Ngozi Fulani

Ngozi Fulani (born Marlene Headley) is a British former charity executive who served as chief executive officer of the registered charity Sistah Space.

Early life and education Fulani was born in Harlesden, and grew up in Kilburn, London, where she attended South Kilburn High School. Her mother, a nurse, and her father, a British Rail worker, had come to London from the Caribbean in the 1950s as part of the Windrush generation. She has six siblings.

In 2015 Fulani founded Sistah Space, described as a "community-based nonprofit initiative created to bridge the gap in domestic abuse services for African heritage women and girls". The charity is the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom that is focused solely on supporting women and girls of African heritage.

Buckingham Palace incident In 2021, Fulani spoke in favour of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, following her interview with Oprah Winfrey, describing her as "a survivor of domestic violence from her in-laws".

The following day, Fulani used Twitter to publish the alleged transcript of a conversation she claimed to have had with Lady Susan Hussey, a Lady of the Household. According to Fulani's account, Lady Hussey repeatedly asked Fulani where she was "really" from after Fulani said she was born and raised in the UK. and "... if you move my hair without permission, to me, that's abuse".

Following the allegation, Lady Hussey resigned her position and apologised. Following this, Ngozi paused the work of Sistah Space, citing safety concerns. The Charity Commission subsequently announced a preliminary investigation into Sistah Space over concerns regarding financial management and organisational setup at the charity, which were brought to light in the wake of Fulani's Buckingham Palace allegations.

On 16 December Fulani and Hussey met at Buckingham Palace to address the incident, with Hussey offering her "sincere apologies for the comments that were made and the distress they caused". A joint statement was released afterwards, reporting that the meeting was "filled with warmth and understanding" and that Fulani "has accepted this apology and appreciates that no malice was intended".

In March 2023, Fulani temporarily stepped down from her position as CEO of Sistah Space, citing the abuse she received as the reason.