Adminstrative/Biographical History

Yvonne Field OBE is a pioneering social entrepreneur, community leader, and long-standing advocate for racial justice, with over 40 years’ experience driving systemic change across the UK and internationally. Born in South London to Jamaican parents of the Windrush generation, her work is rooted in lived experience and a lifelong commitment to equity, community ownership, and economic justice. She is also a proud mother to a millennial entrepreneur, Omalara Martin, embodying the intergenerational leadership and legacy-building that defines both her personal and professional life. 

Yvonne is the Founder and CEO of The Ubele Initiative, a Black-led social enterprise dedicated to advancing community wealth-building and supporting Black and Global Majority communities. Under her leadership, Ubele has empowered thousands of leaders, strengthened community infrastructure, distributed over £13.5 million in pandemic relief, and co-created The Phoenix Way, a £63.7 million participatory grant-making programme investing directly in Black and racially minoritised communities. 

Alongside her national leadership role, Yvonne is Director of the Wolves Lane Centre, a 3.5-acre community-owned food-growing and learning hub in North London. Since 2019, she has played a central role in its strategic development and governance, helping to establish it as a nationally recognised model for agroecology, inclusive enterprise, and community-led regeneration. 

Earlier in her career, Yvonne spent 10 years as an academic at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she taught community development professionals and youth workers, shaping the next generation of practitioners and leaders. She also built a successful 20-year career in management and training consultancy through her company, Yvonne Field Associates Consultancy and Training, advising public, private, and voluntary sector organisations on leadership development, organisational change, and community-led practice. 

Across her career, Yvonne has advised government and public bodies, shaped national enterprise strategy, and led global leadership programmes. Her work consistently centres the power of communities to shape their own futures through ownership, leadership, and collective action. 

Her contributions have been recognised with an OBE, a RIBA Honorary Fellowship, a Churchill Fellowship, an Honorary Fellowship from Social Enterprise UK, and induction into the Charity Hall of Fame.