New chair of the GLAA announced

Julia was appointed as chair on 18 November 2021 following a robust competition, conducted in accordance with the governance code on public appointments.

Julia initially worked in communications and business consulting, which included running her own business for 7 years.

She stood as the Conservative Party candidate for the post of Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire and was elected in November 2012. In this role she was responsible for putting in place services for victims of crime and setting up a new team to support victims in the county. She also successfully attracted government funding to establish a new women’s centre in York.

In 2018, Julia became one of the first Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners in the country, subsequently sitting on the national Fire Standards Board.

Julia was a director of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners for 6 years. During that time she chaired the Police Reform and Transformation Board, set up by the Home Secretary to lead the transformation of policing across England and Wales. She held 3 national portfolios; for Victims, Rural Affairs and Integrity and Transparency, working closely with the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Independent Office for Police Conduct on reform of the police complaints system.

Julia has been:

• a member of the advisory panel to the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner since January 2019
• the chair of the Independent Domestic Abuse Service since January 2020
• a non-executive director on the board of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority since May 2020
• the chair of the police advisory board for England and Wales since April 2021

The GLAA Chair is responsible for leading the board in carrying out its responsibilities to deliver ministerial expectations and the strategic objectives of the GLAA. As such, the GLAA chair is generally responsible to the Home Secretary for the governance and performance of the GLAA.