Heather Hancock is Master of St John’s College in the University of Cambridge. She holds several non-executive appointments including: Chair of the Royal Countryside Fund; Senior Independent Board Member for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; non-executive director of Rural Solutions Ltd; and Trustee of the Chatsworth Settlement Trust.

Heather’s career began as a land agent before joining the Government Economic Service, after which she held a series of senior national, regional and local government positions, including as Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. In 2003, Heather became a Partner in Deloitte’s Strategy Consulting business, and was a Managing Partner of Deloitte’s UK and Swiss businesses from 2008 until 2014. She led the firm’s extensive global services to the Olympic movement, and was a global Managing Director for Deloitte from 2011-2013.

Heather has spent over a decade as a Trustee of The Prince’s Trust, and chaired the BBC’s rural affairs committee from 2003-2010. In 2014, she delivered an independent report to the BBC Trust on bias and impartiality in the BBC’s rural affairs coverage. Until 2020 she served as a Commissioner on North Yorkshire’s Rural Commission.in Whitehall; Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park;  Managing Partner and Global MD of Deloitte, as a strategy partner and leading on innovation, brand and communications; and chair of the Food Standards Agency from 2016 to 2022.  Heather chaired the BBC’s rural affairs committee from 2003-2010.  In 2014, she delivered an independent report to the BBC Trust on bias and impartiality in the BBC’s rural affairs coverage.  With her husband, she has a small upland estate in North Yorkshire, where she was a Commissioner for the county’s enquiry into remote rural communities.