Widely known as a Labour Party politician, Oona King first found her love for all thing’s politics at university. Attending the University of California, Oona ultimately graduated in 1990 with a first-class politics degree. Oona hit the ground running after graduation, becoming a researcher for the European Parliament. Passionate to pursue a career in politics, Oona also acted as a political organiser for GMB Southern Region, a political assistant to Glyn Ford MEP and a Labour Party Leader of the European Parliament. Working her way through the world of politics, Oona ultimately became a member of parliament in 1997.
In 1997, Oona gained her status as a Member of Parliament after she was nominated for the Bethnal Green and Bow seat. Winning her place, Oona proudly became the second black woman to be elected as a Member of Parliament. Throughout her time as a politician, Oona has become well known for her advocacy of racial equality, emphasising the racial abuse that she has suffered throughout her life in her first speeches as an MP. Oona has served countless roles as an MP, such including Parliamentary Private Secretary for the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and the Minister for e-commerce, Founding Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Genocide Prevention, Chair of the Rich Mix Cultural Foundation and the Chair of the Institute for Community Cohesion. She served as an MP for Bethnal Green and Bow until 2005, having an immense impact on the law of housing policies and equality policies.
Outside of her political commitments, Oona has championed diversity and inclusion. She has formerly acted as the Senior Policy Advisor on Equalities and Diversity and Faith and has also worked as the Head of Diversity for Channel 4. Oona has also spent time as a Director of Diversity Strategy at Google, worked as the YouTube Diverse Marketing Director and served as the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for Snap, Inc. Also an avid writer, Oona has contributed to publications such as The Guardian, the Sunday Telegraph, the Express and the Observer and she has written House Music- The Oona King Diaries which documents the time she spent in Parliament. Oona has been fortunate to present television also, with credits including The Struggles I’ve Seen, The Last Word and various occasions as a reporter and commentator for Sky News.
A powerful individual, Oona has claimed countless awards throughout her career. In reward for her book, Oona was bestowed with the 2008 Political Book of the Year award. She has also been recognised as one of the 100 Great Black Britons and listed in the Powerlist, credited as one of the Most Influential People of African/ African-Caribbean Descent in the UK. In 2011 she was also selected to become a life peer, gaining the title of Baroness King of Bow.
Highly sought as a public speaker, Oona is a passionate advocate for racial equality, diversity and inclusion. Able to share personal experiences of racial abuse and harassment, Oona is an inspirational figure as the second black female MP. Covering subjects such as avoiding knife crime, international politics, gender and racial equality, Oona is the ideal speaker to inspire corporate clients to make an actionable change in the diversity and inclusion of their workforce.
