[2] A lawyer by training (the fourth generation of her family to enter the legal profession),[2] she is also the founder, chief executive officer and managing consultant of ShawbellConsulting, based in Accra.
Phyllis Maria Christian was born in Ghana, the elder daughter of high court lawyer Howard J. Christian and his wife Sarah (née Grant, whose father Paa Grant was the founding president of the United Gold Coast Convention, which fought for Ghanaian independence),[6] and the fourth of her parents' five children.
[13] As an advocate of incentives for indigenous firms, Christian has written for such outlets as the Daily Graphic,[14] and endorses plans for legislation "to require that at least 70 per cent of all government, taxpayer-financed contracts and procurements be executed by local corporate entities" and a policy requiring a specified percentage be sourced "from entities owned by women, persons with disability, and those established under the Youth Enterprise Fund".
[15] In a voluntary capacity, Christian has been a board member of a number of organisations, including Sharecare Ghana (Sharecare4U)[16] and the independent not-for-profit Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG).
[18] Her writings include the chapter "Administration of justice by traditional authorities in Ghana: an exposition on the law and practice" contributed to A Commitment to Law, Development and Public Policy (2016, edited by Richard Frimpong Oppong and Kissi Agyebeng), a festschrift in honour of Nana Dr S. K. B. Asante, lawyer and paramount chief of Asokore Asante in the Ashanti Region.