Zahida Manzoor

Zahida Parveen Manzoor, Baroness Manzoor CBE (born 25 May 1958) is a British businessperson and non-affiliated member of the House of Lords, who was elevated to the House of Lords originally as a Liberal Democrat peer in 2013. She became a non-affiliated member, having resigned the Lib Dem Whip in 2016. On 9 October 2016, it was announced that she has joined the Conservative Party.

Early life

Manzoor was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan to Nazir Ahmed (military veteran and businessman) and Mahroof Ahmed who moved to England when she was four years old. She became a nurse before attending the University of Leeds (1983) and receiving an MA from the University of Bradford in 1989. She became a Lecturer before moving on to hold a number of senior positions in the NHS and then the regulation of Legal Services.

Public life

From 1992 to 1997 Manzoor served as the Chairman of Bradford Health Authority before being appointed as one of the eight Regional Chairmen for the National Health Service (NHS). In this role she was responsible for the Northern and Yorkshire Region of the NHS with a budget of £3.5 billion and serving a population of 6.3 million. She held this position from 1997 to 2001 during which time she also served as a member of the Policy Board for the NHS.

In 1993 Manzoor became a member of the Commission for Racial Equality, going on to serve as Deputy Chairman from 1993-1995. Since 1999 she has been an Independent Assessor for the Foreign Office. From 1997-2003 she served as a Trustee on the Board of the National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). From 1996-2003 she was co-founder and Director of Intellisys Limited, an information technology and management consultancy business. In 1992 she was appointed by the Privy Council as a Court Member of the University of Bradford. From 1991-1993 she was a member of the Board of Governors of Sheffield Hallam University. From 1990-1996 she was Regional Director for the Common Purpose Charitable Trust. She was awarded a CBE in 1998.

From 2003 to 2011 she served as the Legal Services Ombudsman for England and Wales, reporting directly to Parliament. During this period Manzoor made significant improvements in the way legal professional bodies, such as the Law Society and the Bar Council, dealt with complaints from members of the public. She also instigated a major investigation into the handling of personal injury claims for coal miners, resulting in substantial redress for the coal miners and some solicitors being barred from practice.

In 2004 the Lord Chancellor also appointed Manzoor to the role of Legal Services Complaints Commissioner for England and Wales. In this role Manzoor served as the Statutory Regulator responsible for overseeing the handling of complaints by the Law Society and was given substantial powers to set performance improvement targets and impose financial penalties of up to £1 million for failure to meet those targets. She used these powers to drive significant improvements in the Law Society's handling of complaints. This appointment ended in April 2010.

On 6 September 2013 she was created a life peer taking the title Baroness Manzoor, of Knightsbridge in the Royal Borough of Kensington.

Personal life

She married Dr Madassar Manzoor in 1984 and the couple have two daughters. Manzoor describes her recreations as antiques, gardening, painting and visiting historic buildings.