Jahee Campbell-Brennan and WaveyDynamics
“Lewis Hamilton put us on the map”: Jahee Campbell-Brennan on Representation and Paving the Path for Black Engineers
As the director of WaveyDynamics, a specialist motorsport and automotive engineering consultancy in the UK – it’s easy to assume that Jahee Campbell-Brennan has always been in the world of motorsport engineering, but his unconventional career path speaks otherwise. Jahee sat down with Ariana and Steph for the Driven by Diversity podcast in late 2020 and spoke about his career, personal experiences with diversity and representation in motorsport and the need for relatable mentors.
Jahee Campbell-Brennan found his love for motorsport engineering during his final year at University, working on a Formula Student project. He loved the freedom of bringing his ideas to life and chose to set out on his own after graduation. He was soon contracted by Ford, and worked with the automotive giant for four years. “You absorb all the information around you, and then you settle into that, and it gets comfortable,” he says, explaining that after four years, he had begun to experience boredom.
He took a few months off to plan his next steps, and Jahee soon found his next challenge. But seven months in, he began to feel the same monotony he had at Ford. When he chose to leave this time, however, things were different. He was buzzing with his own ideas and had started to draw up his personal goals. “I started to think about what I wanted to do in 20 or 30 years. Because [what I was doing] doesn’t make me passionate, and that’s really important.”
In December 2018, he left the contract to work on his own ideas. He knew he wanted to have a broad scope of work, and wanted to follow his own path, by himself, working as a consultant. Though he didn’t know every step of the plan – he was set on achieving his end goal. He started his journey by positioning himself and gaining recognition as a consultant with knowledge and expertise, someone who would get the job done. He focused his interests in motorsport engineering and high-performance automotive projects that excited him, and took off from there.
“Nothing I ever do seems to be conventional,” says Jahee when asked about how he first got interested in Engineering. As a child, he had always wanted to know how and why things worked and he credits his father for developing his scientific thinking. Throughout his GCSEs and College, Jahee was passionate about Sports and envisioned a future in Physiotherapy or Sports Medicine. But though he loved the subject, it failed to engage him fully. Upon graduation, he worked first at a call centre, then as a video game tester for two years. “All of a sudden I was at Uni, doing a masters in Automotive Engineering,” he laughs. “I don’t remember how I got there, but I did.”
In Jahee’s long term plan, he envisions doing work similar to the developments at Red Bull Advanced Engineering or McLaren Applied Technologies where expert motorsport concepts are finding adaptations in other non-automotive and non-motorsport industries. Humbly he says, “I’m still at the beginning of this journey.” His work is mostly focused on vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics and he counts a recent vehicle dynamics test he performed with a client at the Nürburgring to be a highlight.
Aside from his core business, Jahee also works with the University of East London on motorsport engineering projects and even does some teaching. “I’ve never wanted to be a teacher, but I’ve always taken every opportunity to help people that I can.” He has presented Introduction to Engineering talks from the primary school to graduate level and routinely works with universities in an advisory role. He even joined the M.I.A. School of Race Engineering as a tutor in early 2021.
“I can easily say that this is the hardest journey I’ve ever embarked upon,” he says about running his own business and staying committed to his goals. To the upcoming generation, he offers one solid piece of advice: “Pick a goal. Just take the first step, the rest will materialise as you go.” Jahee counts himself as someone who is still learning and figuring it out. “The only thing that motivates me is that I know exactly where I want to be.”
As part of a minority in motorsport, Jahee wrote about his experiences and reflections on Black Representation in Motorsport for Racecar Engineering magazine. He recounts an instance where he was invited to an MIA conference. “It remained in my memory because of the attention I got as a black man in that space,” though he says there was no unpleasantness at all, he felt different and could see everyone’s interest in him as someone who did not fit the norm.
Representation is important to Jahee. He uses his social media and YouTube channels to inspire his community to enter motorsport spaces. “I don’t know one black engineer in high level motorsport,” he says, speaking about a lack of role models that looked like him or shared his background. He uses his platform to be that role model himself. He even adds his email address to his articles in magazines so anyone can reach out to him and have open conversations.
“When it comes to football, every young kid’s favourite player is more than likely going to look like him in some way,” he says about the importance of representation for younger generations. “When Lewis Hamilton started winning world titles, it was a big thing in the Black Community. Until then motorsport was something that was ‘not for us’,” Formula 1’s historically elitist status often alienates communities who don’t see themselves in it. Jahee even recalls being at University with many highly skilled Black engineers who loved motorsport but didn’t even try to enter the field because they felt it was unattainable. “Lewis Hamilton started the conversation, because there was a representative in motorsport now to put us on the map.”
Jahee also spoke about the need for gender diversity in motorsports, and despite being part of a minority, he recognises himself as having the privilege of being male. “If I can use my privilege to change ideas and perceptions, I would love to.” He went on to say, “Motorsport in an important industry globally. It can’t be one race and one gender.” While the advantages of diversity are no secret, ultimately it benefits the industry from within and externally. “There’s a lot of numbers to be had even if that’s your only motivation,” he says, speaking about the commercial benefits of diversity – including new communities that the sport can engage, in regions of the world where motorsport draws relatively low interest.
When it comes to a lack of opportunities, Jahee says the reasons are multidimensional. “It’s a socio-economic thing and it’s a race thing.” He elaborates by saying that there are very few routes available to enter the industry – one by attending a university with links to the sport, or by starting from the bottom and working your way up despite your qualifications. The only other route is to have relevant high-level motorsport experience, but without a way in, it’s akin to magic.
As an engineer, Jahee has first-hand experience with all the barriers one has to overcome to get to where he is. Which is why he’s been speaking to the FIA and even the Hamilton Commission to help make the world of motorsport a more diverse place. He believes efforts need to start from the school level, all the way up to postgraduates entering the field. He firmly believes this involvement is essential for the upcoming generation to take the right steps to secure a future in motorsport, no matter their background.
To listen to the full conversation and learn more about Jahee Campbell-Brennan and his work with WaveyDynamics, listen to the full podcast here or subscribe to us on all major podcast platforms.
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By Stacy Samuel
