Heather Rabbatts - Speaker

Dame Heather Rabbatts is a Jamaican-born British solicitor, businesswoman, and broadcaster. She gained prominence as the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Lambeth, the youngest council chief in the UK. Heather served as a Football Association director from 2011 to 2017, becoming the first woman and ethnic minority person in such a position. She was also the only woman on the board during her tenure.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Heather moved to England at three. She left school with five O-levels and attended evening classes to study for A-levels. She then studied at the London School of Economics and became a barrister in 1981. After working in local government, Heather became the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Lambeth in 1995, making significant improvements in housing, education, and council tax collection. She was also the founder and co-chair of iMPOWER, a public sector consultancy.

In addition to her work in local government, Heather held various directorships and oversight roles, including serving as a Governor at the London School of Economics, an Associate of The King's Fund, and a member of the board of directors at the British Council. She was also a Trustee of Malaria No More UK and later became the Chair of Trustees. In 2010, she was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.

Heather was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2016. She was also listed as one of BBC's 100 Women in November 2016.