Vanessa Nicholls

Interim CHRO & Group Strategic Programmes Director at Nord Anglia Education

Vanessa joined Nord Anglia in January 2023 in the newly created role of Group Strategic Programmes Director. She provides executive leadership for both the group’s edtech programme and its global alumni programme.

Prior to her 25-year career in the UK Civil Service, Vanessa worked for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children as well as within a secondary school in London. Her Civil Service Career began in the Department for Education where she worked on programmes to support parents, children in care, and access to Higher Education. She has held various senior leadership positions in government, overseeing the delivery of major programmes on improving opportunities for young people, international partnerships, and organisational performance.

Vanessa cares deeply about encouraging leadership development, creating environments where people flourish, and supporting younger women to develop their careers.