Jennifer Rowe (born 2 October 1955) is a retired British

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

and former chief executive of the

Supreme Court of the United Kingdom The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (initialism: UKSC or the acronym: SCOTUK) is the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom for all civil cases, and for criminal cases originating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As the Unite ...

and the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

Early life

Jenny Rowe was born on 2 October 1955, and educated at

Sir James Smith's School Sir James Smith's School is a coeducational secondary school located in the town of Camelford, North Cornwall, England. The headteacher is Kristien Carrington. History Founded as a grammar school in 1679, at a property overlooking the town, the ...

Camelford Camelford ( kw, Reskammel) is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately ten miles (16 km) north of Bodmin and is governed by ...

. She graduated from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

in 1977 with a BA (Hons) in History, and studied at the College of Law, Lancaster Gate, and

Birkbeck College Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public university, public research university, located in Bloomsbury, London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the federal Universit ...

, where she gained an MSc in Policy Administration in 1984.

Civil service

Rowe joined the

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

shortly after graduating from Birkbeck, and held a number of posts in the

Lord Chancellor's Department The Lord Chancellor's Department was a United Kingdom government department answerable to the Lord Chancellor with jurisdiction over England and Wales. Created in 1885 as the Lord Chancellor's Office with a small staff to assist the Lord Chancell ...

. From 1990 to 1993, Rowe was

Principal Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in t ...

to the

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

, and from 1993–1995, was Principal Establishment and Finance Officer at the Serious Fraud Office. She returned to the

in 1995 as Head of Criminal Policy, and was re-appointed Principal Private Secretary to the Lord Chancellor in 1997. In 1999, she became Director of Corporate Services, and in 2002, Director of Finance and Corporate Affairs. She served as Secretary to the Butterfield ''Review of Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions conducted by HM Customs and Excise'' in 2003. In 2004, she was appointed Director of Policy Administration at the

Attorney General's Office The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is a department of His Majesty's Government that supports the Attorney General and their deputy, the Solicitor General (together, the Law officers of the Crown in England and Wales). It is sometimes referred ...

. In January 2008, the

Jack Straw John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946) is a British politician who served in the Cabinet from 1997 to 2010 under the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He held two of the traditional Great Offices of State, as Home Secretary ...

, announced Rowe's appointment as the first chief executive of the new

, which began operation in October 2009. Rowe retired in October 2015 and was succeeded by Mark Ormerod as chief executive of the

. Rowe was appointed

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB) in the

2013 Birthday Honours The 2013 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...

Personal life

Rowe married the late John Ellis in 1993. Her interests include travelling, reading, theatre, opera, museums and galleries, gardening and watching cricket. She is a member of the

Royal Over-Seas League The Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) is a not-for-profit members' organisation with international headquarters in its clubhouse in central London, England. Founded by Sir Evelyn Wrench in 1910 as the Over-Seas Club, it was given a Royal Charter ...

Middlesex County Cricket Club Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Middlesex which has effectively been subsumed within the ceremonial ...

and

Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey County Cricket Club (Surrey CCC) is a first-class club in county cricket, one of eighteen in the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Surrey, including areas that now form South London ...

, and has been a Trustee of the

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...

since 2005.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Jenny 1955 births Alumni of King's College London Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London Civil servants in the Lord Chancellor's Department Civil servants in the Serious Fraud Office (United Kingdom) Civil servants in the Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom) Civil servants in the Attorney General's Office (United Kingdom) People from Cornwall Private secretaries in the British Civil Service Living people Companions of the Order of the Bath