Sir Richard Heaton KCB
Email Address rnh26@robinson.cam.ac.uk
College Position Warden
Degrees
MA (Oxon) (Jurisprudence), Worcester College, Oxford
Graduate Diploma in History of Art, Courtauld Institute, University of London
Career History
Sir Richard joined the Home Office in 1991 as a legal adviser. He held a number of senior Civil Service posts, both legal and non-legal, in a career of nearly 30 years. As a senior leader in the Civil Service, he was a recognised advocate for diversity and inclusion. He was the Civil Service Race Champion for six years, pioneering programmes to make the Civil Service more inclusive and to remove barriers to entry and progression.
2015 - 2020 Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery
2012 - 2015 Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office
2012 - 2015 First Parliamentary Counsel
2008 - 2012 Director General, Pensions Policy, Department for Work & Pensions
2006 - 2008 Head of Law & Governance, Department for Work & Pensions
2003 - 2006 Head of Legal Services, Lord Chancellor’s Department
2001 - 2003 Deputy Director, constitutional law, Lord Chancellor’s Department
2000 - 2001 Legal Advisor for constitutional reform, Cabinet Office
2020 to date Trustee, Koestler Arts (promoting rehabilitation through prisoners' participation in the arts; Chair since 2022
2014 - 2020 Chair of Trustees, United Saviour's Charity, Southwark (community investment and almshouse charity)
Travel (particularly India); art and design (collector of contemporary and 20th century British and Indian paintings, drawings and ceramics)