Jasmine Whitbread
{{Short description|British businesswoman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jasmine Whitbread
| birth_name = Jasmine Mary Whitbread
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|9|1|df=y}}
| birth_place = London, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| citizenship = United Kingdom and Switzerland
| nationality =
| spouse = {{marriage|Howard Exton-Smith|1994}}
| children = 2
| education = Kneller Girls' School
| alma_mater = University of Bristol
| occupation = Businesswoman
| title = Chair, Travis Perkins
| term = 2021-
}}
Jasmine Mary Whitbread (born 1 September 1963) is a British businesswoman, and the chair of Travis Perkins since 2021.{{cite news |title=London First chief Jasmine Whitbread goes to Travis Perkins |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/london-first-chief-jasmine-whitbread-goes-to-travis-perkins-6ppw3mhfm |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=The Times |date=7 January 2021}}
From 2016 to 2021,{{cite news |title=London First CEO Jasmine Whitbread leaves for Travis Perkins |url=https://www.cityam.com/london-first-ceo-jasmine-whitbread-leaves-for-travis-perkins/ |access-date=4 June 2021 |publisher=City AM |date=6 January 2021}} she was the chief executive of London First, an independent non-profit organisation whose mission is to make London the best city in the world to do business.{{Cite web|url=http://londonfirst.co.uk/about/|title=About {{!}} London First|website=londonfirst.co.uk|access-date=3 January 2017}} She was CEO of Save the Children from 2005 until 2015; firstly leading Save the Children UK and in 2010, creating Save the Children International.
Early life and education
Whitbread was born in London on 1 September 1963.{{cite web|title=WHITBREAD, Jasmine|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U59652|website=Who's Who 2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=1 September 2015|date=November 2014}} Her mother, Ursula Whitbread, is Swiss and her father, Gerald Whitbread, is English.{{cite web|title=Jasmine Whitbread|url=http://www.bristol.ac.uk/pace/graduation/honorary-degrees/hondeg14/whitbread.html|website=Public and Ceremonial Events Office|publisher=University of Bristol|access-date=2 September 2015|date=28 January 2014}} She was educated at Kneller Girls' School, then an all-girls comprehensive school in Twickenham, London.{{cite web|title=Jasmine Whitbread|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/s36dtZ8fHwFqfnzrLJQRzK/jasmine-whitbread|website=Woman's Hour|publisher=BBC Radio 4|access-date=2 September 2015}} In 1986, she graduated from the University of Bristol with a bachelor's degree in English.
She later returned to university study. In 1998, she completed the executive program at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University.{{cite web|title=Jasmine Whitbread|url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/jasminewhitbread|website=The Guardian|access-date=2 September 2015}}
Career
Whitbread began her career in marketing. From 1986 to 1988, she was a marketing manager at Rio Tinto Computer Services. She then moved to the United States and was director of global marketing at Cortex Corporation.{{cite news|last1=Benjamin|first1=Alison|title=Powers of persuasion|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/nov/08/socialexclusion.guardiansocietysupplement|access-date=2 September 2015|work=The Guardian|date=8 November 2006}} From 1990 to 1992, she was in Uganda with the Voluntary Service Overseas as a management trainer at the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda.{{cite news|last1=Lynch|first1=Andrew|title=Leading edge: Jasmine Whitbread|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/Appointments/article1233984.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006011224/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/Appointments/article1233984.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 October 2013|access-date=2 September 2015|work=The Sunday Times|date=24 March 2013}} From 1994 to 1999, she was a managing director of Thomson Financial (now Thomson Reuters).
She then joined Oxfam GB, where she was regional director for West Africa from 1999 to 2002, then international director from 2002 to 2005. In 2005, she joined Save the Children UK as chief executive officer (CEO); she was the first woman to head the charity. After five years, she was appointed CEO of Save the Children International. She stepped down from the role on 31 December 2015.{{cite web|last1=Farey-Jones|first1=Daniel|title=Jasmine Whitbread to leave Save the Children International|url=http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/jasmine-whitbread-leave-save-children-international/management/article/1355732|website=Third Sector|access-date=2 September 2015}} In December 2016, she became the chief executive of London First.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cityam.com/250577/london-firsts-new-chief-executive|title=This is London First's new chief executive|last=Kirton|first=Hayley|date=3 October 2016|access-date=3 January 2017}}{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}
On 19 January 2011, Whitbread was appointed to the board of BT as a non-executive director, where she is a member of the Committee for Sustainable and Responsible Business and the Audit and Risk Committee.{{cite web|title=Jasmine Whitbread|url=http://btplc.com/Thegroup/Ourcompany/Theboard/Non-executivedirectors/JasmineWhitbread/index.htm|website=BT Plc|access-date=2 September 2015|archive-date=22 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822175433/http://www.btplc.com/Thegroup/Ourcompany/Theboard/Non-executivedirectors/JasmineWhitbread/index.htm|url-status=dead}} On 1 April 2015, she was appointed an independent non-executive director of Standard Chartered where she chairs the Brand, Values and Conduct Committee.{{cite web|title=Jasmine Whitbread|url=https://www.sc.com/en/about-us/our-people/about-us-our-people-profile/jasmine-whitbread.html|website=Standard Chartered|access-date=2 September 2015}} She has served on the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities, which was jointly chaired by Goodluck Jonathan and Jens Stoltenberg, and issued recommendations to increase access to and use of 13 essential commodities for women’s and children’s health.[http://www.lifesavingcommodities.org/about/composition-of-the-commission/ Composition of the Commission] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103074514/http://lifesavingcommodities.org/about/composition-of-the-commission/ |date=3 January 2020 }} Life-Saving Commodities Practitioners’ Network.
In August 2019 she was appointed a non-executive director at WPP plc effective from 1 September 2019 serving as a member of the Compensation Committee.{{cite web|url=https://www.wpp.com/news/2019/08/wpp-appoints-jasmine-whitbread-to-the-board|website=WPP|title=WPP appoints Jasmine Whitbread to the Board}}
Whitbread regularly blogged for the Financial Times during the annual World Economics Forum in Davos.{{Cite news|url=http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2013/01/davos-day-three-press-round-up/|title=Davos Day Three – press round-up|newspaper=Financial Times|access-date=3 January 2017}} In 2013, she featured in the CNN Leading Women series.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/04/business/save-the-children-ceo-whitbread/index.html|title=Save the Children CEO: 'Our bottom line is children's lives' - CNN.com|author=Becky Anderson|website=CNN|date=4 June 2013 |access-date=3 January 2017}} Acting as an ambassador for women in leadership, Whitbread spoke on the Evening Standard's panel debate with Cherie Booth QC, in 2012.{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/women-on-boards-debate-banking-crisis-helped-women-stake-place-in-the-boardroom-8106277.html|title=Women on boards debate: Banking crisis 'helped women stake place in|date=5 September 2012|newspaper=Evening Standard|language=en-GB|access-date=4 January 2017}}
Personal life
In 1994, Whitbread married Howard Exton-Smith. Together, they have two children.
Whitbread holds British/Swiss dual nationality.{{cite web|title=Our CEO, Jasmine Whitbread |url=https://www.savethechildren.net/about-us/our-ceo-jasmine-whitbread |website=Save the Children |access-date=2 September 2015 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623181103/https://www.savethechildren.net/about-us/our-ceo-jasmine-whitbread |archive-date=23 June 2015 }}
Honours
In 2013, Whitbread was named one of the UK’s 100 most powerful women by BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.{{cite web|title=Top 100 Powerful Women in the UK Today|url=http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alumni/news/2013/399.html|website=Alumni and friends|publisher=University of Bristol|access-date=2 September 2015|date=12 February 2013}} In January 2014, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bristol.
References
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Category:British women business executives
Category:Swiss business executives
Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol
Category:People from Twickenham