Reverend Ijeoma Ajibade (Ije)

photo: Lambeth Palace

Ije is a Church of England priest working at Southwark Cathedral and St Philips, Earls Court.

Since her ordination in 2010, Ije has combined ordained ministry with various roles in the UK public sector. She began her career in local government, working in a number of different areas including audit and special investigations, housing advice and homelessness. Ije spent twelve years working for the London Assembly on Assembly Scrutiny and working for two previous Mayors of London (Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson) on economics and business policy. She is now Chief of Staff to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Ije has also spent many years as a community activist working on human rights, and HIV awareness and prevention. She has served on the boards of a number of organisations including NAZ Project London, the Marylebone Project, African Health Policy Network, the Kaleidoscope Trust, the Bisi Alimi Foundation and the Merchant Navy Welfare Board.

In her spare time Ije enjoys music, theatre, reading, swimming and experimenting with cooking and baking. To the delight of her friends, she keeps a regular blog of both her successful and unsuccessful cooking exploits.