Michael O'Connor CBE

Mike has had a varied career and held numerous CEO and senior leadership posts in both the public and voluntary sectors. His voluntary sector roles included StepChange, the UK’s largest debt advice organisation; Consumer Focus, an organisation that helped consumers get a fair deal, the Olympic Lottery Distributor and the Millennium Commission where Mike was responsible for a £4 billion investment programme covering major public infrastructure projects. Mike was also Director for Developed Economies at Consumers International, an international federation of consumer bodies, which campaigns for consumers’ rights across the world.

Prior to this Mike held senior positions in the Department of Health, HM Treasury, and Cabinet Office and he was the Private Secretary to two Ministers for Health. He has degrees in natural and social science from Imperial College London and Keele University, where he is a member of the College of Fellows and has sat on the boards of the Mental Health Foundation and Action on Smoking and Health.  Mike is currently Vice Chair of the London Irish Centre Charity, and a Trustee of Asthma+Lung UK.