KINGSTON, Jamaica — Multi-award winning entrepreneur, youth advocate and trustee Nathaniel Peat is set to speak at the International Safeguarding Children’s Conference being held in Ochio Rios today and tomorrow with Minister of Education, Youth and Information Ruel Reid and State Minister Floyd Green.

The conference is being held under the theme ‘What Are Your Footprints Leaving For Our Children to Follow?’ and is being hosted by United Kingdom (UK)-based organisation One Step Forward Consultancy in association with the British High Commission and Victoria Climbie Foundation (UK).Peat was listed 23rd in the UK Financial Times today as being one of the top 100 Ethnic Minority Leaders across the UK, Ireland, US and Canada.Comprising a list of both the top 100 Ethnic Minority Leaders and a top 30 Future Leaders List, the EMpower 100 Ethnic Minority Leaders lists (presented in today’s FT) exist to encourage more business leaders and companies to drive forward the diversity agenda and inspire the next generation to succeed.Peat has created several opportunities for women and young people of African and Caribbean decent to engage in science, technology and maths.Through his company GeNNex, he has focused on training and developing Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) technicians, who learn how to assemble, maintain, repair, install and sell solar devices and systems for homes, helping elevation from poverty especially in Africa.The work has been targeted at developing black female technicians, as there are not many represented in the sector.Peat is also a co-founding trustee & board member at the EY (Ernst & Young) Foundation, which works directly with disadvantaged young people, employers and social entrepreneurs to create and support pathways to education, employment or enterprise.He has also been pivotal through his non-profit The Safety Box in contributing to research around the disproportionate incarceration of BAME young people, in addition he has developed and delivered personal development training for BAME offenders in an attempt to reduce violence and re-offending.