Kenny Imafidon joined the Amos Bursary in 2012 on a three-year tuition-fee scholarship to study law at BPP University, having previously been imprisoned and acquitted of a crime he did not commit. This life-changing experience, far from quenching his determination, inspired him to grab every opportunity offered on the Bursary and beyond and he has continued to soar.
Described by Huffington Post UK as a “young rising star making waves in UK politics,” Kenny has written influential & award-winning publications and has led on innovative partnerships with global brands such as Uber, Tinder and Deliveroo, on campaigns to get young people registered to vote and turnout in UK elections and the EU referendum. His work in both the worlds of research and politics has taken him around the world to countries such as the United States, Brazil, Austria, Tunisia, Israel, and Hong Kong.
In 2014, Kenny was awarded the number one position of Rare Rising Stars 2014 and acknowledged for being the most outstanding black student in the UK. In 2015, he was one of 16 people from across Europe featured in the Commonwealth Young Achievers list. In 2017, he was named by Impact Squared as one of 100 young leaders (under 25) across the globe making a social impact to transform our world.
“The truth is that I could have never gone on to achieve what I have so far, without strong support networks like the Amos Bursary family. They have invested in my personal and professional development and have helped me to gain the confidence I need to excel in life. When I think of the Amos Bursary, the one word that really comes to mind for me is ‘opportunity’. As I feel this is exactly what the Amos Bursary has given men like me who are part of it. An opportunity to defy the odds. An opportunity to fulfil our potential. An opportunity to access world-class professionals. An opportunity to build our social capital. An opportunity for us to dream and genuinely believe it is possible. An opportunity for us to get the type of personal and professional investment that they offer in fee-paying schools to students from state schools. The Amos Bursary gave me a real opportunity.”
Kenny commends Lord Michael Hastings as someone who inspires him. “I admire him and respect him highly for many reasons. One of them is that he is just a man of integrity, a man of character. His words, his actions just match up and they are in alignment.
At the same time, he is someone with a big heart and has really shown love to so many men in terms of mentorship. He has looked after them and has been a father to many. And for me, that is definitely admirable just to see a man who is as successful as him and has elevated the heights of success he has and he’s still confident and bold in his faith and his convictions.
He is definitely for me someone who clearly shows how to serve others and it’s been a real privilege, over the past years, to work alongside him and to be under his wing. Even the work that we do in prisons together and the impact I see him having on the men there, it’s just special.”
Today, Kenny is an entrepreneur, author, and social commentator. He is the co-founder and Managing Director of ClearView Research, an agency that specialises in research, strategy, and engagement projects focused on diverse and underrepresented communities. In 2022 he was featured in Forbes’ annual 30 under 30 list for Social Impact.
Kenny has worked on projects across the world, with global businesses such as Vodafone, Uber, Starbucks, and Twitter and with international charities, and large philanthropic foundations, such as Wellcome Trust, Macmillan, One Young World, and UNICEF UK.
His debut book ‘That Peckham Boy’; was published by Penguin Random House (Torva Imprint) in July 2023.