Professor Dr. Funke Abimbola (MBE) is a corporate Lawyer, global diversity, equity, inclusion leader, C-suite and healthcare executive, BBC commentator, Non-Executive Director, public speaker and podcast host.
After a stellar 20-year corporate law career culminating in serving as General Counsel and Head of Financial Compliance at Roche (the world’s largest biotech company), Funke founded The Austen Bronte Consultancy in September 2020.
The consultancy’s main goal is to empower corporates and firms to improve leadership by leveraging the impact of diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity.
Clients include Levi Strauss & Co, Sky, Macquarie Group, Hiscox, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Covington & Burling amongst others.
Funke is a notable alumna of her alma mater, Newcastle University, and her leadership and influence have been recognised by the Financial Times and the UK’s Prime Minister. She was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s 2017 birthday honours list for services to diversity and young people, recognising her contributions in leading in diversity and inclusion for over a decade.
She was subsequently awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Hertfordshire in 2019 for significant contributions to social and corporate diversity.
In February 2022, Newcastle University appointed her as Professor of Practice within the Law School, recognising her contributions to her alma mater over a 30-year period.
Funke is the proud mother of a 19-year-old son who is a future software engineer studying Computer Science at Newcastle University. Together, they co-host a podcast series called The Power of Privilege and Allyship podcast, showcasing exceptional role models who have used their privilege to maximise the impact of their allyship to transform lives.
Now in its fourth season, the podcast has amassed a global following across almost 1,000 cities, all 7 continents, almost 70 countries and features over 90 inspiring leaders as guests across over 80 episodes.
Ranked and listed on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Spotify and Google, the podcast now also has over 6,200 downloads and more than an estimated 30,000 listens.
WHAT IS YOUR CHILHOOD GROWTH STORY AND ITS IMPACT ON YOU TILL TODAY?
I was born in Lagos in the 1970s and, by sheer good fortune, was born into a high-achieving, upper middle-class background. Both my parents were doctors and made tremendous sacrifices to give me and my siblings a solid education. We were raised with strong family values founded on principles of integrity and hard work. I represent the third generation of graduates in my family. I was privileged to be privately educated in the UK. My father had hoped that I would follow the family tradition and become a doctor but I wanted to pursue a career in law. Thankfully, my father was fully supportive of my legal ambitions (after much persuasion from my mother and certain teachers at school!). All in all, I had a solid upbringing, blessed with good parents and a supportive family.
SHARE WITH US ON 12 YEARS AS A CORPORATE LAWYER AND ALMOST 7 YEARS AT ROCHE
To be a successful corporate lawyer, you need to be detail oriented and solutions driven, alongside being a strong technical legal expert.
During my 12 years working within law firms, I represented some of the largest companies in the world including Renault and Hasbro. Corporate clients are demanding and working through the night was not uncommon, but I really enjoyed corporate law and that was the only area of legal practice that ever interested me.
My time as a corporate lawyer certainly taught me the importance of being resilient, focused and strategic in my approach.
WAS IT A HARD GOODBYE?
Leaving corporate law practice in law firms to make the move into the global pharmaceutical industry was a natural segway in my career. I am surrounded by doctors so a move into the healthcare sector was inevitable.
I was very lucky that the opportunity came up to head up the legal team at Roche, the world’s largest biotech company. By the time I left Roche almost 7 years later, I was General Counsel and Head of Financial Compliance alongside having held a Secretary. I was also the Diversity and Inclusion Lead for the UK pharmaceutical business.
HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND TRANSITIONING FROM PREVIOUS JOB TO YOURS?
When I decided to take a short career break to study at Wharton Business School in 2020, I had no idea that we would be in full lockdown in the UK when my studies started in April of that year.
My initial plan was to complete my studies at Wharton and return to a senior leadership role within the global pharmaceutical industry by the beginning of 2021.
But in May 2020, George Floyd was murdered and then we experienced a global re-awakening of racial tension. I was inundated with requests from my global network seeking my advice in relation to race diversity initiatives in particular.
I had to very quickly establish a business so that I could invoice my clients. I chose the name The Austen Bronte Consultancy due to my love for Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte as authors.
Becoming an ‘accidental entrepreneur’ was not easy and it has been a very steep learning curve, but my business continues to thrive. We have worked with a number of globally recognised names including Levi Strauss & Co, Sky, Booking.com and Johnson & Johnson.
HOW HAS THE EXPERIENCE BEEN FOR AUSTEN BRONTE CONSULTANCY IN ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS?
It has been a very empowering experience. I was clear about our overall goal and strategy from the start – to empower organisations to improve leadership by leveraging the impact of diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity.
We have four core service offerings:
• Public speaking
• C-suite and board advisory services
• Organisational training and development
• Environmental, Social and Governance advice
SHARE WITH US YOUR EXPERIENCE ON BEING AWARDED THE MBE
Being awarded an MBE was a massive surprise. I received an official looking letter from the Cabinet Office in May 2017, sent on behalf of the Queen and the Prime Minister, seeking my consent to being awarded an MBE for services to diversity in the legal profession and to young people.
I had to keep this news confidential for 6 weeks before the Queen’s Birthday honours list was published in June 2017.
Once the news was published, I was overwhelmed with over 1,000 messages of congratulations.
My investiture ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace in December 2017. One of the most surreal moments of my life was receiving my MBE from Prince Charles who was well briefed and asked me all about my upbringing in Nigeria and my diversity work.
A few months later, Prince Charles invited me to a Commonwealth reception at St James’ Palace. To have met him twice within the space of a few months was an honour indeed and receiving my MBE propelled my diversity work to another level.
WHAT WERE THE CHALLENGES YOU EXPERIENCED AS YOU CLIMBED THE CORPORATE LADDER TO THE TOP?
I experienced blatant name discrimination in trying to enter the legal profession. Despite a solid education and qualifications from a leading UK university, I received rejections from all the law firms I applied to for corporate law roles.
One recruiter told me to forget about corporate law because it was “too ambitious for a black woman.” I felt real despair when I heard this, but that despair quickly turned to rage when I realised how racist and sexist this statement was.
Supported by my then-husband, I drew up a list of the top 100 UK law firms and the top 50 legal departments, found out the names of the leaders within each department and cold-called every single one, making 150 phone calls over a 2-week period.
This tenacious approach worked. I realised that the world did not owe me anything and that I had to take control and make things happen.
I secured my first role in law as a legal assistant for Wembley PLC which was then a fully-listed company within the sporting and entertainment sector. I worked hard, advising the board members as Assistant Company Secretary whilst also providing commercial contracts and other legal support to the wider business.
My career was thriving until I faced my next challenge which was returning to work after having my son.
I was shocked by how ill-prepared the legal sector was for mothers who were returning to work after maternity leave, and eventually left the Central London law firm where I was working, moving to a regional practice just outside London. I was able to work full time but more reasonable hours and be a hands-on mother to my son.
My then-husband was (and remains) fully supportive as a co-parent and it would have been impossible to continue my career without his support.
But it made me very angry indeed to realise that both race and gender posed such barriers to career entry and progression, and it was this rage that led to me starting my work as a diversity campaigner alongside my full time role as a solicitor.
AT THE TOP IN YOUR CORPORATE CAREER, WHAT WERE THE PECULIAR CHALLENGES AND HOW DID YOU SURMOUNT THEM?
The more senior I became, the fewer black faces there were. It is incredibly lonely and isolating, all eyes are on you and you are made to feel as if you represent the whole black race, often judged more harshly. Bad faith criticism is common and unlike constructive criticism, is deeply personal and venomous in nature. I have been held to impossibly high standards that simply did not apply to my white counterparts and this is a well-known phenomenon for those of us who are from ethnic minority groups working within corporates in the diaspora.
There is a particularly high penalty attached to this if you find yourself in the position of being a visible role model in the public arena as I am. One need only look at the nature and tone of some of the questioning experienced by Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson during her US Supreme Court confirmation hearing to see what I mean.
The way I dealt with (and continue to deal with) these pressures is to remind myself of my why, what and how. My faith is very important to me and has served as a solid anchor.
Leadership responsibilities are hugely magnified when you are from a minority ethnic group due to the confluence of factors that I have already mentioned. To make the most of available support, I apply the concept of a ‘personal boardroom’ created by Zella King and Amanda Scott. The idea is that, as CEO of your life, you need a personal boardroom of advisers to support you as CEO. All your personal boardroom members play different roles and, as a collective, empower you to be successful as CEO.
With specific regard to managing bad faith criticism, I apply the principles followed by leading researcher Dr. Brene Brown who has said:
“There are a million cheap seats in the world today filled with people who will never be brave with their own lives but will spend every ounce of energy they have hurling advice and judgement at those of us trying to dare greatly. Their only contributions are criticism, cynicism, and fear-mongering. If you’re criticising from a place where you’re not also putting yourself on the line, I’m not interested in your feedback.”
WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON GENDER INCLUSION?
Gender (and other forms of inclusion) are crucially important. There is a strong business case – data shows that inclusive businesses are more profitable.
There is also a strong moral case for more inclusion. It is simply the right thing to do to include people from all works of life rather than excluding those who are disadvantaged or from under-represented groups.
SHARE ON BEING APPOINTED A PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE BY YOUR ALMA MATER
My appointment as Professor of Practice at Newcastle University is a tremendous honour and was a wonderful surprise.
I have supported my alma mater in many ways over the years and had already been recognised as a notable alumna of the university.
Becoming Professor of Practice means that I can shape the law and ethics curriculum at Newcastle Law School and educate students about the importance of diversity and inclusion within the legal profession.
TELL US ABOUT CO-HOSTING ‘THE POWER OF PRIVILEGE AND ALLYSHIP’ PODCAST WITH YOUR SON
The podcast started during the UK’s third lockdown in early 2021 when things were looking very bleak for us all in the UK. All family Christmas plans were cancelled in 2020 due to a new Covid variant.
My son was in his final year of school and was about to sit for his A levels, his mock exams were unexpectedly postponed, and we (alongside the rest of the UK population) were deeply frustrated about being at home for several months.
A few of my son’s friends experienced severe mental health challenges with some attempting suicide.
My son and I were out for a long walk during January 2021, venting about the unfairness of it all.
It was then that we decided to start our own podcast series. We contacted an initial group of eight senior leaders to interview them about privilege. We were concerned that ‘white privilege’ was becoming weaponised and wanted to change the dialogue around it. We also wanted to drive a positive narrative around allyship being the key to transforming lives for the greater good.
To our genuine surprise, all 8 leaders immediately agreed to be interviewed. Since then, the podcast has grown beyond our wildest dreams.
We have completed 4 seasons, have a global audience across all 7 continents, 70 countries and almost 1,000 cities. We have almost 6,300 downloads and more than an estimated 30,000 listens across almost 90 published episodes. It is a real honour to be working with my son in this way.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PARENT/CHILD RELATIONSHIP?
This relationship is essential to families and society. My ex-husband and I co-parent our son, sharing the same intentional parenting values. We have high aspirations for our son and have always set clear boundaries with him. By giving our British-born son a strong sense of his Nigerian identity, our son is confident and secure in who he is, is proud of his Nigerian roots and loves visiting family and friends in Nigeria.
WHAT DAY IS IT THAT YOU CAN NEVER FORGET AND WHY?
The day I gave birth to my son. I am unbelievably proud of him and his goal to become a software engineer. He is so happy studying towards his computer science degree at university and was recently appointed student ambassador for the first-year undergraduates on his course.
He is also level-headed, respectful of women, hardworking, great company and pure joy to be around.
I consider myself very lucky indeed!
FINAL WORDS
It is important to give back and to support others. I know too many privileged people who do not support others who lack their privilege. I believe that we all have a duty to support others. When we refer to privileged leaders in the mythical ‘they’ whenever they refer to a societal issue, saying, “They need to do this” or “They need to do that”, we make a mistake because the reality is we are the “They”.
If I have been able to make sacrifices to improve the lot of those who are less fortunate than me, my expectation is that leaders in a similar position do likewise instead of leaving the responsibility to others.
As part of this, I have decided to write my first book, ‘Climbing Mountains: my 5-stage journey to leadership success’. Publication will be during 2023 and I look forward to sharing my story and practical tips with a larger audience. My hope is that my book will inspire more leaders to pick up the mantle to drive positive societal change.
