Preston entrepreneur recognised by United Nations for services to gender equality

Lee Chambers with his UN Women Award Male Ally award — Lee Chambers with his UN Women Award at the ceremony in London

A Preston entrepreneur has been honoured at the UN Women UK Awards.

Lee Chambers, the psychologist and founder of Male Allies UK, won the Changemaker Award at a ceremony in London earlier this month.

He was recognised for his groundbreaking work on male allyship and gender equity within organisations and his research into the barriers that stopped men from engaging in inclusion and wellbeing.

The awards, which were hosted by Gaby Roslin at Samsung KX, recognised individuals and groups that were working toward creating equity within a variety of fields, including healthcare, business, communities and sports. Other winners on the evening included Zelda Perkins, cofounder of Can’t Buy My Silence, and Dianne Gregson, founder of the Ethnicity Pay Gap Day.

The judges highlighted Chambers for the variety of his work, which includes national campaigning and lobbying, launching Black STEM Futures and Male Allies UK, the training he provides multinational companies on allyship, and his continued advocacy for gender equity in the healthcare system. They advised that he was a true “Agent of Change” and that his commitment to challenging gender stereotypes should be highly commended.

On winning the UN Award, Chambers said: “It’s not every day you get something as big as the United Nations recognising the work that you do.

“It’s never easy fitting in all the things I do alongside running my business, but moments like this make it worthwhile. Being able to take Preston and put it on the map with global institutions is something I’m proud of and will continue to do.”

Lee Chambers outside 10 Downing Street — Lee Chambers outside Downing Street as part of his involvement with the Lilac Review into the inequality faced by disabled-led businesses

It has been a busy period for Chambers, whose wellbeing business was also recently recognised at the Lloyd Bank Business Awards at Grosvenor House. He also picked up the Overcoming Adversity trophy at this year’s BLAC Awards.

He continues to represent Preston on the national stage in business and the global stage through his academic fellowship with the National Academy of Sciences.

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