A man who has dedicated his life to mentoring children from disadvantaged backgrounds and inspiring them to pursue their dreams has won an award.

Tunji Akintokun, who lives in Mill Hill, has won the ‘positive role model’ category at the National Diversity Awards.

Mr Akintokun grew up an orphan in east London but it was not until IBM visited his school for a career fair that he decided to pursue a career in technology.

He now mentors children from disadvantaged backgrounds and more recently, has orchestrated ‘Your Future, Your Ambition’.

The company introduces students in Key stages 2 to 5 and above to exciting career paths in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM subjects).

In his acceptance speech, Mr Akintokun said: “I am not normally lost for words. I am truly humbled.

“This this means a lot. I am very passionate about education, about STEM and what it can do to help this country close the gap in terms of innovation and I think all of us here know that diversity in the workplace certainly drives innovation, it certainly drives profitability and it makes a better workplace.

“I would like to say thank you to all the people involved in Your Future, Your Ambition. The volunteers have done a fantastic job making a difference to people’s lives, especially young children getting involved in science, technology, engineering and maths.

“I would like to thank my wife. I would also like to thank my co-director Rashada Harry, thank you so much, this is for you and for everyone that’s involved in Your Future Your Ambition.

“All the people that I have mentored thank you very much, this means so much and it inspires me to get more diverse talent into the workplace.”