Dianne Thompson

Dame Ila Dianne Thompson, DBE (née Wood; born 31 December 1950) is a British businesswoman. She was chief executive officer of Camelot Group from 2000 to 2014.

Dame Dianne Thompson DBE
Born	Ila Dianne Wood (1950-12-31) 31 December 1950 (age 73) UK
Education	Batley Girls’ Grammar School
Alma mater	University of London Manchester Metropolitan University
Occupation	Businesswoman
Parent(s)	Ronald Wood Joan Pinder

Early life and education

Thompson was born on 31 December 1950 to^[1] Ronald and Joan (née Pinder) Wood.^[1] Thompson was educated at the Batley Girls’ Grammar School.^[1]

She earned Bachelor of Arts^[2] in French and English^[2] from the University of London^[2] as an external student^[2] at Manchester Polytechnic^[2] (now Manchester Metropolitan University).^[1]

Career

Thompson joined Camelot in 1997 and was appointed CEO in 2000.^[3] In April 2014 it was announced that Thompson would step down from the position from 31 October.^[4] Since 2015, she has been a non-executive director of Next plc.^[5]

In 2014, Thompson was among candidates considered to succeed Chris Patten as Chair of the BBC Trust, but in August, it was announced that the position would be given to Rona Fairhead, a former Chair of Financial Times Group.^[6]

It was confirmed in 2014 that Thompson had assumed ownership of The George Hotel on the Isle of Wight and that she had plans to reinvigorate the hotel and its dining offer.^[7]

From Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), Thompson was elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to the National Lottery and charitable services.^[8][9]

Personal life

Thompson married Roger Thompson in 1972.^[1] They had a daughter, and separated in 1992.^[1]

Arms

Coat of arms of Dianne Thompson

Notes Arms were granted 16 November 2016 [10] Escutcheon Per pale barry wavy of four Azure and Argent eight Roundels in orle counterchanged on a Chief Or a Lion passant guardant Gules. Motto Honesty and Integrity Badge Badge (not illustrated): An Oak Tree eradicated proper fructed Gules in front of the trunk a Circular Saw Blade Sable thereon a Rose Argent barbed and seeded proper.

References

1. "THOMPSON, Dame (Ila) Dianne". Who's Who 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
2. "Notable past students of University of London". University of London. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
3. Profile, checkcompany.co.uk; accessed 16 June 2016.
4. Yeomans, Jon (29 April 2014). "Camelot boss Dianne Thompson steps down after 14 years". The Grocer. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
5. "Our Board: DAME DIANNE THOMPSON". Next plc. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
6. Prynne, Miranda (31 August 2014). "Businesswoman Rona Fairhead the preferred choice for next BBC Trust chairman". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
7. "New owner of The George Hotel revealed" On The Wight 31 March 2014 Retrieved 19 November 2014.
8. "No. 61092". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2014. p. N8.
9. 2015 New Year Honours List Archived January 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
10. "January 2017 Newsletter (No. 49) - College of Arms".