Vicky Harrison MA, DPhil
Vicky held posts as a scientific administrator in research councils and the Cabinet Office, where she was Deputy to the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser. She was chief executive of a grant-giving foundation for nine years before retirement.
Vicky studied physiology at Oxford, in the 1960s and completed a doctorate on neurotransmitters.
After briefly working for Robert Maxwell (on which experience she has dined out many times!) she held successive posts as a scientific administrator in the research councils and the Cabinet Office, where she was Deputy to the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser.
She then moved from the public to the charitable sector and spent nine years as chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation, gaining experience of issues facing grant-giving charities.
She is married to a retired history professor, and the couple have lived in Oxford since they were students.
She enjoys cooking and gardening some of the time, walking her neighbour’s dogs, travelling and attending the local book club.
When Vicky retired from full-time work she wanted to put her experience of charities and the public sector to good use. She has personal reasons for her interest in deafness, having lost hearing in one ear following a virus infection. Her first contact with Hearing Dogs for Deaf People was when the charity applied for a Wolfson Foundation grant towards the Beatrice Wright Training Centre. She was impressed by what she saw and welcomes the opportunity of helping in the Charity’s further development.