Personality Of The Week: Victor Adebowale

Lord Victor Adebowale CBE London,United Kingdom Industry: Government / Politics Job Title: Humanitarian, Social Services C.E.O Age: 50 years Gender: Male

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Distinguished Honor in Peerage

Lord Victor Adebowale was born as Victor Olufemi Adebowale in 1962 to Nigerian parents, Ezekiel & Grace Adebowale in Britain. In 2009, he became Baron Adebowale of Thornes in the County of West 



Yorkshire. He was listed by CBE in the New Year’s Honour List for his services to the New Deal, the unemployed and homeless young people in 2000, and he was named by the housing professional’s magazine, Inside Housing, as one of the 25 most influential people in housing policy over the past 25 years.

Lord Adebowale received his education from the Thornes House School in Wakefield and the Polytechnic of East London. He has a Post Graduate Diploma From the Tavistock institute and a Masters degree in Advanced Organizational Consulting from the City University London.  He has taken his passion and his education and use it to dedicate his life to improving the lives of individuals living in poverty and coping with mental disorders and substance abuse problems.

Adebowale was the Regional Director of Britain’s largest black-led housing association, Ujima Housing Association, the Director of the Alcohol Recovery Project, and Chief Executive of Centrepoint’s youth homelessness charity. He has also worked with the Patchwork Community Housing Association and Local Authority Estate Management.

In 2001, Lord Adebowale became the Chief Executive of Turning Point, which is a social care organization which provides services for individuals with complex needs including mental health problems, learning disabilities, and those with drug and alcohol abuse problems. Lord Victor Adebowale is also a Director of Leadership in Mind organizational development consultancy, a member of the Audit Commission, non-executive of the health IT consultancy at St Vincents, and he has advised governments on housing, poverty, employment and public service reform.

Lord Adebowale is also on the policy advisory board of the Social Market Foundation, and on the board of the National School of Government. He is Co-Chair of the Black and Minority Ethnic Mental Health National Steering Group, a member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, patron of Rich Mix Centre Celebrating Cultural Diversity, member of the National Employment Panel, patron of Tomorrow’s Project and of the National College for School Leadership, and member of the New Economics Foundation Board and the Institute for Fiscal Studies Council.

Lord Adebowale holds an honorary Ph.D. from University of Central England in Birmingham, an honorary Ph.D. from the University of East London, and an honorary doctor of letters from the University of Lincoln. He is involved with the Centre for Inclusion and Diversity of the University of Bradford where he also holds an honorary doctorate, and is an Honorary Senior Fellow in the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham and honorary fellow of London South Bank University.