Baroness Valerie Amos, Leader of the House of Lords, UK

Valerie Amos was appointed Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council in October 2003. As well as her duties as Leader and Lord President she continues to speak on international development issues for the government in the House of Lords.

Previously she was appointed Secretary of State for International Development in May 2003, becoming the first black female member of a British Cabinet.

Baroness Amos was Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs from June 2001 with responsibility for Africa, the Commonwealth, the Caribbean, Britain 's Overseas Territories, Consular Affairs and Personnel Issues.

She was previously a Government Whip in the House of Lords from 1998 to 2001 and spokesperson on Social Security, International Development and Women's Issues. She was created a Labour life peer in August 1997.

Valerie Amos was born in Guyana and moved to Great Britain with her family in 1963. She took degrees at the Universities of Warwick and Birmingham before pursuing doctoral research at the University of East Anglia. She then started her career working in equal opportunities, training and management services in the London local authorities of Lambeth, Camden and Hackney.

Between 1989 and 1994 she was Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission which works to eliminate sex discrimination and promote equal opportunities for women and men.

Valerie Amos was co-founder and director of Amos Fraser Bernard from 1995 until she joined the government and worked as an adviser to the South African Government on public service reform, human rights and employment equity.