MOBO is branching out. Claire Findlater asks the inspirational founder and driving force behind the MOBO Awards, Kanya King MBE, how she is maximising the potential of her brand.

"My vision was to create a major awards event to provide a platform for a music genre that was unrecognised at the time but which represented a major percentage of sales. Getting the name right was important. It had to be inclusive because black-influenced music impacts the mainstream and, in fact, inspires much of what is really fresh and innovative in music in the UK. It had to appeal to people of all cultures – to bring them together. MOBO (standing for music of black origin) was short, memorable, and sounded fairly ethnic – it just felt right," explains Kanya, recalling the birth of the brand.

In 1996, the first MOBO Awards burst onto our screens and imprinted the brand on the public consciousness. Today, 'the MOBO Awards' is without doubt one of the hottest annual awards events in the music calendar, and over the past decade the brand has begun to extend its reach.