Meet the Team

Dr Robert Beckford is a pioneering scholar-activist whose career spans more than three decades at the intersection of theology, race justice, and media. A leading figure in Black Theology in Britain and internationally, he has consistently combined rigorous academic research with grassroots activism and innovative broadcasting to challenge racism and create new pathways for social transformation.

Robert began teaching in the early 1990s on the New Way Access Course at Bournville College, a pioneering programme that opened routes into higher education for young people of African Caribbean heritage. His first formal theological appointment was at the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham, where he developed an Access to Black Theology initiative. This programme allowed Black students to study theology at degree level, marking a radical intervention in a sector that had historically excluded them.

After completing his PhD in 2000, Robert was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship that enabled him to take Black theology and ethics into Birmingham Prison (Winston Green). Teaching minoritised offenders, he advanced theological education as a tool of liberation and rehabilitation. In 2002, he became the first lecturer in Black Theology at the University of Birmingham, where he founded the Black Theology Research Group and supervised seventeen Black PhD students—the largest cohort of Black doctoral researchers in theology in the UK.

In 2013, Robert was appointed the UK’s first Professor of Black Theology at Canterbury Christ Church University. There he established the Woolwich Project, an undergraduate theology programme explicitly designed for West African church leaders. Since 2019, he has supported the Queen’s Foundation/VU Amsterdam partnership, which has produced Western Europe’s largest cohort of Black theological PhD students, now numbering twenty-seven. These initiatives have cemented his reputation as the foremost architect of Black theological access and transformation in Britain.

Alongside his academic work, Robert is an award-winning broadcaster known for provocative and socially engaged documentaries on race, religion, politics, and culture. His landmark film Empire Pays Back (2005) was the UK’s first documentary on reparations, while Ghetto Britain (2006) offered a sharp critique of state multiculturalism. His investigative projects have driven tangible change: The Great African Scandal (2007) challenged exploitative corporate practices in Africa, while Is the Church Racist? (2022) helped reshape church policies on racial justice. For this body of work, Robert has received numerous honours, including a Race in the Media Award and a BAFTA for educational diversity in filmmaking.

He has also published nine books exploring the entanglement of theology and racial justice. These include Documentary as Exorcism: Resisting the Bewitchment of Colonial Christianity (2014), which develops a radical theology of filmmaking, and Decolonising Contemporary Gospel Music: Handsworth Revolutions (2023), a decolonial study of gospel music in Britain.

Robert’s scholarship and broadcasting have informed international justice campaigns, most notably the Caribbean and North American Reparations Movements, where his work has helped galvanise debate and advocacy at global levels.

Across classrooms, prisons, churches, and television screens, Dr Robert Beckford has consistently broken new ground. His career testifies to a singular commitment: harnessing theology and media as tools for empowerment, justice, and the reimagining of a more equitable society.

D‍eirdre LaBassiere’s career spans over twenty years across health, housing, charity, arts, and corporate

sectors. Her journey is one of resilience, conviction, and service, rooted in her family’s legacy and driven by a commitment to conscious and ethical leadership, accountability, and social justice. As one of Birmingham’s governance pioneers, Deirdre has shaped systems, strengthened organisations, and inspired communities to embrace governance not just as compliance, but as an act of stewardship and empowerment.

Early Influence and Family Legacy

Deirdre’s vision for justice and leadership was profoundly shaped by her lineage. She is the granddaughter of Sir Archibald Nedd, one of the first Black scholars of law at the University of Oxford and later Chief Justice of Grenada. His knighthood and pioneering achievements in law seeded in her a deep respect for integrity, courage, and representation in leadership. That commitment to justice and fairness was also nurtured by her grandmother, Lady Annis Nedd and mother Aline LaBassiere, women of faith who instilled in her the values of truth, dignity, and perseverance.

Her father, Dennis LaBassiere's entrepreneurial ventures further influenced her outlook. A prolific businessman and political figure, he purchased and transformed historic plantations in Dominica into housing and later developed Newfoundland Estates, a 200-acre estate that became a major banana production hub. This vision of transforming land and legacy for future generations now inspires Deirdre’s own work with her siblings in developing the family estate into an eco-wellness resort that integrates affordable housing for employees. For Deirdre, legacy is never abstract; it is lived, cultivated, and passed on.

A Career Rooted in Governance

Deirdre read Law (LL.B Hons) before dedicating her career to the principles of governance, assurance, and risk management. She is a Fellow of the Lunar Society and has served in senior governance roles across NHS Trusts, housing associations, and national charities. Her expertise lies in strengthening internal controls, embedding compliance frameworks, and creating cultures of accountability.

Currently, Deirdre serves as Interim Head of Governance and Company Secretary at Parasol Homes Limited (soon to rebrand as IronOak Housing), where she is leading a rapid improvement journey with the Regulator of Social Housing. She has introduced governance reforms including the Governance Oversight Committee, a new Board Assurance Framework, and a comprehensive policy and risk management framework. Her approach is not simply to “tick the box” of regulatory standards, but to embed governance as the heartbeat of organisational resilience and sustainability.

Her consultancy, LaBassiere Consultants Ltd, extends this expertise to charities, faith organisations, and social enterprises. She has conducted governance and operational reviews for churches, cultural centres, and women’s organisations, blending technical rigour with cultural sensitivity. Her mantra, Governance with SOUL™, captures her distinctive approach: governance grounded in Stewardship, Orientation, Understanding, and Legacy.

Leadership Across Sectors

Beyond her executive work, Deirdre is a civic and community leader in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. She currently chairs two significant organisations:

• Legacy Centre of Excellence, Europe’s largest Black-owned cultural centre, where she is steering the board through governance improvements, partnerships, and a bold vision for arts, business and community development.

• WAITS (Women Acting in Today’s Society), a Birmingham-based charity supporting women affected by domestic abuse, poverty, and systemic barriers. Under her leadership, WAITS has strengthened its governance structures and is exploring innovative housing solutions for women, particularly from Black and global majority communities.

Deirdre also serves on the Board of Nehemiah United Churches Housing Association, one of the UK’s leading Black-led housing providers, where she contributes to strategy and governance oversight. Her past leadership includes serving as the first Black woman Chair of the historic Lunar Society, Birmingham’s living civic conscience, where she curates the prestigious Sir Adrian Cadbury Lecture series featuring global leaders in ethics and justice.

Her influence also extends to the arts. Deirdre has collaborated on cultural projects such as Future of the Commonwealth, a short film exploring belonging and identity, narrated by her daughter Annissa La Touche. She sees the arts as a powerful medium for governance conversations, community voice, and intergenerational legacy.

Personal Philosophy and Voice

Deirdre’s voice is one of conviction and authenticity. She often weaves personal testimony into professional spaces, sharing her lived experiences of resilience, faith, and overcoming adversity, including homelessness, illness, and personal loss. These experiences have deepened her belief that governance is not just about structures, but about healing, accountability, and creating spaces of belonging.

Her frameworks extend beyond organisations into personal development. Through mentoring and public speaking, she encourages individuals to embrace “self-governance” the discipline of aligning vision, mission, and values in one’s own life. She has spoken at national conferences on governance, race, and belonging, championing the shift from inclusion to belonging as the true measure of equity in leadership and society.

Recognition and Legacy

Deirdre’s impact has been recognised in various forums. She has been shortlisted for awards such as the Woman of the Year: Woman of Edge by Freeths LLP, and her daughter Annissa has been named a Future Leader in the UK’s Powerlist, a testament to the intergenerational influence of her leadership.

Her long-term vision is bold: to publish works on governance and conscious leadership, complete a PhD by publication, and expand her Governance with SOUL™ framework globally. She is equally committed to family legacy, stewarding the Newfoundland Estate in Dominica into a model of sustainability and empowerment.

Conclusion

Deirdre LaBassiere stands as a Birmingham pioneer because she embodies the fusion of heritage, governance expertise, and community leadership. From housing associations and NHS Trusts to cultural centres and faith-based organisations, her fingerprints can be found on structures that are stronger, more accountable, and more inclusive.

Her life is a testament to her motto: Forward Ever, Backward Never. For Deirdre, governance is not a technical exercise, but a living practice of justice, resilience, and legacy-building for organisations, for communities, and for generations to come.

Deirdre LaBassiere LL.B(Hons) FTLS:

LaBassiere Consultants Ltd

+44(0)7847245407

Chair: The Legacy Centre of Excellence CIC

Chair: Women Acting In Today’s Society (WAITS)

Chair: Common Purpose West Midlands Advisory Branch

Trustee: The Lunar Society

Board Member: Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG)

Advisory Board Member: Every Child Needs A Mentor (ECNM)

Current Interim Role: Deputy Director of Corporate Governance: St. George's, Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals and Health Group (GESH)

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/deirdre-labassiere-b8086b60 DeirdreLabassiere - Central Consultancy & Training