Dame Carol Ann Homden DBE (born 9 April 1960) is Chief Executive of the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children (known as Coram), the first and longest-continuing children's charity.[1] She is also Chair of the board of Diabetes UK.[2] and a trustee of the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH).[3]
Early life and education
editHomden was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire to Dick and Beryl (née Kinnersley) Homden. Dick Homden was managing director of Salop Design, a tool pressings business he had founded in 1960. He served as director of Walsall FC and Birmingham City FC, before becoming chairman of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.[4]
Carol Homden attended Shrewsbury High School from 1964 to 1978, where she was elected head girl.[5] In 1978 she attended the University of East Anglia, graduating with a 2:1 in English Literature. Her doctoral thesis (1986) was published by Cambridge University Press as The Plays of David Hare.[6]
Career
editIn 1985, Homden joined the Polytechnic of North London (PNL) as Public Relations Officer.[7] She left to join the Polytechnic of Central London (PCL) in 1987 as Director of Corporate Communications, later becoming its Director of Marketing and Development.[8] It was during her tenure that she oversaw its rebranding from Polytechnic to become the University of Westminster. She was also the Coordinator of the Coalition of Modern Universities.[citation needed]
In 1999, she became Commercial Director at the British Museum,[9] where she oversaw the launch of the Great Court. In 2003 Homden joined the Prince's Trust as Commercial Director.[10] She joined the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children as Chief Executive in 2007.[11]
Professional development
editHomden was Chair of the Avenues Trust from 2005–2010,[12] and Chair of the National Autistic Society from 2011–2021. She served on the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales from 2014–17.[13] She drove the amalgamation of multiple organisations to form the Coram Group, raising their turnover from £6.5m to over £25m.[1] She has also led the development of the Coram Institute for Children, which was recognised as an Independent Research Organisation in 2025[14]
Awards
editHomden was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013, for services to children and families,[15] and was elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2026 New Year Honours.[16]
References
edit- 1 2 "Client Challenge". www.ft.com.
- ↑ "A message from Dr Carol Homden CBE, our new Chair of Trustees". Diabetes UK.
- ↑ "Meet the Board".
- ↑ "Homden was Wolves hero - Turner". 6 December 2010 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ "Shrewsbury High School Alumnae". shrewsburyhigh.gdst.net. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024.
- ↑ Homden, Carol (23 December 1995). "The Plays of David Hare". Cambridge University Press – via Cambridge University Press.
- ↑ "Dr Carol Homden OBE – Knowledge Quarter".
- ↑ "Dr Carol Homden". huffingtonpost.co.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "Profile: Carol Homden, British Museum - Exhibiting the best of British/Carol Homden is co-ordinating PR for the redeveloped British Museum". www.prweek.co.uk.
- ↑ Hawkes, By Helen Nugent and Alex (17 October 2003). "Prince puts trust in corporate backers". www.thetimes.com.
- ↑ "Our people".
- ↑ "Carol Ann HOMDEN personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
- ↑ "[Withdrawn] Youth Justice Board welcomes Dr Carol Homden as new member". GOV.UK. 14 October 2021.
- ↑ Homden, Carol (17 October 2025). "An Institute for Children – why now?". CYP Now.
- ↑ "Order of the Companions of Honour - Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk.
- ↑ "'Humbling and overwhelming': Chief of children's charity made DBE in New Year Honours". Suffolk News. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
External links
edit- Lecture on women and children's rights at the University of Newcastle
- Interview on Radio 5 Live
- Profile in The Daily Telegraph
- Profile in The Guardian
- Profile in the Financial Times
- Evidence to the Covid Enquiry
- Profile in PR Week
- Feature interview in Microsoft Public Sector Centre of Expertise
- Interview for Department of Education on National Adoption Week