Chi Onwurah

Chi Onwurah is a British Member of Parliament representing Newcastle upon Tyne Central and is also Shadow Minister (Science, Research and Innovation).
Former Shadow Ministerial positions:
April 2020-December 2021 Digital, Science & Technology
October 2016 – April 2020 Industrial Strategy Science & Innovation (and Shadow Digital Minister Feb-April 2020)
September 2015-October 2016 Culture and the Digital Economy
January 2013 – Sept 2015 Cabinet Office leading on cyber security, social entrepreneurship, civil contingency, open government and transparency
October 2010 – January 2013 for Innovation, Science & Digital Infrastructure working closely with the Science and business community, with industry on Broadband issues, and on the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill. Chi continues to promote women in STEM.
Prior to Chi’s election to Parliament in May 2010 she worked as an engineer in the telecoms sector for over 20 years. From 2004 to 2010 she was at UK regulator Ofcom, as Head of Telecoms Technology she focused on the implications for competition and regulation of the services and technologies associated with Next Generation Networks.
Prior to Ofcom, Chi was a Partner in Hammatan Ventures, a US technology consultancy, developing the GSM markets in Nigeria and South Africa. Previously she was Director of Market Development with Teligent, a Global Wireless Local Loop operator and Director of Product Strategy at GTS.  She has also worked for Cable & Wireless and Nortel as Engineer, Project and Product Manager in the UK and France,
Chi is a Chartered Engineer with a BEng in Electrical Engineering from Imperial College London and an MBA from Manchester Business School. She was born in Wallsend and attended Kenton Comprehensive School in Newcastle, where she was elected the school’s ‘MP’ in mock elections aged 17.
Chi is a Presidency Member of the Party of European Socialists (PES), and a Fellow of both the Institution of Engineering & Technology (FIET) and the City & Guilds of London Institute (FCGI) and also an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association.