{[ translations.title]}
{[ translations.countrySelectLabel]}
{[ translations.selectLabel ]}
{[ currentCountry?.name ]}
{[ translations.countrySelectTitleLocalizations]}
International flagInternational
United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdom
{[ translations.countrySelectTitleCountries]}
Afghanistan flagAfghanistan
Albania flagAlbania
Algeria flagAlgeria
American Samoa flagAmerican Samoa
Andorra flagAndorra
Angola flagAngola
Anguilla flagAnguilla
Antigua & Barbuda flagAntigua & Barbuda
Argentina flagArgentina
Armenia flagArmenia
Aruba flagAruba
Australia flagAustralia
Austria flagAustria
Azerbaijan flagAzerbaijan
Bahamas flagBahamas
Bahrain flagBahrain
Bangladesh flagBangladesh
Barbados flagBarbados
Belarus flagBelarus
Belgium flagBelgium
Belize flagBelize
Benin flagBenin
Bermuda flagBermuda
Bhutan flagBhutan
Bolivia flagBolivia
Bosnia & Herzegovina flagBosnia & Herzegovina
Botswana flagBotswana
Brazil flagBrazil
British Virgin Islands flagBritish Virgin Islands
Brunei flagBrunei
Bulgaria flagBulgaria
Burkina Faso flagBurkina Faso
Burundi flagBurundi
Cambodia flagCambodia
Cameroon flagCameroon
Canada flagCanada
Cape Verde flagCape Verde
Cayman Islands flagCayman Islands
Central African Republic flagCentral African Republic
Chad flagChad
Chile flagChile
China flagChina
Christmas Island flagChristmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands flagCocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia flagColombia
Comoros flagComoros
Congo - Brazzaville flagCongo - Brazzaville
Congo - Kinshasa flagCongo - Kinshasa
Cook Islands flagCook Islands
Costa Rica flagCosta Rica
Croatia flagCroatia
Cuba flagCuba
Cyprus flagCyprus
Czechia flagCzechia
Côte d’Ivoire flagCôte d’Ivoire
Denmark flagDenmark
Djibouti flagDjibouti
Dominica flagDominica
Dominican Republic flagDominican Republic
Ecuador flagEcuador
Egypt flagEgypt
El Salvador flagEl Salvador
Equatorial Guinea flagEquatorial Guinea
Eritrea flagEritrea
Estonia flagEstonia
Eswatini flagEswatini
Ethiopia flagEthiopia
Falkland Islands flagFalkland Islands
Faroe Islands flagFaroe Islands
Fiji flagFiji
Finland flagFinland
France flagFrance
French Guiana flagFrench Guiana
French Polynesia flagFrench Polynesia
Gabon flagGabon
Gambia flagGambia
Georgia flagGeorgia
Germany flagGermany
Ghana flagGhana
Gibraltar flagGibraltar
Greece flagGreece
Greenland flagGreenland
Grenada flagGrenada
Guadeloupe flagGuadeloupe
Guam flagGuam
Guatemala flagGuatemala
Guinea flagGuinea
Guinea-Bissau flagGuinea-Bissau
Guyana flagGuyana
Haiti flagHaiti
Honduras flagHonduras
Hong Kong SAR China flagHong Kong SAR China
Hungary flagHungary
Iceland flagIceland
India flagIndia
Indonesia flagIndonesia
Iran flagIran
Iraq flagIraq
Ireland flagIreland
Isle of Man flagIsle of Man
Israel flagIsrael
Italy flagItaly
Jamaica flagJamaica
Japan flagJapan
Jersey flagJersey
Jordan flagJordan
Kazakhstan flagKazakhstan
Kenya flagKenya
Kiribati flagKiribati
Kuwait flagKuwait
Kyrgyzstan flagKyrgyzstan
Laos flagLaos
Latvia flagLatvia
Lebanon flagLebanon
Lesotho flagLesotho
Liberia flagLiberia
Libya flagLibya
Liechtenstein flagLiechtenstein
Lithuania flagLithuania
Luxembourg flagLuxembourg
Macao SAR China flagMacao SAR China
Madagascar flagMadagascar
Malawi flagMalawi
Malaysia flagMalaysia
Maldives flagMaldives
Mali flagMali
Malta flagMalta
Marshall Islands flagMarshall Islands
Martinique flagMartinique
Mauritania flagMauritania
Mauritius flagMauritius
Mayotte flagMayotte
Mexico flagMexico
Micronesia flagMicronesia
Moldova flagMoldova
Monaco flagMonaco
Mongolia flagMongolia
Montenegro flagMontenegro
Montserrat flagMontserrat
Morocco flagMorocco
Mozambique flagMozambique
Myanmar (Burma) flagMyanmar (Burma)
Namibia flagNamibia
Nauru flagNauru
Nepal flagNepal
Netherlands flagNetherlands
New Caledonia flagNew Caledonia
New Zealand flagNew Zealand
Nicaragua flagNicaragua
Niger flagNiger
Nigeria flagNigeria
Niue flagNiue
Norfolk Island flagNorfolk Island
North Korea flagNorth Korea
North Macedonia flagNorth Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands flagNorthern Mariana Islands
Norway flagNorway
Oman flagOman
Pakistan flagPakistan
Palau flagPalau
Palestinian Territories flagPalestinian Territories
Panama flagPanama
Papua New Guinea flagPapua New Guinea
Paraguay flagParaguay
Peru flagPeru
Philippines flagPhilippines
Poland flagPoland
Portugal flagPortugal
Puerto Rico flagPuerto Rico
Qatar flagQatar
Romania flagRomania
Russia flagRussia
Rwanda flagRwanda
Réunion flagRéunion
Samoa flagSamoa
San Marino flagSan Marino
Saudi Arabia flagSaudi Arabia
Senegal flagSenegal
Serbia flagSerbia
Seychelles flagSeychelles
Sierra Leone flagSierra Leone
Singapore flagSingapore
Slovakia flagSlovakia
Slovenia flagSlovenia
Solomon Islands flagSolomon Islands
Somalia flagSomalia
South Africa flagSouth Africa
South Korea flagSouth Korea
Spain flagSpain
Sri Lanka flagSri Lanka
St. Barthélemy flagSt. Barthélemy
St. Helena flagSt. Helena
St. Kitts & Nevis flagSt. Kitts & Nevis
St. Lucia flagSt. Lucia
St. Pierre & Miquelon flagSt. Pierre & Miquelon
St. Vincent & Grenadines flagSt. Vincent & Grenadines
Sudan flagSudan
Suriname flagSuriname
Sweden flagSweden
Switzerland flagSwitzerland
Syria flagSyria
São Tomé & Príncipe flagSão Tomé & Príncipe
Taiwan flagTaiwan
Tajikistan flagTajikistan
Tanzania flagTanzania
Thailand flagThailand
Timor-Leste flagTimor-Leste
Togo flagTogo
Tokelau flagTokelau
Tonga flagTonga
Trinidad & Tobago flagTrinidad & Tobago
Tunisia flagTunisia
Turkey flagTurkey
Turkmenistan flagTurkmenistan
Turks & Caicos Islands flagTurks & Caicos Islands
Tuvalu flagTuvalu
U.S. Virgin Islands flagU.S. Virgin Islands
Uganda flagUganda
Ukraine flagUkraine
United Arab Emirates flagUnited Arab Emirates
United States flagUnited States
Uruguay flagUruguay
Uzbekistan flagUzbekistan
Vanuatu flagVanuatu
Vatican City flagVatican City
Venezuela flagVenezuela
Vietnam flagVietnam
Wallis & Futuna flagWallis & Futuna
Western Sahara flagWestern Sahara
Yemen flagYemen
Zambia flagZambia
Zimbabwe flagZimbabwe
{[ translations.langSelectLabel]}
{[ currentLocalizationLang?.name ]}
{[ localization.label ]}
{[ translations.errors.invalidDate ]}
{[ translations.errors.invalidDate ]}
{[ translations.errors.invalidAge ]}
{[ translations.errors.invalidDate ]}
{[ translations.errors.invalidAge ]}
{[ translations.locationMessage ]}

Wray
forward

Launched in December 2021, Wray Forward is a free and inclusive programme to support Black businesses across the UK by giving access to knowledge, promoting ownership, and facilitating growth.

WHY WE CREATED WRAY FORWARD

Our pledge

Wray & Nephew is embedded within the Black community and Wray Forward is Wray’s way to give back.

68% of Black entrepreneurs revealed, in research conducted by Wray & Nephew in June 2023, that there are not enough business tools and resources available to Black entrepreneurs. Additionally, 29% of Black business owners have struggled to raise funds.

Recognising the need for change, the Wray Forward initiative was launched to break down these barriers. Since the start, we have partnered with Foundervine, a social enterprise and accelerator for Black businesses and entrepreneurs to help us shape a tailored programme. Together, we are leading the Wray Forward for the next generation.

What we’ve done
so far

We’ve boosted the level of female business leaders, informed positive change, and hosted more live learning sessions and workshops. It’s all about equipping our community with valuable knowledge and skills to grow and succeed. See our 2022 and 2023 programme figures below.

businesses in the community

3,812

businesses led by women

66%

hours of free learning

16.5+

industries represented

23+

How can you get involved?

Our goal is to turn the Wray Forward community into a self-sustaining ecosystem. Globally recognised as a hub for Black founders, providing invaluable support and resources for their growth and development.

Expert-led Workshop

Participants engage in workshops led by industry experts to gain valuable insights and skills on what it takes to build and scale your business ventures.

Dates April to November 2024
Apply now
What you'll get
Nine workshops, with each workshop being led by an industry expert. They are not just focused on working on the business but a personal development piece around ‘the person behind the business’. Topics include securing brand partnerships, community building, legal and finance, as well as scaling.
Who we're looking for
Any Black entrepreneur over 25 years old is welcome to attend whatever their business stage.

Founder Growth Circle

The Wray Forward Founder Growth Circle offers a private leadership community for growth-stage founders that builds a “personal board of advisors” around you.

Dates April to October 2024
Closed for this year
What you'll get
Among a trusted set of peers, you give and get insights, ideas, support and answers. A collective reservoir of wisdom and experience, dedicated to propelling your growth journey forward. Creted to be a more specialised and bespoke support offering by categorising industries according to the diverse businesses within the Wray Forward community.
Who we're looking for
Black founders over 25 years old at a growth scale level from the hair, beauty and wellness, creative, tech, or FMCG industries.

Pitch Nights

Six remarkable founders are selected to have the opportunity to pitch their inspiring and growing businesses.

Dates 19th September, 21st November 2024
Register your interest
What you'll get
The opportunity to pitch and win prizes of either £3,000, £1,500 or the People’s Choice Awards prize of £500, supporting our founders to propel their ventures to new heights!
Who we're looking for
This is a great opportunity for growth stage and early-stage businesses. Please see the full terms and conditions here.

Wray Forward Mixer

These events bring entrepreneurs together to showcase their businesses and network with industry professionals. It is an open environment for our businesses offering resources, tools, and growth opportunities while fostering community support.

Dates 5th December 2024
Sign up now
What you'll get
The opportunity to connect with fellow entrepreneurs to forge meaningful connections with professionals in their fields.
Who we're looking for
Any Black entrepreneurs over 25 years old is welcome to attend whatever their business stage.

Industry Roundtable

In-depth roundtable discussions, addressing a range of various challenges in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and creating actionable solutions to be shared with the wider audience.

Dates November 2024
Register your interest
What you'll get
The opportunity to be part of an open dialogue amongst fellow professionals. The session aims to enhance the Wray Forward community, identify business ecosystem challenges, and cultivate innovative strategies, tools, and resources for fostering thriving businesses.
Who we're looking for
Rising Star founders.

What our
community says

Tas, Chaps Drinks Wray Forward attendee 2023

The real community feeling of the programme has allowed us to form genuine relationships with fellow entrepreneurs, as well as directly connect with industry leaders through their masterclasses and talks.

Jackie, Doreen’s Rumcakes Wray Forward attendee 2023

Being around other Black business owners filled me with inspiration. I no longer feel alone on this journey.

Temitope, MetaSama MusicWray Forward attendee 2023

The mentorship completely changed our vision for the business. We now know what our next steps are and feel more confident & excited than ever.

DJ Mexy (Music Pitch Day) Wray Forward attendee 2023

There was so much talent and such high-level businesses in the room. I appreciate you all and have learnt so much from every one of you!

Meet some of our members

lesleys-logo capture-logo dmnd-logo doreens-logo shee-bakes-logo chaps-logo

#WRAYFORWARD

Wray forward on instagram

BUY NOW
Location
Where are you?

Join the Wray & Nephew Community

Become a part of the Wray & Nephew community to stay updated on exclusive events, competitions, and special promotions.