Uzoamaka Linda Iwobi FLSW (

Companies House Companies House is the executive agency of the British Government that maintains the Company register, register of companies, employs the company registrars and is responsible for Incorporation (business), incorporating all forms of Company, co ...

form IN01 (Appointment to register a company) for Race Council Cymru, full name Uzoamaka Linda Iwobi. The form is accessible at the entry for 28 November 2011 Incorporation born 7 February 1969) is a

British-Nigerian British Nigerians (here meaning British people of Nigerian descent rather than Nigerians of British descent) have formed long-established communities in London, Liverpool and other industrial cities. Many Nigerians and their British-born descend ...

solicitor and equalities practitioner. She is the former Specialist Policy Adviser on Equalities to the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...

, an Honorary Fellow at the University of Wales Trinity St David and founder, secretary and former chief executive officer at Race Council Cymru. She is also Vice President of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Early life in Nigeria

Iwobi was born in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. She studied at the

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal and public research university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, South-east Nigeria. Founded in 1955 by Nnamdi Azikiwe who was Governor-General of Nigeria between 1960 and 1963 ...

between 1987 and 1991 where she graduated with a law degree. She met married Andrew Ubaka Iwobi in 1989 and on 28 October 1991 they were married at the Lagos State Registry in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

. She then went on to become a qualified solicitor and barrister, and was called to the Nigerian Bar. She then joined Andrew in the UK.

Professional life in Wales

Still only 23, Iwobi arrived in Wales where she had her church wedding on 12 April 1993. When Iwobi arrived in Wales she worked as a lecturer in law at the Swansea Law School for 9 years. In 2002 she became the Principal Equality Diversity Chairperson of the African Community Centre in Wales, which she founded. Iwobi served with the Police National Diversity team, based at the

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

in London, in which she was involved in national policy creation on race relations and diversity. By 2007 she had successfully completed the MSc in Business Management at the

University of Glamorgan The University of Glamorgan () was a public university based in South Wales, that merged with University of Wales, Newport to form the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university was based in Pontypridd, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, with ...

. In 2006 she was appointed a Commissioner for the

Commission for Racial Equality In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

until it merged with the

Equality and Human Rights Commission The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a non-departmental public body in Great Britain, established by the Equality Act 2006 with effect from 1 October 2007. The Commission has responsibility for the promotion and enforcement of e ...

in October 2007. By 2009 she had become Director Of Operations at Ofuobi Equality and Diversity Consultancy. In 2010 she became part-time Chief Executive Office at Race Council Cymru and also passed the

Institute of Leadership and Management The Institute of Leadership is a professional membership body for leaders and managers. Its stated mission is to "inspire great leadership - everywhere". The institute is a charity registered in England, Wales and Scotland, with its head office ...

's Executive Coaching level 7. Between 2013 and 2016 Iwobi was a Trustee for the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society () is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with 1 ...

and a year later she became Vice Chairperson of the Black History Association Wales, and a year after that she became Trustee / Governor at the UWC Atlantic College until 2016. More recently she became the first International Chair of Diversity at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in November 2018. In January 2019 she became Commissioner to the Centenary Commission on Adult Education at

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

until February 2020. She also became Specialist Adviser on Equalities to the

also in 2019. Professor Iwobi holds the

Postgraduate Certificate in Education The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE/PGCertEd) is a one- or two-year higher education course in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and South Africa -where it can take up to three years- which provides training in order to allow graduate ...

from University of Wales Swansea and in May 2022 she was appointed as Vice President of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Honours and awards

Iwobi was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2008 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Of ...

for services to community race relations and South Wales communities and

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2022 Birthday Honours The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those ...

for services to racial equality and championing diversity and inclusion. She has also been awarded the following: *2006: Swansea Bay Woman of the Year (Community Achievement) Award *2017: Ethnic Minority Welsh Women's Achievement Award (EMWWAA) for Management and Leadership *2018: 100 list of Black, Brilliant and Welsh Africans by

Wales Online Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff, Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by Reach plc (formerly known as the Trinity Mirror Group). It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd. History The ''Western Mail'' was fou ...

*2019: Honorary Fellowship by the

University of Wales Trinity Saint David The University of Wales Trinity Saint David () is a public university with three main campuses in South West Wales, in Carmarthen, Lampeter and Swansea, a fourth campus in London, and learning centres in Cardiff, and Birmingham. The university ...

*2019: Awarded Outstanding Developer and Mentor for Young People by NWAMI (North Wales Association of Multicultural Integration) *2020: WEN (Women's Equality Network) Wales' 100 Welsh Women list *2021: Received a BAPIO Award for her contributions to Equality and Diversity in Wales *2022: Fellowship of the

Learned Society of Wales The Learned Society of Wales () is a national academy, learned society and Charitable organization, charity that exists to "celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines", and to serve the W ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iwobi, Uzo Living people 1969 births Academics of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David Nigerian women academics Welsh people of Nigerian descent Igbo academics University of Nigeria alumni Alumni of the University of Glamorgan Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Commissioners for Racial Equality Nigerian emigrants to the United Kingdom Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales