"Without collaboration,
positive change is incremental.
Together, positive change is transformational!"
Trusted by leading organisations
About Joel Blake OBE
Joel is a positive disrupter. A conscious capitalist.
A man who embraces leadership, as a responsibility to drive change and is unapologetic about his mission in life - balancing clear profit with impactful purpose.
He speaks to global audiences. He interviews influential leaders. He curates C-Suite strategies.
He builds ecosystems of changemakers.
He uniquely balances executive commercial acumen with real sustainable impact
Joel Blake OBE own personal journey nurtured his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for positive change. This foundation led him to pursue a career that seamlessly integrates finance, inclusion, and innovation.
He is the Founder of the multi-award-winning GFA Exchange, an AI-enabled platform-as-a-service that helps finance providers identify and support high-growth businesses from underserved markets with less risk and cost. He previously co-founded an SME lending brokerage that facilitated funding for 800+ businesses. He later led a £250 million mid-market growth finance program supporting 6,500 SMEs and created global trading partnerships across 10 countries.
Joel currently serves as a Board Advisor to Taranis Capital, a global ESG-focused fintech investment fund, and is the Founder of the Future Growth Forum, a peer to peer leadership network purposely restricted to 150 of the UK's leading financial policy-makers, technology founders and investors. His expertise also includes keynote speaking and consultancy, helping leaders develop inclusive governance models, foster innovation, and access diverse markets.
Outside of his business interests, he continues to support social mobility and cultural initiatives as a Charity Chair and Trustee. His work has earned him numerous accolades,
Joel was awarded an OBE for Services to Business Support and Enterprise in 2016.
Other notable awards include:
- UK Top 50 Most Innovative Financial Companies (Business Cloud 2024)
- ESG Entrepreneur of the Year: City AM Impact AM Awards 2023
- Fintech of the Year: Wealth and Finance International Awards 2023
- Top 50 Tech Disruptor (Midlands) - Business Desk 2023
- Fintech of the Year: BTA Awards 2022
- Top 50 Most Influential Black Voices in UK Tech 2019 - Tech Nation
- Inno50 Business of the Year: Mills & Reeves 2019
- Entrepreneur Ecosystem Development Award: E2E Exchange 2019
- Entrepreneur of the Year: Phoenix Media Awards 2017
- Local Leaders Award: Future Leaders Club 2016
- Winner - Top 100 UK Entrepreneurs: Maserati 100 2015
- Birmingham Young Professional Year for Recruitment & Training: BYPY 2010
- Finalist: 02 X Award Male Entrepreneur of the Year 2009
- Finalist, Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Black Enterprise Awards 2007
- Finalist, Birmingham Young Professional of the Year: BYPY 2006
Business judging
Joel is regularly asked to judge a number of business awards. Some of these include:
- Great British Entrepreneur Awards
- EY Entrepreneur of the Year
- Business Book Awards
- Business Leader Go: Tech Awards
- Women in IT Awards UK
- Business Cloud EnviroTech 50 Awards
If you are looking for an authentic, personable, inspiring leader...
To help you balance commercial and sustainable impact, then contact Joel today!
