Diversity and opportunity: how Ama Ofori overcame barriers to help others achieve their ambitions.
Self-imposed barriers are as significant as external challenges says Ama Ofori, Managing Director at Barclays Internal Audit Support Services. By overcoming her own self-limiting doubts, she has helped to increase opportunities for others. Her work won her the 2024 Audit and Risk Chartered IIA Award for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) Champion.
Inclined to be an introvert, Ofori didn’t see herself as the kind of person who steps into the fray to campaign for greater inclusion. However, a few years ago she participated in discussions about inclusion of background and experience within Barclays. She discussed her Ghanaian background and her faith and was encouraged by the recognition of her boldness from colleagues.
“It made me realise that I had excluded myself from events and conversations like this because I thought I wasn’t the kind of person who people wanted to hear from,” she explains.
The recognition that she had created her own barriers to change prompted her to become more involved with inclusion initiatives. She sat on a panel with other black leaders in Barclays during Black History Month and found it rewarding to hear the feedback from attendees and their responses to her experiences.
“We only get inclusion if everyone is fairly represented. Not being outgoing, for example, does not mean I don’t have an opinion, a preference or a voice. I’m curious, analytical and results-focused. So the first barrier I broke was that in my own thinking,” she wrote on her nomination form for the Chartered IIA Award.
Co-chairing change
Ofori was already a member of the Chartered IIA’s Women In Internal Audit (WIIA) Steering Committee, which provided opportunities to connect with women in other sectors and types of business. When she saw that the Barclays gender employee resource group Win UK was looking for leaders, she stepped forward.
“I thought about what I could bring to the table. I’m analytical and curious and I believed these would be useful, along with my life experiences,” she says. In 2022, she became Win UK’s first black co-chair and believes this has brought the experiences of black women into the conversation in a way that was not there previously.
“In the past, many black women joined the Barclays Black Professional Resource Group (BPRG), rather than Win,” she explains. “This prompted us to hold a session entitled ‘Am I Black or am I a woman?’. We explored the dual aspects of being both Black and a woman, and the action needed to improve representation and inclusion.”
She was particularly interested in the lack of diverse talent on boards and this led to a further joint event with BPRG aimed at empowering young black women to join boards.
Many attendees at this event said they assumed that people could join a board only from senior roles. Ofori urged them to think about boards associated with causes that interested them and highlighted the opportunities to make a difference.
Other initiatives included partnering with a charity to host a session on getting women back into work after a career break. And she took key messages overseas when she worked with the co-chair of Win India to host a “fireside chat” in India to talk about her career and share her experiences, challenges and inspirations.
“Through Win, I’ve been involved in charities, schools and community projects,” she says. “The diversity conversation may evolve over the years with different political motivations, but the values and principles we promote don’t change.”
Tangible results
Not only has her work with Win UK helped Ofori to overcome her self-imposed barriers to leadership, it has had a tangible effect on other people, their opportunities and careers. Barclays Internal Audit has increased the number of women in leadership roles and surveys show women’s satisfaction for inclusion and engagement to be equal to men’s. Similar changes have benefited employees from under-represented ethnicities.
Joseph Morgan, Global Head of Data Analytics and People Development, Barclays Internal Audit, who nominated Ofori for the Chartered IIA Award, wrote that she had “demonstrated exceptional professional skills in promoting multicultural understanding and intersectionality across diversity lenses. She has made a significant difference to her team, department, and organisation through her dedication to mentoring, department-wide events, and her membership in WIIA. Her leadership has contributed to Win UK being shortlisted for Women’s Network of the Year at the British Diversity Awards, and her work has inspired and empowered many colleagues.”
Identify your challenges
While many people focus on external barriers to diversity, Ofori looks at whether she reinforces them. “When I face challenges, I tend to focus on how I respond to them. There are things we can control and others where we need more help,” she says. “In my journey, I have frequently contributed to the challenges I faced.”
For example, when she identified a technology project that she wanted to pursue, she spoke to a senior colleague, who was interested, but didn’t take it forward. “I left it at that. I had always deferred to authority, so assumed that was the last word,” she says.
She then mentioned it to her mentor, a white man. He immediately asked how the bank might benefit from this project and why she hadn’t pushed it further. “He made me look at other options,” she says. “He helped me identify how to structure the business case for the project and rally support for it from other senior leaders. The existing system stopped working well and the time was right to try my proposal. This was a huge learning experience – I saw that I shouldn’t let background conditioning block me from doing things I think are worthwhile.”
This is why allies are important, she adds. They create space where we can share insecurities and uncertainties. “So much is about changing our own mindsets. There is help out there, but look for someone different from you who can support you to be the best you can be,” she advises.
It is particularly important when organisations are trying to be more inclusive, that individuals do not hold themselves back from taking advantage of opportunities, Ofori adds.
Resilience is also essential. “Even if my project had failed, I would have learned from the experience,” she says. If you fail to get a promotion, you have to pick yourself up and try again.
“You must know that you can do the role. No one promoted me because I was a black woman. They promoted me because I was capable,” she says. “But sometimes you need support to break down barriers, real and perceived.”
Positive consequences
The most rewarding aspect of overcoming her introversion to share her experiences is meeting the people who are inspired by it, Ofori says. “I’ve had people come up to me and say ‘your story has encouraged me to keep going’. It’s made me realise that I can help. This was a real eye-opener.”
She has been surprised by some of the people who have approached her – men, sixth-form students, young people just starting their careers, people of all races. “The whole point is to bring people from diverse backgrounds together. Everyone needs encouragement to talk about their own situation. My experience may be different, but I can use it to suggest a path forward,” she explains.
Working with Win has also helped her to hone her own skills and impact. “I reach out to more people now and this means I can bring more people into events or discussions. I get personal fulfilment from helping people, and this motivates me,” she explains.
Winning the A&R Award adds to the recognition of the impact her work is having, which is valuable, she says. “I don’t do this to win awards, but winning creates more impetus for change.”
“Though challenges evolve, we must leave this place better for the people coming after us,” she says. “Groups that unite us and build a consolidated voice give us strength to keep moving forward.”
Full details about the 2025 awards winners are now published on our website.