Heather Melville

Heather Melville
OBE, CCMI
Heather Melville
Born (1962-12-22) 22 December 1962 (age 62)
London, UK
Occupation(s)7th Chancellor of the University of York and Senior Managing Director of Teneo
Years active1990–present
Known forFounder and Global Chair of RBS Focused Women's Network
TitleChair of Advisory Committee and Member of the Board of Trustees of Chartered Management Institute
Children2

Heather Patricia Melville OBE, CCMI (born 1962) is a British banker, Senior Managing Director of Teneo and Chancellor of the University of York.

Early life

Melville was born in December 1962 of Jamaican parents. She grew up in Hornsey, north London and she was educated at the IBM Business School, Hampshire.[1]

Career

Melville was director for strategic partnerships and head of business inclusion initiatives at Royal Bank of Scotland Group.[2] In September 2016, She was appointed to the board and as chair of the advisory committee for 'CMI Women', Chartered Management Institute.[3][4] Melville is a diversity, inclusion leader[5] and founder and Global Chair of RBS Focused Women's Network.[6][7] She is recognized in Financial Times 2016 inaugural UPstanding100 Executive BAME Power List (UK & US)[8] and Financial Times 2017 Empower 100 ethnic minority leaders 100.[9] In 2017 Melville was recognized and honoured with an Order of the British Empire for her ‘services to Gender Equality’ and was included in the 2019 edition of the Powerlist, ranking the 100 most influential Black Britons.[10]

Melville is the founder and global chair of RBS Focused Women's Network, which in 2016 had about 12,000 members in 33 countries who are managed by volunteers.[11][12]

Also in 2017, Heather was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Portsmouth University, recognising her influence and impact on diversity in business. In 2021 Heather received the President’s Medal for leadership from the British Academy of Management.

She holds a number of trustee positions, is Chair of CMI Women, NED, Enfield Enterprise, a Patron of Women in Banking and Finance and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, a global network of C-suite leaders.

In 2022 it was announced that Melville was to become the seventh Chancellor of the University of York, due to her work to "support a real culture of fairness, equality and justice".[13] She was appointed on 18 January 2023 in a ceremony where she bestowed honorary degrees on the actor Colin Salmon and the banker Dame Alison Rose.[14]

For some number of years, Melville has sat on the judging panel for the “UK Fashion & Textile Awards”,[15][16] "The National Diversity Awards",[17] "We Are The City Rising Stars"[18] as well as the "Brummel's Top 30".[19]

Honors and awards

  • 2010: "Champion for Women of Achievement Award" by Women in Banking & Finance
  • 2012: "World of Difference 100 Award for the Economic Empowerment of Women" by TIAW[20]
  • 2012: "The World of Difference Awards" as one of the top 100 Women Making a Difference Globally in the Corporate Space, Washington, US
  • 2015: "Special Commendation for Diversity Champion" by National Excellence Awards
  • "Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Companion" by Chartered Management Institute
  • 2016: "Inaugural UPstanding100 Executive BAME Power List (UK & US)" by Financial Times[21]

References

  1. ^ "Heather Melville – RBS – WeAreTheCity Rising Star Awards". Risingstars.wearethecity.com. 8 April 2016. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  2. ^ "RBS' Director of Strategic Partnerships & Head of Inclusion Initiatives, Heather Melville, says". Hrgrapevine.com.
  3. ^ "Board of Trustees September 2016 - CMI". Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Presidential team and trustees". Managers.org.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Diversity and Inclusion – RBS". Jobs.rbs.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Inclusive Networks Feature : RBS Focused Women's Network". Inclusivenetworks.co.uk. 11 March 2015. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Think, Act, Report: Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Group" (PDF). Gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  8. ^ Hoyos, Carola (26 May 2016). "Diversity champions: UPstanding's top 100 ethnic-minority executives". Financial Times.
  9. ^ "Ranking: EMpower 100 ethnic minority leaders". Financial Times. 25 May 2017.
  10. ^ Hicks, Amber (23 October 2018). "List of 100 most influential black people includes Meghan Markle for first time". mirror. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  11. ^ "The Global Community Foundation". Thegcf.org.im. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  12. ^ "VIP Interview: Branding, Diversity, and the Power of Networking". Ifc.org.
  13. ^ "University of York appoints diversity and inclusion champion Heather Melville as new Chancellor". University of York. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  14. ^ "University of York welcomes new Chancellor Dr Heather Melville". University of York. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Archived copy". www.ukft.org. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ "UK Fashion & Textiles Awards 2015 judges announced". Drapersonline.com. 9 February 2015.
  17. ^ "How NatWest bank is developing female talent". Voice-online.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  18. ^ "WeAreTheCity – Proud to introduce our Rising Star Judges for 2016 – WeAreTheCity – Information, Networking, jobs & events for women". Wearethecity.com. 14 January 2016.
  19. ^ "Inspirational Women 2015". Brummell Magazine. 15 September 2015. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  20. ^ "The International Alliance for Women - 2012 World of Difference Award Recipients". tiaw.org. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Events | IoD". www.iod.com. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
Academic offices
Preceded by Chancellor of the University of York
2023-present 		Incumbent