Councillor Afolasade Bright is cabinet member for employment, skills and aspiration in Barking and Dagenham, working closely with businesses, schools and colleges, higher education providers, charities and community groups in this role.
Previously, Councillor Bright was the very first cabinet member for equalities and cohesion where she developed important borough events such as Women’s Empowerment Month and Black History Month. She also implemented the borough’s gender equality charter and worked with faith organisations and community groups across the borough to promote inclusiveness and diversity.
Bright, first elected to represent Chadwell Heath Ward in 2014 and was re-elected in 2017. She is trustee of many local organisations in Barking and Dagenham, and school governor in two schools.
Afolasade Bright was previously a councillor in Hackney, where she became Civic Mayor in 2006, Chair of Hackney Labour Group and Director of Hackney Homes. She was honorary President of Age Concern UK. She is a member of the prestigious London Mayor’s and London Labour Mayor’s Associations.
A Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Bright holds an LLB (Hons) and Masters in Employment and Human Resources Management. She worked in local authority for over 18 years in various senior management roles before leaving to start an Education/HR consultancy, Bright Futurez with her husband Gbolahan Bright MBE. Afolasade is a co-Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God – The Master’s Sanctuary and a sought after speaker at corporate and church conferences and events.
She is the founder and president of ‘The Sapphirez Women’s Organisation’ and ‘The Pennu Charity for older people.’ She supports and fundraises for many nominated charities including Age Concern UK, St Joseph’s Hospice Hackney, Richards House Children’s Charity and The Bright Free Maths Project. She founded Extraordinaire, a project geared to mentoring young women and girls through her political and leadership mentoring academy, training and empowering young people to take up leadership roles in the community. There are currently over 100 young people benefitting from this project.
Afolasade holds a phenomenal number of awards both in the UK and abroad, and was voted as ‘Councillor of the Year 2006’ at the Gathering of Africa’s Best – GAP Awards UK. In 2017, Bright was shortlisted for Diversity Champion Award for Public Sector in the Excellence in Diversity Awards 2017.
Sade Bright is an award-winning author of a book entitled, ‘Dream Big: Stretch Your Boundaries’. Most importantly, she is mother to Princess Bright, the Mayor of Barking and Dagenham.
