Sam Allard, Fisher Studios (c) RSC
SHRITI VADERA will become the new Chair of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in the autumn, taking over from current Chair NIGEL HUGILL, who steps down after ten years.
With over 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors, Vadera served as a Minister in the Cabinet Office and in the International Development and Business Departments.
A member of the House of Lords, Baroness Vadera has been on leave of absence since 2011. She will be the first female Chair and first person of colour to lead the RSC Board. She is also Chair of Prudential plc and was previously Chair of Santander UK, becoming the first woman to chair a major British bank. She also served on the Boards of Astra Zeneca and BHP, and has been an adviser to the G20 and governments across the world.
On accepting the appointment she commented: “I grew up in Uganda and India, in a traditional community where expectations of the development of girls were narrow and strict. I read and imagined Shakespeare before I saw it performed and it opened up a different world, giving me the courage to aspire to possibilities that transformed my life.”