Date first appointed: 2002 (as Chair of Council) - Personal appointment 2011
Olivia Grant was born in Newcastle, educated at Dame Allan’s School and studied history at Leicester University. After training for the Youth Employment Service she worked in various roles in the North West, returning to Newcastle in 1979. Since then she has worked at a senior level in Local Government, set up, run and closed the company which was charged by government with responsibility for the provision of support to businesses in the Tyneside area, and for the funding of all post 16 training and employment support. After leaving this work in 2001 she held various government and public appointments: Chair of the Learning and Skills Council, County Durham, until December 2003; Board member of the Port of Tyne Authority (2000-2006); the Regional Chair of Culture North East until March 2009; Vice-Chair of SUSTAINE a body charged with the creation and oversight of the regional strategy for Sustainable Development until May 2010.
In addition to these public appointments Mrs Grant was Chair of Council and Pro-Chancellor at the University (2002-2011), Vice-Chair of the Newcastle Building Society until April 2008, she Chaired the Newcastle Building Society Pension Trustees unitl 2012, and was Managing Director of a small Bio Science company until December 2011. In 2014 she became Chair of Your Homes Newcastle.
Her voluntary work includes serving as an Honorary Vice-President of Newcastle Council for Voluntary Services. She was appointed OBE for Services to Training in 1994 and a Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear in 2002. She has been appointed as a Public Assessor for the Office of the Commissioner of Public Appointments and chairs major national public appointments. She currently chairs Newcastle Futures, a body set up by the City Council in Newcastle. In addition to her service on Court Mrs Grant is a member of the University Development Trust.
Olivia was awarded an Honorary DCL in 2011 in recognition of her service to the University.
