Samantha Newell

MSc Fashion Business Creation 2018

Co-founder/Director of Operations at Yard + Parish

Samantha is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations of Yard + Parish, an online platform that features sustainable luxury products from independent Black-owned brands. She is a Jamaican-Canadian fashion and business graduate who moved to the UK to pursue her passion for social innovation and empowering Black creatives.

She manages the operations, logistics, product curation, and brand partnerships of Yard + Parish, which she launched in 2019 with her cousin Alesha Bailey. Their mission is to celebrate the culture and heritage of the African diaspora, and support ethical and eco-friendly practices.

Samantha has been a finalist in several awards for her entrepreneurship.

She said: "I am thrilled and honoured to receive the distinguished title of GCU's Alumnus of the Year. My journey from student to this moment demonstrates the invaluable support and countless opportunities GCU granted me very early in my entrepreneurial career.

"I am grateful and immensely proud to be a part of the GCU family, where my aspirations found fertile ground to grow and flourish."