University of Bradford Honorary Graduates
July 2005
Barbara Stephens OBE
Barbara Stephens is being awarded an honorary Doctor of the University by the University
of Bradford for her services to equality of opportunity in the public service.
Barbara grew up in Colchester, Essex, where she attended an all-girls grammar school.
Nobody in her family had previously been to university, but she was encouraged to apply
to read History and was offered a place.
She chose instead to apply for a place on an apprenticeship scheme with the Marconi
company, where she was the only female in the year’s intake of 200. She had an
extremely successful 18-year career in industry, ending as a senior project manager when
she hit a ‘glass ceiling’ she had never previously encountered.
She then joined the National Economic Development Office (NEDO) as an industrial
advisor for the electronics industry. NEDO sponsored her to study for an MBA part-time at
City University, and she was half way through the two-year course when she had a motor
cycle accident that disabled her.
With the support of family, friends and colleagues, Barbara was able to complete the MBA.
When NEDO was closed, she moved with her husband to Cumbria to become Chief
Executive of the local economic development agency.
After more than five years, she went on to be Chief Executive of the Local Government
Commission for England. When this in turn merged with the newly-formed Electoral
Commission, she became a recruitment consultant, working in the public sector and
specialising in academia.
For more than 20 years, Barbara has held non-executive roles alongside her full-time
employment. These roles have included chairing the Governing Body of an 11-18
comprehensive school in the 1980s, chairing the Advisory Committee on the Recruitment
of Navy Personnel, membership of the Engineering Council for over six years,
membership of the New Opportunities Fund, and for nearly seven years, membership of
the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
Barbara is currently Chair of the NHSU, the corporate university for the NHS, is a member
of the Widening Participation Strategic Committee for HEFCE, and is a Trustee of the
Educational Broadcasting Services Trust and of the Association of MBAs. She was made
an OBE in 2002 in recognition of services to local government and continues to live in
West Cumbria.
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