I’m Yvonne Field, a proud dual citizen (Jamaican and British) South Londoner, born to Jamaican parents who came to the UK in the 1950s as part of the Windrush generation. I was the eighth of ten children, raised in Deptford during the 1960s, where racism was ever-present and opportunity often withheld. Those early years shaped me profoundly. My mother, Mary, was a force of nature who advocated fiercely for children’s rights and never shrank in the face of injustice. Her strength helped create the foundation of my life’s work. She was also an astute entrepreneur and role model, encouraging—through her own endeavours—eight of her ten children to start and grow their own enterprises.

I’ve committed my life to community building, establishing several initiatives from vision to reality. My activism began early: at 13, I co-founded a youth club in my church to create a safe space where young people like me could feel seen and heard. That early taste of community organising lit a spark in me. I’ve spent over 50 years nurturing leadership, challenging inequality, and supporting the growth of thriving, self-determined communities—particularly among Black women, girls and racially minoritised people in the UK and globally.

My work has taken me around the world—to the Caribbean, South Africa, Asia, the US, and across Europe—designing and delivering leadership and community development programmes rooted in justice and empowerment. I’ve held senior roles in local government, the voluntary sector and higher education. Mid-career, I transitioned from freelance work to founding and directing a successful social impact consultancy. Over 20 years, I built a team of five staff and 20 associates, delivering training and organisational development programmes across London’s social and health sectors. During this time, I helped shape regional and national Black African Caribbean and Women’s enterprise strategy and plans. I also spent ten years teaching at Goldsmiths, University of London, leading on applied social research, group work, youth and community practice, and global youth work.

In 2014, I founded The Ubele Initiative—a Black-led social enterprise born from a desire to create lasting structural change. “Ubele” means “the future” in Swahili, and that’s what we’re working toward: reimagining and rebuilding systems to create strong, sustainable global majority communities in the UK.

Since then, I’ve led Ubele from a bold idea into a internationally recognised, systems-shifting organisation. We’ve supported thousands of community leaders and distributed over £13.5 million during the pandemic to help Black and racially minoritised communities survive and rebuild. We’ve built partnerships with funders, government and grassroots groups—always pushing for a more socially and racially just approach to funding and support.

Our flagship programme, The Phoenix Way, is a £63.7 million participatory grant making initiative that places decision-making power in the hands of community leaders. We’ve also launched Agbero 2100, a pioneering programme focused on reclaiming and transforming community assets—helping communities own and shape the spaces they use. I’m especially proud of our work at Wolves Lane Centre in North London, where we’ve helped develop a vibrant eco-hub led by and for local people.

Leadership, for me, is about strategy, clarity, courage and care. It’s about listening deeply, being honest about what needs to change, and steadily building a coalition of the willing. It’s also about recognising you won’t please everyone—and choosing integrity over popularity.

I’ve always believed in intergenerational learning and power-sharing, and I’m now making space for the next generation of changemakers. One unexpected gift of the Covid-19 pandemic has been working alongside brilliant young women of colour who are doing bold, creative, and challenging community-building work. Their leadership gives me hope for what comes next.

Along the way, I’ve been honoured to receive recognition for my work. In 2023, I was awarded an OBE for services to the voluntary and community sector and social justice. In 2024, I became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for supporting the development of Black and racially minoritised-led community spaces. In 2025, I was inducted into the Charity Hall of Fame, and I’ve previously been named one of NatWest’s Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise.

But the real reward is in the work itself—the people, the relationships, the opportunities created and received, the breakthroughs, the joy. I do this because I believe in the brilliance of our communities, in our rights to be seen, heard and to have full access to all that society offers—and in our collective power to build a better, fairer world. My journey has never been easy, but it has always been purposeful. And I’m not done yet.