 under 30 is huge, monumental".

While sharing her art in Bristol, she said she felt a lack of representation in decision-making circles in the city.

"I was showing work on the subject of representation of dark-skinned women, and it made the industry difficult to navigate," she added.

As a "young black woman and country bumpkin" from the West of England, she said it "all felt quite separated".

"So I thought 'how can I bring everybody that's in the community into these art spaces that I'm in... and have this conversation, and a career in the creative industry?'."

She began reaching out and engaging with community organisations in Bristol that had a specific focus on race and ethnicity and spent years organising events to bring people together.

"I wanted to make it the more diverse space I would have liked to find when I started out," she added. "And show people that fitting the mould is overrated."

Now working as a creative equity project manager at Channel 4, Olika said her job is about championing off-screen and on-screen representation and working with independent production companies to ensure they reflect diversity.

Born to Nigerian parents, Olika lived in Switzerland until the family moved to the UK when she was seven.

After feeling it was not quite the right time previously, she put her nomination in for the Forbes list this year, as it "felt like the right time," she said.

"My mum and dad told me and my sisters 'you deserve the world, but you need to work hard'," she said.

And the recognition "is something [mum] would have been really proud to see. It's a goal she talked about before she passed away," added Olika.

"Mum was very academic and had around five degrees... and for me, that was an example of… with knowledge comes power," she said.

Olika's mum passed away from cancer in 2024, leaving her daughter in a "dip".

"You're grieving and trying to figure things out, but it definitely gave me more motivation to just go harder at work, at what I care about, trying to make her proud.

"And I think she would be. She would literally go crazy," she said.

Her father started the Swiss African Forum when the family lived in Switzerland, and Olika said she thinks she benefitted from "my dad's passion for community representation and my mum's passion for education".

Her final message was to anybody who felt they did not fit the status quo in their chosen career.

"If you enter a space and you don't see yourself in there, that's more of a reason to make sure that your voice is heard and for you to be seen."

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