Hattie Llewelyn-Davies, a highly effective troubleshooter and passionate non-executive director in the fields of homelessness, healthcare, and social housing, has died at the age of 71. She was widely respected for her unwavering commitment and brought imagination, drive, and vision to every board she served on.
A Life of Public Service
Born in London into a family dedicated to public service, Hattie was the daughter of Pat (nee Parry), the first woman to run a parliamentary whip’s office, and Richard, the master planner of Milton Keynes. After leaving Camden School for Girls, she chose to make a difference, starting her career in the early 1970s at the West London Mission, focusing on homelessness charities.
Career Highlights
Within a few years, she was running the Piccadilly Advice Centre for homeless young people. In 1992, she became chief executive of Shepherds Bush Housing Association. In 2004, she was appointed OBE, and in 2018, she was named the Sunday Times Public Sector NED of the year, an honour of which she was immensely proud. Her non-executive assignments were too numerous to list but included a mix of housing associations, health trusts, charities, a museum, a sailing club, and a building society.
Personal Life
In 2002, Hattie married her longtime partner Chris Holmes, chief executive of Shelter. They settled in Tring, Hertfordshire, and had two children, Sara and a son, and two grandchildren, Ottilie and George. Hattie was a keen sailor, teaching her children their seacraft on her prized boat, Lulworth Skipper, moored on the Norfolk Broads. She also had a passion for animal welfare, rehoming ferrets, hedgehogs, and injured birds. Another of her lesser-known talents was knitting and crocheting beautiful clothes and stuffed animals. She was also a qualified but non-practising hypnotherapist.
Chris died in 2014. Hattie is survived by her children and grandchildren.
