Biography

Current Board and Committee Appointments

Cabinet Office - appointed 2025

Policy role

Social Security Advisory Committee, Dept. of Work and Pensions - appointed 2024

Board Member
Statutory body advising DWP and HMRC on social security and related matters and scrutinising proposed legislation on the welfare system.

National Independent Reconfiguration Panel, Dept. of Health and Social Care - appointed 2021

Board Member
Government’s national advisors on NHS service change.

The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO), Ministry of Justice - appointed 2015

Member, Disciplinary Panel
JCIO is responsible for judicial discipline including the removal of judges from office.

Institute of Directors (loD) - appointed 2013

Board Member (main board 2013-2022) and Strategic Advisor (current)
+ Commissioner – IoD’s 2024 Code of Conduct for Directors, chaired by Lord Iain McNicol
+ UK’s representative on GNDI – a global organisation promoting good governance
+ Former Chair, Accreditation & Standards Committee – oversees director qualifications and standards, UK and worldwide
+ Former Chair, Remuneration Committee. Member, Audit + Nominations Committees
+ Former Council Member, Mental Health at Work Leadership Council

Combat Stress - appointed 2008

Vice-President (current) and Board Member (2008-2019)
+ Former Chair, Clinical Governance Committee
An organisation treating war veterans with severe mental illness.

Previous Board and Committee Appointments

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

Board Member, Regulatory Board (global main board) + Chair, Qualifications Board (global board) (2014-2021)

ACCA is the global regulator of accountancy, based in 82 countries with 684,000 members. Qualifications Board oversees global education and examinations in 180 countries.

Royal Society of Medicine

Vice-President and Council Member (main board) (2017-2021)
+ Member, Audit & Risk Committee, Finance & Investment Committee
+ Director, RSM Commercial Services Ltd (the organisation’s trading arm)

State Honours Committee, Cabinet Office

Committee Member (2012-2019)
The body making honours recommendations to the Prime Minister and the King.

Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA)

Deputy Chair of the Board (main board) (2010-2016)
+ Member, Audit and Risk Committee, Governance Committee
The UK’s only apolitical think tank, London based with global operations.

Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Dept. for Business

Board Member (main board) (2012-2016)
+ Vice-Chair, Leadership and Governance Committee. Member, Audit Committee
The regulator and funder for the university sector, distributing c£6 billion p/a.

University of Westminster

Deputy Chair of the Board (main board) (2005-2014)
+ Chair, HR Committee. Member, Remuneration Committee
A London university with c2,600 employees and a turnover of c£153 million p/a.

Ethics Group of the National DNA Database, Home Office

Committee Member (2007-2014)
A body regulating the use of DNA and biometric information by the police.

Internet Watch Foundation

Deputy Chair of the Board (main board) (2008-2013)
+ Chair, Remuneration Committee. Member, Audit Committee
A regulator of the internet charged with minimising on-line child sexual abuse.

National Specialist Commissioning Group, Department of Health

Committee Member (sole lay member) (2007-2012)
+ Appeals Chair on behalf of the Secretary of State for disputed cases
The regulator/funder for specialist health services with a budget of £6 billion p/a.

Science Advisory Council, Dept. for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Board Member (main board) (2009-2011)
+ Chair, Horizon Scanning Committee

Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Board Member (main board) (2008-2011)
+ Chair, Mental Health Act Committee. Member, Audit Committee
An acute hospital serving the local and national paediatric population with 2,500 employees and a turnover of £230 million p/a.

Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners

Board Member (main board) (2006-2008)
The regulator for the forensic science sector.

General Council of the Bar

Disciplinary Tribunals Board (2000-2006)
Lay Member

Executive Career – Government (Senior Civil Servant)

Prime Minister's Delivery Unit, Cabinet Office (2006-2007)

Senior Civil Servant working across government on public service reforms, risk systems and setting/monitoring the performance of hospitals, schools and other public services.

Corporate Development Group, Cabinet Office (2004-2006)

Responsible for leadership competencies across the Civil Service.

Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, Cabinet Office (2000-2004)

Led on work reporting direct to the Prime Minister to make Whitehall boards more strategic and to identify long-term challenges and opportunities for the UK. The programme was called Strategic Futures. Also, authored and edited strategy and policy papers across many areas of domestic policy.

Department of Trade and Industry, Office of Science and Technology (2000)

Head of Public Understanding of Science which included providing briefing to ministers.

Ministry of Defence (MoD), Whitehall (1996-2000)

An operational military psychologist. Duties included designing training for Resistance to Interrogation situations and developing systems to recruit to classified roles. Lecturing undertaken at NATO events on terrorist profiling and human behaviour under extreme stress. PhD gained for research into military suicide.

Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, MoD, Farnborough (1995-1996)

Research scientist for accident prevention, human error and risk. Also, the assessment of Officers for high-risk duties including bomb disposal and agent handling.

Executive Career – Other

News Producer (Television) (1990-1991)
Sky News Sky Television, West London.
Responsible for segments of live 24hr news. Duties – scripting, presenting, gallery producing.

News Producer and Reader (Television) (1989-1990)
British Satellite Broadcasting West London. Scripted and presented live news.

Programme Editor, Producer and Presenter (Radio) (1986-1990)
London Broadcasting Company (LBC) London.
Edited, produced and presented “Time Off” – a weekly business and leisure travel programme networked across the UK. Over thirty-five countries visited.

Reporter, Presenter and Researcher (BBC Television) various dates (1986-1991)
Guest presenter for Science and Features unit including live reporting for a Heathrow Airport series.

West End actress (1982-1985)
“Children of a Lesser God” award-winning Broadway and West End play. Played the juvenile lead of Lydia – a young, deaf American girl for two West End runs and a 43-venue UK tour.

Roles under 12 months duration: Assistant Floor Manager Commonwealth Games, BBC TV 1986; Deputy Stage Manager pantomime seasons at Arts Theatre Cambridge (1981), Key Theatre Peterborough (1980) and, Apollo Theatre Coventry (1979).

Education and Professional Qualifications

PhD Applied Psychology, College of Aeronautics (Cranfield 1997)
MSc Occupational Psychology (Hertfordshire 1995)
BSc Psychology (1st class hons.) (Hertfordshire 1994)

Chartered Director (loD); Chartered Scientist (Science Council);
Chartered Occupational Psychologist (British Psychological Society)

Honorary Fellowship, University of Westminster 2014
Honorary Life Fellow, Royal Society of Arts

And…

Seven adorable children born 1988, 1992, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2014 and 2020.