Birmingham fashion designer awarded exclusive mentorship with Olympic champion

A Birmingham fashion designer and social entrepreneur has been awarded an exclusive one-to-one mentorship with an Olympic champion.

Natell Williams entered a competition at the UK Black Business Forum networking event which offered one entrepreneur attending the event the opportunity to receive personal mentorship from Dame Kelly Holmes, one of Britain's most celebrated athletes and social impact leaders.

Natelle was announced as the successful winner during the event, recognising her entrepreneurial ambition and commitment to creating positive social impact through both business and education.

Natelle said: "Dame Kelly Holmes has inspired millions through her achievements, resilience and leadership.

To have the opportunity to learn directly from someone who has successfully transitioned from elite sport into business and philanthropy is something I genuinely never imagined.

I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity and excited to gain insights that will help me grow both my business and my wider mission."

Natelle has built a career that combines creativity with commercial expertise. Alongside running her fashion business, she has a professional background in website development and marketing, allowing her to bridge the worlds of fashion, business and entrepreneurship.

More recently, she has begun focusing her attention on social impact through the development of Young Makers' Sewing Club (YMSC) - an initiative designed to teach sewing, creativity and practical life skills to primary school children.

Inspired by a careers week visit to Grace Mary Primary School, where pupils asked her if she could teach them to sew, Natelle is currently raising funds to launch the programme in September 2026.

Her ambition is to provide children with opportunities to develop confidence, creativity and problem-solving skills, while helping to preserve sewing as an increasingly overlooked life skill.

Winning mentorship from Dame Kelly Holmes comes at a pivotal moment in Natelle's entrepreneurial journey, as she prepares to grow both her fashion brand and her community-focused initiatives.

The UK Black Business Forum brought together entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals from across the country for a day of networking, learning and discussion around entrepreneurship, leadership and career development in Birmingham.

Natelle added: "There were so many valuable conversations around entrepreneurship, leadership and building sustainable businesses.

It was also fantastic to connect with ambitious professionals from Birmingham and across the UK.

During her talk, Dame Kelly Holmes shared that she set up her charity 18 years ago and goes into schools to motivate children to get involved with sports and excel through being active, so to won mentorship from her is incredible, it feels like we have a natural synergy."

Pictured: From left - Mark Lupton, regional director, West Midlands at HSBC, Natell Williams and Dame Kelly Holmes