I am also a regular media contributor, providing commentary on both BB — Funke Abimbola

"I decided not to become a doctor – my mum and dad are doctors, my three younger siblings are doctors. I loved the science, but not the blood and pain. It wasn’t going to happen."

"I found it extremely difficult to secure an entry-level position when I finished the QLTT (now QLTS) transfer test and needed to gain experience before qualification. To get my foot in the door, I drew up a list of the top 100 law firms specialising in corporate law and did the same with the top 50 in- house teams. I then proceeded to cold-call the heads of department at all 150 organisations."

"I have experienced bias and situations where, being a black woman, I was judged more harshly over other colleagues. You are more likely to be noticed and are far more likely to have negative judgements made about you if you are part of an ethnic minority."

"At that interview, the head of legal (who is English but whose partner is of Asian descent) asked me if I thought my race had been a factor in me not getting interviews with other organisations. That was, honestly, the first time I had even considered race as being something that could inhibit my progress. Thankfully, I was offered a role by her and was able to qualify as a solicitor in-house."

"I have experienced both racial and gender-based discrimination in the workplace and was angry about this for many years. Instead of staying angry, I decided to do something about it! My aim is to level the playing field by empowering the next generation (and, indeed, others) to maximize their potential with a view to seeing an end to all forms of discrimination in the work place and in wider society. This challenge is huge but, to me, is worth pursuing and making sacrifices for."

"Juggling all this is not at all easy and I do decline most requests for my assistance due to time constraints."