Black History Month: Honouring Our Communities: Chioma Fiyebor’s TRUE Story

For Chioma Fiyebor, Black History Month is an opportunity to recognise the people, experiences and communities that have helped shape who we are, while thinking about how we can create opportunities for others.

From studying agricultural economics in Nigeria, to discovering a passion for technology and developing her expertise in sustainability and data, Chioma has built a diverse career.

Now an ESG Analyst with OCS UK&I, she uses her experience to help shape decisions that affect the environment, colleagues and communities.

“I support the business in measuring and having an accurate and clear view of our environmental and social value impact,” Chioma explains. “This intelligence-led data helps shape decision-making across OCS UK&I.”

Passionate about moving ESG beyond strategy and turning data into action, she looks for changes in performance, asks questions about the root causes, and helps senior leaders identify practical, sustainable ways forward. By bringing together data from across the business, Chioma helps identify where progress is being made, where improvements are needed and where action can have the greatest impact.

This includes looking at the social value created across OCS contracts, from apprenticeship opportunities that help young people begin their careers to initiatives supporting people returning to employment. By measuring and understanding this impact, Chioma helps the business see how its work is benefiting people and communities, as well as where there are opportunities to do more.

The Power of Representation

Chioma joined OCS in 2024, and she says one of the most significant parts of her experience has been ‘finding my voice’.

“Feeling confident that your opinions are welcomed, your voice is heard, and your viewpoints are respected is incredibly empowering,” she says.

For Chioma, visible and authentic representation is an important part of Black History Month. She believes it is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of black people throughout history, recognise the progress that’s been made, while acknowledging the challenges that can still exist.

“People of colour are people beyond their colour,” she says. “Regardless of our heritage, race or culture everyone should be judged by their character, their competence, and by what they contribute”.

“We should all have the freedom to equally contribute knowledge, ideas and share our unique experiences without feeling we have to change or adapt who we fundamentally are just to ‘belong’.”

A Career Built On Opportunity

Chioma’s career has been shaped by unexpected opportunities that she made the very most of.

After studying agricultural economics, she took part in an IT and software development training programme in Nigeria. She secured an internship with an IT firm after achieving outstanding results and coming first among her fellow trainees.

This led her to teaching children and young people robotics and coding, before moving into business management within a sustainability and environmental company. She decided to specialise further, studying for an MSc in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Suffolk, in Ipswich.

Graduating in 2023, she later completed an MBA at the University of East London.

“My knowledge of the environment, interest in data, and my understanding of the business performance and how these need to work together, all fit really nicely,” she says.

That now informs her work at OCS and her involvement with CHROMA, the Race, Ethnicity and Faith Colleague Network, where she contributes to conversations and initiatives around promoting equity, diversity and inclusion.

The Woman Who Showed Her What Was Possible

Chioma’s is very clear on who her first and most significant role model was – her mother, Tessy Osunsanmi.

She watched her mother build a career within the male-dominated construction industry, managing building and construction contracts and working on sites where she was often the only woman.

“She taught me work and business ethics from a very young age,” Chioma says. “I saw her being the only woman on sites and yet still carrying the family along. Doing all these great things and doing them better than most.”

That lesson her mother taught her have left Chioma with a lasting belief:

Chioma has drawn further inspiration from people including Maya Angelou, Dr Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack and Michelle Obama.

She particularly admires Dr Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, for the way she has remained authentically herself while working at the highest international levels.

“Dr Okonjo-Iweala has continued to wear African clothing throughout her career and has succeeded without leaving her cultural identity at the door.

“She refused to be stifled. Instead, she thrived, and she was respected for what she brought to the table.”

Honouring Our Communities

Chioma believes OCS has made real progress in its equity, diversity and inclusion commitments in the time she has been part of the business, and wants to be part of its continued progress.

She highlights how diversity strengthens an organisation and is a key part of its success:

“People from diverse backgrounds bring different knowledge, perspectives and ways of approaching a problem.

“The solutions, the strategies, the implementation are more robust when informed by people with wide ranging experiences who are given equitable opportunities to contribute. All of that builds a stronger business that better serves its colleagues, customer and communities.”

Chioma’s perspective reflects the focus of Honouring Our Communities: recognising the people who shape us, valuing the perspectives they bring, and creating opportunities for others to contribute.

“For me, it began with the example my mother set and, reflecting on all that she achieved, reminds me that by giving people opportunities can change what they believe is possible.”