Entrepreneur | Owner | CEO | Community Builder
When Clement Ogbonnaya—better known as Clem—first stepped off the plane at Heathrow at six years old, he had no idea that his future would reshape the heart of South London nightlife and hospitality. Feeling unwelcome and alienated as a young Nigerian boy, he quietly promised himself one thing: one day, he’d create spaces where everyone felt seen, celebrated, and truly at home. Raised in Brockley and later attending St Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham, Clem’s early years were rooted in the energetic yet turbulent streets of South East London. Peckham in the ’80s and ’90s was a world apart from the gentrified hotspot it is today. He wasn’t one of the cool kids, but he was observant, driven, and deeply aware of how his environment shaped identity. His dad, a cab driver, and mum, a Southwark Council housing officer, worked tirelessly to provide—instilling in him a relentless work ethic that would later become his trademark. Clem later attended Coventry University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Information Systems, graduating with a 2:1. While there, he played for the Coventry University First XI football team, balancing academic life with competitive sport and a budding curiosity about the systems that power business and society. His journey into entrepreneurship began during those university years, when he gravitated toward media and music. Alongside two partners, he set up a media studio business and hosted a late-night online talk show—early signs of the storyteller and community-builder he was becoming. But when the credit crunch hit, the business folded, leaving Clem with two properties and no income.
Never one to stay down for long, Clem pivoted into nightlife promotion between 2004 and 2009. Using an instinctive understanding of early social media, he began throwing parties that soon gained a cult following. He approached a nightclub in London’s West End and transformed its sleepy Thursday slot into a must-attend event, dubbed Clemface—a blend of hip hop, R&B, and Afro Beats. But as his events gained traction, he noticed a disturbing pattern: venues were turning away Black women and denying entry to groups of Black men. He was benefiting from an industry that routinely excluded his own community. And it didn’t sit right.
That realization changed everything. Clem knew that real change meant ownership. He worked for a venue operator and then helped launch Love and Liquor in Kilburn, where he learned the fundamentals of running a bar. Idris Elba even did a seven-week DJ residency there, shining a light on Clem’s growing reputation. He then took on a leadership role at Paradise in Kensal Green, an upscale pub that brought him face to face with the class divides and racial blind spots within the hospitality sector.
By 2015, with hard-earned experience and a vision rooted in inclusivity, Clem took a bold step—selling one of his properties to invest in a community-centered pub in Peckham. Friends and family thought he was crazy. But Clem had done his homework. Armed with a five-year business plan, he took over a struggling venue on Clayton Road, poured his heart into the refurbishment, and opened the doors to Prince of Peckham in 2017.
On opening day, Clem wore traditional Nigerian attire and stood tall in front of a venue that declared Welcome to Peckham. Inside, murals of Black children lined the walls—a message to every passerby that they belonged. For Clem, this wasn’t just a pub. It was a cultural landmark. Named after the character from Desmond’s, the first British TV show he felt represented Black life, Prince of Peckham quickly became a space where culture and community thrived. It’s since won Pub of the Year at the Be Inclusive Hospitality Awards, with a second venture, Queen of the South, now open in Tulse Hill.
Even in the face of a pandemic, Clem stayed nimble. From livestreamed parties to Zoom speed dating, he kept his community connected. And when restrictions eased, he reinvested in Prince of Peckham, spending £160K on a refurbishment that embraced outdoor socialising and future-proofed the space. Clem’s journey from young outsider to visionary publican is more than a success story—it’s a blueprint for inclusive entrepreneurship. “Access to information is the difference between rich and poor,” he says. “If I know what they know, no one can make me feel less because of my skin.”
Today, Clem is not just a publican—he’s a cultural architect. A creator of spaces where people feel seen, heard, and at home. And he’s just getting started.