Baroness Camilla Cavendish

Baroness Camilla Cavendish of Little Venice is a prominent figure in British journalism, public policy, and government. Cavendish serves as an independent peer in the UK House of Lords. Her career encompasses a broad spectrum of roles, beginning at McKinsey & Co and progressing to chief executive officer of a public-private joint venture focused on the regeneration of London's South Bank. She contributed to the founding of the lobby group London First and was the inaugural chief executive officer of the South Bank Employers' Group, a not-for-profit trust.

Cavendish held several editorial positions at The Times, including associate editor, columnist, and chief leader writer. She later worked at The Sunday Times. Her investigative journalism at The Times, particularly her campaign to expose miscarriages of justice in family courts, led to legislative changes that increased media access to those courts. Cavendish received recognition for her work on child protection injustices, including the Paul Foot/Private Eye Award for investigative journalism, Campaigning Journalist of the Year, and Wincott Senior Financial Journalist. She was also listed among the most influential women in the UK by BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Power List.

Cavendish transitioned from journalism to government service as Head of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit, where she contributed to policy development in health and social care, including the introduction of the sugar tax. She authored the Cavendish Review, an independent assessment of healthcare assistants and support workers in the NHS and social care, commissioned by the UK Government. During the pandemic, Cavendish served as a temporary adviser to the Secretary of State for Health and provided recommendations on social care reform.

After being appointed a Conservative member of the House of Lords, Cavendish later became a non-affiliated peer. She is a Senior Fellow in Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School, where she researches demographic trends. Cavendish also serves as a non-executive director at the Department of Health and Social Care and chairs Frontline, a non-profit organization that recruits and trains graduates to become social workers.

Cavendish writes a weekly op-ed column for Financial Times and is the author of "Extra Time: Ten Lessons for an Ageing World." The book examines demographic shifts and their impact on society, including multigenerational workplaces, future skills, technology, and artificial intelligence. Cavendish frequently appears on broadcast media such as Question Time, BBC Radio 4, BBC Today, Politics Live, and Bloomberg, providing analysis on politics, health and social care, and the future of work.