Evangelical Alliance appoints first black female director

The Evangelical Alliance has today reached a significant milestone by appointing the first ever black female director in its 168-year history.

Chine Mbubaegbu, former head of media and communications, has been appointed as a director of communications for the Alliance.

At 30, Chine is also among the youngest members of the leadership team in the Alliance's history. The remarkable Henry Martyn Gooch, who was general secretary from 1904 until 1949 was only just 30 when he was appointed to lead the Alliance.

Commenting, Steve Clifford, general director of the Evangelical Alliance, said: "Over the last four years Chine has made an enormous contribution to the growth and development of so much within the Alliance. Her appointment as director of communications is in many ways a recognition of the significant role she is already fulfilling, while looking forward to her influence growing both inside and outside the Evangelical Alliance. Chine provides us with the insights and voice of the millennial generation."

Commenting on her appointment, Chine said: "I have been privileged to work for this amazing organisation for the past four years and am looking forward to bringing a different perspective to the leadership team. As the oldest and largest body representing evangelical Christians, we are passionate about uniting the Church and speaking on its behalf to government and to media. In my new role I'll be focusing on ensuring people like me are attracted to the Alliance and see it for the vibrant organisation that it is. For the past 168 years, the Alliance has been passionate about being good news to all areas of society and I'm looking forward to sharing that good news with surprising audiences."

Chine, of Nigerian descent, is a former journalist and editor who has a passion for reporting religion's impact on society, as well as writing and speaking about faith, race and gender. An author and writer, who studied theology at Cambridge University, she comes from a lineage of female leaders. Her mother Stella Mbubaegbu was the first black female principal of a further education college in the UK and received a CBE from the Queen for her services to education in 2008.

The Evangelical Alliance is committed to promoting unity while celebrating ethnic diversity and in 2012 launched the One People Commission – made up of key national leaders from across ethnic minorities – which Chine has been a part of since its inception.

She also played a key role in the launch of threads in 2012 – the Alliance's online collective of people in their 20s and 30s exploring faith and life – which has won both Best Christian Blog and Best Multi-Author Blog at the Christian New Media Awards.

In her new role, Chine will be responsible for the Alliance's corporate communications, including its editorial, web and social media output, as well as the business development, membership, fundraising and marketing teams.