Our Reimagining Leadership series spotlights Acumen Fellows who are building solutions that solve problems of poverty and create a world based on dignity. This segment explores Community in Action, and shares stories of Acumen Fellows working together to deepen their leadership and scale their impact.

2024 UK Acumen Fellow Marsha Powell, founder and CEO of BelEve UK, is on a mission to empower young girls to become confident, resilient, and compassionate leaders through mentorship and career-building opportunities. Recently, Marsha secured an exciting partnership with Ralph Lauren, creating a mentorship program that opens doors for the young women BelEve supports.

True to her belief in shared success and collective impact, Marsha extended this opportunity to beneficiaries from Caramel Rock, an organization led by her peer, 2024 UK Acumen Fellow Faith Johnson.  Caramel Rock is an educational charity creating a level playing field in the fashion industry by supporting young people, especially from underrepresented backgrounds, in building meaningful careers.

We spoke to Marsha and Faith about their partnership journey, their hopes for impact, and what accompaniment means to them.

Q: How did the program with Ralph Lauren get off the ground, and when did you realize there was an opportunity to reach individuals beyond the BelEve community?

Marsha: BelEve met Ralph Lauren at the Black Business Show in 2023.  We connected and had an introductory conversation in December 2023,exploring ways we could work together to align our goals and objectives with regards to inclusion. Once we finalized the  partnership, it felt natural to share the opportunity with Caramel Rock. We’d worked with them over a decade ago and have always admired their commitment to young talent. During our time in the UK Fellowship, I spoke to Faith about our program with Ralph Lauren , and agreed that BelEve would offer 8 spaces to young women from Caramel Rock.

This marks the first time Ralph Lauren has collaborated with a charity in this way, so we launched with a pilot cohort of just 15 young women. Interest was high, but we focused on selecting those with a genuine passion for building a career in fashion.

Q: How is the program going so far?

Marsha: The response has been incredible. The young women are amazed by the access and insights they’ve gained from  participating in a full Ralph Lauren onboarding process (which is typically reserved for new staff) and  learning about the brand’s history and luxury lifestyle philosophy. The monthly skills development sessions  and mentorship have been thoughtfully designed. The commitment from the Ralph Lauren mentors has been outstanding, and their consistent presence has fostered a strong sense of community between the mentors and the young women.

Q: What do you hope this partnership can unlock?

Marsha: We hope this partnership serves as a powerful proof of concept, showing how, when global brands like Ralph Lauren invest in grassroots organizations like BelEve, real change happens. We hope other luxury brands follow suit, so we can scale this program and expand its reach across the UK, creating more opportunities and experiences for young women.

Faith: It’s a fantastic chance to provide more mentorship opportunities to the wide range of students we support. Caramel Rock runs its own mentoring initiative for 90 students each year. By extending this opportunity to a selection of our students, we move closer to our annual target.

Q: How does working together in this way bring you closer to reaching your organization's mission and vision?

Marsha: For BelEve, our mission is to equip young women with the tools, networks, and confidence to lead and thrive. Working with Ralph Lauren brings that mission to life by transforming aspirations into access. For Ralph Lauren, this partnership reflects a tangible step toward their commitments to equity and inclusion. Together, we're not just speaking about change — we're building it into systems and pipelines that will last. Extending this opportunity to the young women at Carmel Rock has been equally rewarding, and this collaboration will increase reach and impact.

Q: What is your advice to encourage collaborative working between social impact organizations?

Faith: Creating regular spaces for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and co-creation is critical. This kind of collaborative culture should be normalized through joint projects, shared platforms, and informal networks as a way to break down silos and encourage long-term, sustainable partnerships  that will ultimately have a lasting impact on the issues we are all trying to address. 

Marsha: Be clear on values, not just deliverables, and build from there. Transparency, mutual respect, and shared ownership are non-negotiable. Collaboration isn’t about one side helping the other — it’s about co-creating something that neither could do alone.

Q: What does accompaniment mean to you?

Faith: In social impact work, it means  being a consistent, compassionate partner. Not just offering help, but truly showing up and staying committed for the long haul.

Marsha: It means walking the journey with, not ahead or behind. It’s about presence, patience, and consistency. Accompaniment is showing up not just when it’s convenient, but when it matters. For young women in our programs, it means knowing someone believes in them, champions them, and won’t give up on them.

This partnership between Marsha and Faith is a powerful example of what happens when values-driven leaders work together to create real, lasting impact. By joining forces, they’re not only expanding access to opportunity — they’re modeling a new kind of leadership rooted in trust, collaboration, and shared purpose. It’s this spirit of accompaniment that turns programs into pathways — and possibility into progress.