Heather was a BBC Governor, the youngest ever CEO of Merton and Lambeth Council, Head of Education at Channel 4, Governor of the London School of Economics, Director of the Bank of England, Board Member of the UK Film Council, Trustee of the British Council and founder of her own internet company.
It is, however, her latest role as Executive Deputy Chairman of Millwall Football club that may prove her biggest challenge yet. Few women are welcomed into the world of football, far fewer of mixed race who admit to knowing next to nothing about football.
Described as one of Britain’s most influential women and famed for taking on “the worst job in local government” and now “the worst job in football”, Heather credits her robust nature to the influence of her domineering Jamaican mother, Cynthia — one of the first black fashion models in the United States.
Until 1991 she had held a variety of managerial positions at the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham before being appointed Deputy Chief Executive with responsibility for policy, personnel, communications, equality and community relations. She then moved to be the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Merton.
During her time with Lambeth Heather achieved a remarkable turnaround in the financial state of the borough, the quality of service and management, and staff morale. Council tax collections went up from 56 per cent, then the lowest in Britain, up to a more respectable 74 per cent, more than £40m had been saved in the budget, and the workforce had been reduced by 1,200 to 9,000.
Heather's outstanding leadership skills have been widely reported in the national press, and are testimony to her clear sense of vision and ability to effect real change within large organisations.