One of the significant events in the United Kingdom in 2024 was the publication of the King’s New Year Honours list, an annual tradition that recognises individuals across the country for outstanding achievement and distinguished service to society. Among those recognised was Nigerian-born Professor Shalom Ijeoma Lloyd, who was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contributions to international trade and to the advancement of women in business.
Lloyd is an accomplished pharmaceutical leader and entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience spanning healthcare, innovation, access to medicines and impact-driven enterprise. She is the founder of Naturally Tiwa Skincare, a brand known for its pure, high-quality and ethically sourced products formulated to support individuals living with conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, keratosis pilaris, dermatitis and severe dry skin.
She is also the founder of eMQT, a pharmaceutical manufacturing and research company established to advance Africa’s readiness for clinical research. The company works to expand access to local expertise, patient populations, regulatory knowledge and clinical trial training, while creating opportunities for innovative technologies and more diverse clinical trial data.
In addition, Lloyd leads The Body Shop Nigeria, where she advances the brand’s long-standing commitment to ethical beauty, environmental responsibility and social advocacy. Under her leadership, the company is not merely expanding its retail presence but also reinforcing the principles on which the global brand was founded, including cruelty-free products, responsible sourcing and community empowerment.
Across these diverse ventures and other engagements, Lloyd maintains a consistent commitment to building enterprises that create opportunity, strengthen communities and position Africa as an active contributor to global innovation and excellence. According to her: “In every role I play, as a mother, scientist, entrepreneur and leader, my mission remains the same: to use business as a force for good, to empower others, to enforce my ‘Trade, Not Aid’ mantra, and to prove that Africa’s time is now.”
Solid foundations
Born in Nigeria in the 1970s, Lloyd had her primary and secondary education in the country before gaining a scholarship to study Pharmacy in Ukraine (then under the Soviet Union). Initially unable to speak the language, she faced the daunting task of navigating a new culture while undertaking rigorous scientific training. The experience would ultimately help to lay the foundation for her characteristic resourcefulness and doggedness. Six years later, she graduated with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Pharmacy from the Ukrainian Academy of Pharmacy.
Lloyd’s professional career later took root in the United Kingdom, where she subsequently obtained an MBA from the University of Liverpool. She spent nearly three decades in the global pharmaceutical industry. During this period, she worked across several markets, contributing to clinical research, commercial strategy and the development of medicines aimed at improving health outcomes around the world.
The exposure gave her what she describes as a “front-row seat” to both the remarkable advances in medical science and the persistent inequalities in access to treatment. Medicines were being developed at an extraordinary pace, yet many populations, particularly in Africa, remained largely absent from the research that produced them. That realisation eventually inspired one of her most significant ventures.
Innovation from maternal resilience
Interestingly, despite her long career in pharmaceuticals, Lloyd’s entry into the skincare industry was not the result of market research or business planning. It emerged from a deeply personal challenge.
After four cycles of IVF treatment, she gave birth to twins in 2014. Soon after, her son, Joshua, developed severe eczema, a condition that left his skin inflamed and painfully irritated. As a pharmacist, Lloyd first turned to established treatments, testing a range of creams and medications. None seemed to provide lasting relief.
Frustrated but determined, she looked beyond conventional solutions and turned to traditional African remedies. Drawing on recipes and ingredients that had been used for generations in African communities, she began experimenting with raw, unrefined shea butter and coconut oil sourced from Nigeria. Working in her kitchen, she combined these ingredients carefully, guided both by scientific understanding and ancestral knowledge.
The results were remarkable. Within three days, Joshua’s skin began to heal.
“That moment changed everything,” she recalled. “Naturally Tiwa Skincare was born, not just as a company, but as a calling to blend science, innovation and African tradition.”
Lloyd recognised that the natural ingredients used for centuries across Africa possessed enormous potential if combined with modern scientific rigour and ethical sourcing. From that experience emerged Naturally Tribal Skincare Ltd, whose products are now marketed under the brand Naturally Tiwa Skincare.
Grassroots partnership
Lloyd’s ambition for the Naturally Tiwa Skincare brand extended far beyond skincare products. She saw it as a platform to showcase Africa’s botanical wealth and support communities involved in producing raw materials.
Her search for consistent, high-quality ingredients eventually led her back to Nigeria, where she established partnerships with producers in the Kingdom of Essan in Niger State and with processors such as JE Oils in Abuja. Through these collaborations, rural women involved in shea production and other agricultural activities gain access to stable markets and fairer trade opportunities.
For Lloyd, the business represents a meeting point between heritage and modern innovation.
“Africa has always been rich in natural remedies,” she has often noted. “The challenge is ensuring that this knowledge is preserved, respected and developed in ways that benefit the communities that hold it.”
Showcasing Africa’s potential through eMQT
While building Naturally Tiwa Skincare, Lloyd continued to pursue another concern that had grown during her years in the pharmaceutical sector: the limited participation of African populations in clinical research.
Globally, people of African descent remain significantly underrepresented in clinical trials, despite the continent’s large and rapidly growing population. This imbalance has long raised concerns among health experts, as medicines developed without adequate population diversity may not fully reflect genetic or environmental differences that influence treatment outcomes.
To address this gap, Lloyd founded Emerging Markets Quality Trials (eMQT), an organisation dedicated to strengthening Africa’s participation in global clinical research. The company works to connect pharmaceutical firms with African researchers, patients and regulatory institutions, helping to build the infrastructure and expertise required for large-scale clinical trials across the continent.
Its broader mission is to ensure that Africa moves from the margins of medical research to a central role in shaping it. By expanding training, strengthening partnerships and encouraging investment in research facilities, initiatives such as eMQT aim to generate more representative clinical data while improving access to innovative therapies.
Her work also extends into agricultural processing through JE Oils Nigeria, a company involved in the production of high-quality plant-derived oils. The enterprise seeks to elevate Nigeria’s position within the global shea industry by promoting local processing and ensuring that more of the economic value remains within the country.
The Body Shop inspiration
As earlier hinted, Lloyd played a pivotal role in bringing the internationally recognised ethical cosmetics brand, The Body Shop, into Nigeria, where she currently leads its operations.
When asked what inspired her to take the step in March 2025, she explained:
“It felt like a natural alignment, almost a perfect fit. As a British-Nigerian who’s spent nearly a decade building a skincare brand rooted in sustainability and ethical sourcing, The Body Shop felt like home.
“As a UK Export Champion, I saw an opportunity to bring a truly authentic, purpose-driven British brand to the Nigerian market, one that prioritises efficacy, trust and ethics.”
Further recognitions and ongoing exploits
The scale and influence of Shalom Lloyd’s work have continued to earn her recognition across several professional and civic platforms. Aside from her MBE appointment, she also holds several distinguished roles. She serves as an Honorary Professor of Professional Practice at the University of Buckingham and has been recognised as a UK Department for Business and Trade Export Champion, a role through which she supports small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to expand into international markets.
Lloyd is also a TEDx speaker and an advocate for inclusive economic growth, particularly in emerging markets where women remain underrepresented in leadership positions. In the course of her career, she has served on boards and advisory groups, including positions within chambers of commerce and educational institutions, where she contributes to mentoring young professionals and encouraging entrepreneurship.
