MEFA was founded in 2017 by Naren Patel and a group of diverse leaders in the industry who wanted to close the representation gap in an industry they loved, but failed to represent them and their communities. It is run by our founder Naren Patel, General Manager Nikki Sehgal and a network of professionals volunteering their time to help fulfil MEFA’s mission. Membership is entirely free for Black, Asian and Ethnic minority talent working in the media industry. The results from the All in Census from the Advertising Association were released in June 2021 and provided data on representation as well as lived experiences for people from ethnic minority background. Sadly, 1 in 7 people from ethnic minority backgrounds have experienced racism at work and 1 in 4 are looking to leave the industry. MEFA wants to be the force for change that helps our industry overcome these issues. At MEFA, our mission is to help Black, Asian and ethnic minority talent thrive in the media and advertising industry, and ultimately, increase the ethnic diversity of the media and advertising industry in the UK. Over the past three years, we have built a strong community of diverse talent at all levels. Through our work, our events and our forums, we have built a safe environment for connecting, sharing, learning, and for driving change. Our three pillars are Recruit, Retain and Rise. We focus on the recruitment of diverse talent, the retention of diverse talent, and the career development of our members.