Chief Executive Officer, Ambition Institute
Course: MSc Public Service Management
Hilary is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Ambition Institute – a charity with a mission to help teachers and school leaders serving children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Prior to this, Hilary was a civil servant – she joined the Department for Education on the Fast Stream graduate programme, and worked on issues as varied as children’s rights, teacher training, curriculum reform, HR, and community cohesion. She also worked on higher education at the European Commission, on primary education in Ghana and South Africa, and at the World Bank in Washington DC on their global education strategy. She was Principal Private Secretary, and then the Director of Strategy on the Department for Education’s Board.
Hilary spent two years as Director of Civil Service Learning, working with government departments, professions and training providers to increase the capability of the Civil Service. Most recently, she led the Government Equalities Office from 2016 to 2019, which leads on policies related to gender and LGBT, and was responsible for the wider equality framework across government. During her time in the role, the Government Equalities Office introduced gender pay gap reporting, conducted the largest LGBT survey in the world, and helped introduce further legislation around civil partnerships and same sex marriage. Hilary appeared on the Apolitical global list of 100 Most Influential People Working on Gender Policy, two years in a row.
Outside work, Hilary helped set up an outstanding secondary school in Lambeth, and she is an active school governor.
To be mentored by Hilary, apply now to the Alumni Leadership Mentoring programme.
