Barbara Young

Chief executive

After 20 years campaigning to improve health services management and healthcare policy, Baroness Barbara Young packed in health for the environment, where she campaigned for environmental improvement for a further 20 years. During this period she worked at RSPB, English Nature and the Environment Agency.

While working in health, however, she had significant impact leading the establishment of the Care Quality Commission, the quality regulator for health and social care.

She is now trying to do both health (as CEO of Diabetes UK) and environment (as president or vice of a clutch of charities).

Somewhere in amongst that she was vice-chairman of the BBC, sat on a PLC board, and is a Peer of the Realm.

Her current non-executive roles include Chancellor of Cranfield University, trustee of Imperial College Healthcare Charity, and president of the British Trust for Ornithology.