Kanya King

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Kanya King was the youngest of nine children and was born on the 1961-02-12 in London. Her father, Christian was a labourer of Ghanaian descent and her mother, Mary a nurse of Irish descent. In her early days she attended South Kilburn High School and then went to study English and Drama at Goldsmith's College in south London. When she was 13, her father died and things became very difficult for her family financially. So Kanya did various jobs, from working in a bakery to running her own promotional company supplying people to do market research.

[edit] Career

Kanya obtained a position with Carlton Television as a senior researcher where she was a founding member and part of the production team on the Chrystal Rose Show.

She started to develop MOBO at the age of 35 in January 1996, raising sponsorship through several companies and re-mortgaging her house. It was only when she obtained a television slot a few weeks before the event that she realised that it was all becoming real. The first MOBO Awards were held at the New Connaught Rooms in London. Since that first event, the MOBOs are broadcast to over 57 countries.

[edit] Latest Achievements

She is currently developing MOBO into a major communications company, and has been awarded an MBE in recognition of her achievements. Ms King is a consultant to a number of Government initiatives for disadvantaged youth including the Home Office Task Force to reduce gun violence. She is a Patron of the Horniman Museum, and founder member of Net Women, an influential body of high profile women in the media. She has attended Buckingham Palace at the Queen's invitation to celebrate exceptional achievements by British women such as JK Rowling and Cherie Blair, and has been further honoured for her extraordinary efforts with an MBE and an Honorary Fellowship of London University.