Educated at the Universities of Leeds, Caen and Oxford, Fiona began her career as a fast-track Civil Servant in Whitehall, subsequently teaching Modern Foreign Languages and working in the House of Commons, before joining Royal Mail plc.  Fiona enjoyed a thirteen-year career with Royal Mail, undertaking operational, training and management roles both at home and abroad, including Home Shopping Sales Director, and culminating as Business Implementation and Delivery Director on a UK-wide IT Programme.
Since returning to the North East, Fiona has developed a portfolio career working across all three sectors. This has included her own consultancy practice – providing language services, project management and business development support to SMEs and social enterprises – and interim change leadership roles as Director, Newcastle Science City and North East Programme Director for Safe Families for Children.  She is currently Chief Operating Officer at the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle where her responsibilities include, among others, property, safeguarding, education, HR, health & safety, communications, data protection and finance.
A former chair of an NHS Mental Health and Learning Disability Trust, Fiona is also employed by the Ministry of Justice as both a Specialist Lay Member of First Tier (Mental Health) Tribunals and Appraiser.
As well as a Trustee of Vindolanda, Fiona enjoys voluntary positions supporting Durham University Business School and as a Trustee of the University’s Bede Chair of Theology.  In addition, Fiona is a Trustee of the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, is a judge for the North East Accountancy Awards and is a member of the Charity Advisory Panel for Age UK Northumberland.  Additionally, Fiona is a Non-Executive Director for South Tyneside Integrated Care Limited