Phyllis M. Christian (born 1956) is a

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

lawyer and consultant who has been called "one of the most influential women in Ghana".Paul Adom-Otchere
"Exclusive interview with Phyllis Maria Christian; founder Shawbell Consulting"
(video) 23 June 2016. A lawyer by training (the fourth generation of her family to enter the legal profession), she is also the founder, chief executive officer and managing consultant of ShawbellConsulting, based in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

."About Us"
ShawbellConsulting. Her grandfather

George Alfred Grant George Alfred Grant, popularly known as Paa Grant (15 August 1878 – 30 October 1956), was a merchant and politician in the Gold Coast

Background

Education and early career

Phyllis Maria Christian was born in Ghana, the elder daughter of high-court lawyer Howard J. Christian and his wife Sarah (''née'' Grant, whose father

Paa Grant George Alfred Grant, popularly known as Paa Grant (15 August 1878 – 30 October 1956), was a merchant and politician in the Gold Coast

was the founding president of the

United Gold Coast Convention The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was a political party founded in 1947 whose aim was to bring about Ghanaian independence from their British colonial masters after the Second World War. The United Gold Coast Convention appointed its leade ...

, which fought for Ghanaian independence), and the fourth of her parents' five children. Her father was the son of

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...

-born barrister George James Christian (1869–1940). She was educated at Holy Child School in

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...

(1967–74), and from 1974 to 1977 at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

Legon Legon , a suburb of the Ghanaian city Accra, is situated about north-east of the city center in the Accra Metropolis District, a district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Legon is home to the main campus of the University of Ghana. Ghanaia ...

, where she earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Literature, before going on to study and qualify as a lawyer at

Ghana School of Law The Ghana School of Law (GSL) is an educational institution in Ghana for training lawyers. The school is the only one that provides training for law graduates in the Barrister at Law program. The Professional Law Course is designed for Law Gradu ...

(1978–81). She was then employed providing legal and other professional services in local and international corporations, and in 1983 went to the US, where she lived for a while in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. On returning to Ghana, she worked as a senior manager at

Price Waterhouse PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting ...

(December 1989–June 1999) and Executive Director at

Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...

(July 1999–April 2002)."Phyllis M. Christian"
LinkedIn profile.

ShawbellConsulting

In June 2002 Christian founded ShawbellConsulting,David Adadevoh
"Shawbell-Consulting optimistic about business prospects"
, ''The Ghanaian Times'', 21 January 2016. an Accra-based company providing legal and management consultancy services. In her role as chief executive officer, Christian (whose specialist practice areas are Corporate and Energy) has led the company to win a number of awards, being adjudged best law consulting firm of the year at the Offshore Ghana Oil and Gas Awards in 2014–15, among other accolades.

Other activities

As an advocate of incentives for indigenous firms, Christian has written for such outlets as the ''

Daily Graphic ''The Daily Graphic: An Illustrated Evening Newspaper'' was the first American newspaper with daily illustrations. It was founded in New York City in 1873 by Canadian engravers George-Édouard Desbarats and William Leggo, and began publication ...

'', and endorses plans for legislation "to require that at least 70 per cent of all government, taxpayer-financed contracts and procurements be executed by local corporate entities" and a policy requiring a specified percentage be sourced "from entities owned by women, persons with disability, and those established under the Youth Enterprise Fund".David Adadevoh
"ShawbellConsulting marks 15 years anniversary – advocates incentives for locally-owned professional firms"
, ''

The Ghanaian Times The ''Ghanaian Times'' is a government-owned daily newspaper published in Accra, Ghana. The newspaper was established in 1957. It has a circulation of 80,000 copies and is published six times per week. History The newspaper was formerly known as ...

'', 6 June 2017. In a voluntary capacity she has been a board member of a number of organisations, including Sharecare Ghana (Sharecare4U) and the independent not-for-profit Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG). Christian appeared in the documentary film ''The Election Petition'', which deals with the processes leading up to, during and after the election petition that was filed after Ghana's 2012 general elections. She chairs the Ethics Committee of the

Ghana Football Association The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is a governing body of association football, based in Accra. Founded in 1957, it was dissolved with "immediate effect", according to Minister of Sport, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, on 7 June 2018, after the uncoverin ...

(GFA), and in 2021 was appointed to the Ghana Advisory Board of

Tullow Oil Tullow Oil plc is a multinational oil and gas exploration company founded in Tullow, Ireland, with its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. His ...

."Tullow Ghana establishes advisory board"
mjoyonline.com, 8 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.

References

External links

* Paul Adom-Otchere
"Exclusive interview with Phyllis Maria Christian; founder Shawbell Consulting"
!---->, ''Good Evening Ghana'', 23 June 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Phyllis 1956 births Living people University of Ghana alumni Ghana School of Law alumni Ghanaian women lawyers Management consultants 20th-century Ghanaian lawyers 21st-century Ghanaian lawyers Alumni of Holy Child High School, Ghana 20th-century women lawyers 21st-century women lawyers