Grace Ononiwu
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Dr
| name = Grace Ononiwu
| honorific_suffix = CBE
| education = Bachelor of Law and Social Sciences, 1988
| alma_mater = University of Hertfordshire, Guildford College of Law
| occupation = Solicitor and Chief Prosecutor
| employer = Crown Prosecution Service
| honours = Honorary Doctorate from University of Hertforshire, OBE, CBE
}}
Grace Chidozie Ononiwu CBE is a solicitor and Chief Crown Prosecutor, Director of Legal Services at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the UK.{{Cite web |title=Organogram {{!}} The Crown Prosecution Service |url=https://www.cps.gov.uk/organogram |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=www.cps.gov.uk}}
Life
Ononiwu was born to Nigerian parents and grew up in East London. She was a teenager when she decided to go into law.{{Cite web|url=https://archive.voice-online.co.uk/article/success-good-grace|title=Success with good Grace|work=The Voice|first=Elizabeth|last=Pears|date=28 March 2015|accessdate=10 February 2025}}
Ononiwu qualified as a solicitor in 1991 and joined the Crown Prosecution Service. She became Chief Crown Prosecutor for Northamptonshire in April 2005 and Legal Director for North Region, CPS London, before becoming Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for all the London Districts.{{Cite web |date=2016-04-30 |title=Grace Ononiwu OBE, chief crown prosecutor |url=https://guardian.ng/guardian-woman/grace-ononiwu-obe-chief-crown-prosecutor/ |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Oldham |first=Jeanette |date=2015-02-12 |title=The top female lawyer bringing criminals to justice in the West Midlands - and putting victims first |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/top-female-lawyer-bringing-criminals-8623556 |access-date=2022-07-30 |website=BirminghamLive |language=en}}
She was Chair of the National Black Crown Prosecution Association and was awarded a Black Solicitors Network Lifetime Achievement honor.{{Cite web |author=Staff Writer |date=2022-01-03 |title=Top black lawyers get recognition at awards |url=https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/community/2022/01/03/top-black-lawyers-get-recognition-at-awards/ |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=Voice Online |language=en}} She received an OBE in 2008 and CBE in 2019 for her services to law and order. She is a visiting professor at the University of Hertfordshire and has been awarded honorary doctorates from Hertfordshire and Birmingham City universities. A building at Hertfordshire University was named in her honor in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Mountney |first=Dan |date=2022-07-15 |title=Dr Grace Ononiwu named as visiting professor for Uni of Herts |url=https://www.whtimes.co.uk/news/education/dr-grace-ononiwu-uni-of-herts-visiting-professor-9147012 |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=Welwyn Hatfield Times |language=en-UK}}{{Cite web |title=Dr Grace Ononiwu CBE |url=https://www.herts.ac.uk/alumni/alumni-stories/dr-grace-ononiwu |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=www.herts.ac.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=University of Hertfordshire Law Court named after Dr Grace Ononiwu CBE |url=https://www.herts.ac.uk/about-us/news-centre/news/2021/university-of-hertfordshire-law-court-named-after-dr-grace-ononiwu-cbe |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=www.herts.ac.uk |language=en}}
Ononiwu has been featured in the Power list of the UK's most influential men and women of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage and was one of their Women of the Year 2020.{{Cite web |title=Grace Ononiwu |url=https://birminghamlawsociety.co.uk/grace-ononiwu/ |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=Birmingham Law Society |language=en-US}}
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ononiwu, Grace}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Alumni of the University of Hertfordshire
Category:Alumni of the University of Law
Category:Black British lawyers
Category:21st-century Black British people
Category:21st-century British lawyers
Category:English people of Nigerian descent