Rising up the ranks at Barclays bank instilled a sense of ‘purpose’

There is courage in this HR leader. Her career began at age 17 when she started out fresh from school in financial services. “I did various roles across the branch network, rising to Bank Manager when I was 21 and Area Manager at 24,” it’s no surprise – even at a young age she showed a dedication to being successful and wanting more than she had as a child. The Bank she refers to is none other than, Barclays. Her development was a key priority. She undertook the degree programme there from 2010 to 2012.

She always had a sense that she was in the minority, “I was a young, black woman working in banking, and I didn’t see a lot of women that looked like me. I’ve always had a passion for people and a focus on diversity,” she says. Before she moved into HR, she spent time as an Experience Manager and this early introduction into people engagement helped to shape her career.

You’d expect the next part of her career story to involve a new role, but Awonuga did what she dubs as ‘progressive’ - she took maternity leave with her first child but while doing so also landed a promotion. It was 2018, the year Stephen Hawkins died, Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, and the world witnessed the dramatic rescue of a group of young footballers and their coach from flooded caves in Thailand. Duly appointed as the Vice President, Global Diversity Equity and Inclusion Manager she began on the path which in her own words has given her such ‘purpose’.

“I really wanted to drive greater diversity, and I recognised the richness of it and the ability to be in a strategic position that allowed me to influence issues. I do very much see myself as the conduit between the business, HR and DE&I.”

Awonuga tells me that she grew up in a Council estate and lived on her own from the age of 15. “I’ve come from a low socio-economic background. I’ve always seen that as a real value add in terms of the type of leader that I am.” That drive to live life with purpose from a beginning that made her want for more, saw her not only start her career aged just 17 but dedicate the same number of years to the organisation. She eventually left as the Global Head of Colleague Engagements.

The move to Knight Frank came with a promise of ‘change’

The last thing that you might expect to hear is that the next step was to the quintessentially English and traditional Knight Frank. Founded in 1896 – there is a perception about the business which Awonuga is changing, it’s no easy feat.

“When I went into the executive team at Knight Frank, they agreed with the old-fashioned external perception but they also said we need to change,” it was the challenge that Awonuga wanted.

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William Beardmore-Gray is Chair of the Knight Frank Group Executive Board and was on the board for a year and a half before Awonuga joined. “With a five year tenure he has real focus, and he really wants Knight Frank to look different and to reflect society and for somebody like me that’s attractive because this is what I do, and this is my life’s work.” From thereon in she knew that the decision to jump was right because behind it all is the overarching goal to inform change and have an impact.

So it was that a year ago, she went into the lion’s den and became the Group Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Partner at Knight Frank. Looking back, she tells me the time was right, she ‘wasn’t quite ready’ to take the leap at Barclays to do a similar role – it’s a numbers game and faced with 100,000 staff globally at the bank that would have required some more exposure.