Mentor
Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE
Overview
Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE is an established Chair, former FTSE Chief Executive and experienced board director with a career spanning professional services, business services, infrastructure and public policy. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, she is one of a small number of women to have served as CEO in the FTSE 100/250 and the first Asian woman to do so.
Ruby’s executive career culminated in nine years as Chief Executive of Mitie Group plc (2007–2016), where she led a period of substantial growth and diversification, working closely with major private and public sector clients. Her earlier finance and leadership roles built a strong foundation in performance management, operational efficiency and large-scale workforce management in complex, people-intensive businesses.
She now holds a broad portfolio of leadership roles across business and public life. Ruby is Chair of Airports UK, Deputy Chair of Tideway London, and a Non-Executive Director at AtkinsRéalis Inc, Thales SA and Everyman Media Group plc. She is a former President of both the British Chambers of Commerce and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, reflecting her long-standing interest in productivity, skills and the world of work.
Appointed to the House of Lords in 2015 as a Life Peer, Ruby plays an active role in shaping debate and policy. She authored the UK Government’s independent Race in the Workplace review (2017), which has been widely referenced in boardrooms and policy circles, and was Chair of the UK Government’s Women’s Business Council from 2012 to 2016. She also served as a Business Trade Ambassador for the UK from 2012 to 2019 and was appointed as -Work Progression Commissioner in 2020.
Ruby brings deep cross-sector expertise in:
• FTSE leadership, transformation & services businesses – leading Mitie through growth, diversification and large-scale client partnerships.
• Board and committee leadership – chairing and serving on boards across infrastructure, aviation, engineering, defence and media.
• Public policy, regulation & parliamentary experience – active member of the House of Lords and author of major government reviews.
• Investor, business & trade engagement – leadership across chambers of commerce, professional institutes and international trade promotion.
Within her profession she is a Fellow of the ICAEW and received its Outstanding Achievement Award in 2015, the Institute’s most prestigious honour. She holds honorary doctorates from Cranfield University, Kingston University and the University of the West of England. She was also recognised by the Financial Times in 2013 as one of the world’s top 50 female business leaders.
PDF Profile
Download PDFMajor Career Roles
MITIE Group plc
Chief Executive
Airports UK
Chair
Tideway Tunnel
Deputy Chair
Thales SA
Independent Non-Executive Director
AtkinsRéalis Group Inc
Independent Non-Executive Director
Everyman Media Group plc
Independent Non-Executive Director
British Chambers of Commerce
President
UK House of Lords
Peer
Other Career Highlights
UK Department for Education
Non-Executive Director
Intitute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education
Chair
UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Independent Non-Executive Director
PageGroup plc
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director and Non-Executive Director
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