Zahida Parveen Manzoor, Baroness Manzoor, (born 25 May 1958) is a British

businessperson A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

and Conservative member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

Early life

Manzoor was born in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

to Nazir Ahmed (military veteran and businessman) and Mahroof Ahmed who moved to England when she was four years old. She became a

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

before attending the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

(1983) and receiving an MA from the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a Public university, public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be creat ...

in 1989. She became a

Lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

before moving on to hold a number of senior positions in the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

and then the regulation of Legal Services.

Public life

From 1992 to 1997 Manzoor served as the Chairman of Bradford Health Authority before being appointed as one of the eight Regional Chairmen for the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

(NHS). In this role she was responsible for the Northern and Yorkshire Region of the

with a budget of £3.5 billion and serving a population of 6.3 million. She held this position from 1997 to 2001 during which time she also served as a member of the Policy Board for the

. In 1993 Manzoor became a member of the

Commission for Racial Equality The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom which aimed to address racial discrimination and promote racial equality. The commission was established in 1976, and disbanded in 2007 when its ...

, going on to serve as Deputy Chairman from 1993–1995. Since 1999 she has been an Independent Assessor for the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

. From 1997-2003 she served as a

Trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

on the Board of the National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children (

NSPCC The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity. History Victorian era On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New Yor ...

). From 1996-2003 she was co-founder and

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of Intellisys Limited, an

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...

and

management consultancy Management consulting is the practice of providing consultant, consulting services to organizations to improve their performance management, performance or in any way to assist in achieving Goal#Goal setting management in organizations, organizatio ...

business. In 1992 she was appointed by the Privy Council as a Court Member of the University of Bradford. From 1991-1993 she was a member of the Board of Governors of

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

. From 1990-1996 she was Regional Director for the Common Purpose Charitable Trust. She was awarded a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1998. From 2003 to 2011 she served as the

Legal Services Ombudsman In England and Wales, the Legal Services Ombudsman was a statutory officer that investigated allegations about the improper, ineffective or inefficient way that complaints about lawyers are handled by their respective self-regulating professional bo ...

for England and Wales, reporting directly to Parliament. During this period Manzoor made improvements in the way legal professional bodies, such as the

Law Society A law society is an association of lawyers with a regulatory role that includes the right to supervise the training, qualifications, and conduct of lawyers. Where there is a distinction between barristers and solicitors, solicitors are regulated ...

and the

Bar Council {{see also, Bar association A bar council ( ga, Comhairle an Bharra) or bar association, in a common law jurisdiction with a legal profession split between solicitors and barristers or advocates, is a professional body that regulates the profess ...

, dealt with complaints from members of the public. She also instigated a major investigation into the handling of personal injury claims for coal miners, resulting in redress for the coal miners and some solicitors being barred from practice. In 2004 the

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

also appointed Manzoor to the role of Legal Services Complaints Commissioner for England and Wales. In this role Manzoor served as the Statutory Regulator responsible for overseeing the handling of complaints by the

and was given substantial powers to set performance improvement targets and impose financial penalties of up to £1 million for failure to meet those targets. She used these powers to drive improvements in the

's handling of complaints. This appointment ended in April 2010. Effective 2 August 2019, Manzoor will take up the post of Chairman of the Board at the Financial Ombudsman Service replacing Nicholas Montagu. "...I look forward to working with Caroline Wayman and Ombudsman service colleagues, who I know are committed to providing a modern and first rate service to all."

House of Lords

On 6 September 2013, she was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

taking the title Baroness Manzoor, of

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

in the

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an Inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the ...

. She originally joined the

as a

Liberal Democrat Several political party, political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democracy, liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties ...

peer.Working Peerages announced
Gov.uk She became a non-affiliated member, having resigned the Lib Dem

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

in 2016. On 9 October 2016, it was announced that Manzoor had joined the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. She was appointed as a Government Whip in 2018 but resigned as Whip in May 2019.

Personal life

She married Dr Madassar Manzoor in 1984 and the couple have two daughters. Manzoor describes her recreations as

antiques An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

and visiting historic buildings.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manzoor, Zahida Parveen 1958 births Living people British businesspeople British people of Punjabi descent Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom People from Rawalpindi District Alumni of the University of Bradford Alumni of the University of Leeds British civil servants Administrators in the National Health Service National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children people Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Conservative Party (UK) life peers Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II