Veronica Moraa Pickering moved out of Kenya at the tender age of 7, not knowing her life would take a different turn.
Moraa, currently working as King Charles III's Lord Lieutenant for the County of Nottinghamshire, revealed that her journey to the top was not all rosy.
After moving to a new country at a young age, she had to deal with being among the people of colour in the schools.
Moraa became the first woman and first person of colour to hold the position after her appointment on December 6, 2023.
"I probably survived a period of very difficult unrest and fairly tricky sort of politics. I think I'm fairly resilient, which is probably what most people would say having got to this point in my life," she stated during an interview on Wednesday, March 20.
Additionally, Moraa revealed that she lacked a positive role model growing up which has inspired her agenda to positively influence members of the society.
However, despite the ups and downs, Moraa did have a good time growing up. She and her sister apart from being creative, were exceptional athletes.
She explained that this grew her self-confidence to take up more challenges.
"It motivates me because I didn't have all the privileges that people think you have because you're a Lord-Lieutenant, being the first woman I think is important," Moraa added.
The 61-year-old is a social entrepreneur, a former UK social worker and children's guardian. She was also an International Child Protection Consultant for the United Nations (UN) and many other NGOs across Africa.
Additionally, Moraa has worked as a partnership specialist for various companies in the UK.
Besides breaking a record by being appointed by King Charles III, Moraa also made history after she was appointed as the Royal Air Force (RAF) Honorary Air Commodore.
In 2022, she was awarded the Moran of Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) for service to Kenya by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.