People Committee

Jenny Watson

Chair

Jenny Watson CBE is Chair of the House of St Barnabas, and of the Independent Complaints Panel at the Portman Group. She is a non-executive director at the Financial Ombudsman Service, and a school governor at Mossbourne Parkside Academy.
Between 2009 and 2016 Jenny was Chair of the Electoral Commission, and in that capacity was the Chief Counting Officer for the EU Referendum. She has served on the board of a number of public bodies and charities, including as Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, and as Vice Chair of Money Advice Trust. She is a former board member of the Audit Commission.
 
Jenny is currently a member of the steering group for the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse, and of the Constitution Unit’s Commission on the Future of Referendums.

Jenny is a non-executive director of the FRC Board, a member of the Audit & Risk Committee.

David Childs

Member

David Childs was the Managing Partner of Clifford Chance from 2006 until 30th April 2014.

Appointed 1 May 2014. His term of office was extended by the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy from 1 May 2020 to 31 December 2020.
He previously held roles as the firm’s Chief Operating Officer and Head of the Corporate Practice. He joined the firm in 1973 and became a partner in 1981. David has an LLB from Sheffield University and an LLM from University College London.

David is a non-executive director of the FRC Board and Chair of the Conduct Committee.

Julia Unwin

Member

Dame Julia Unwin was the Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation from 2007 until the end of 2016. She has been a Charity Commissioner, Chair of the Refugee Council and Deputy Chair of the Food Standards Agency. She has written extensively on issues relating to philanthropy, governance, the voluntary sector and its relationship with government. Her most recent publication, "Why Fight Poverty?" was published in November 2013.

Dame Julia is currently a non-executive director of the Mears Group plc, and of Yorkshire Water. She is Chair of the Governing Body of York St John University, is a member of the  First Minister Scotland's Council of Economic Advisers and chaired the Independent Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society. In 2010, she was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award in the Charity Awards and has received honorary doctorates from three universities. Julia was appointed a Dame in the 2020 New Year Honours.

Dame Julia is a non-executive director of the FRC Board, Chair of the Regulatory Standards & Codes Committee and a member of the Audit & Risk Committee.

Keith Skeoch

Member

Keith Skeoch is currently Chair of the Investment Association, a member of the UK Takeover Panel and Chair of the Aberdeen Standard Investment Research Institute. 

Keith joined Standard Life Investments (SLI) in 1999 as Chief Investment Officer and was appointed Chief Executive of that division in 2004 and to the main board of Standard Life plc following demutualisation in 2006. Keith led the exponential growth of SLI in terms of assets under management, geographic footprint, revenue stream, organisational capability and brand strength. He was appointed CEO of Standard Life plc in 2015 and then as CEO of Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA) having led the separation of the life business to Phoenix in 2018 and the subsequent formation of a global, focussed and capital light investment house. Keith stepped down as CEO of SLA in September 2020. 

Keith is interim Chair of the Board.