Jill Ann Shaw, Lady Ruddock, (born November 1955) is a London-based philanthropist, author and former investment banker whose charitable work focuses on the arts and quality of life for the over 50. She is married to Sir Paul Ruddock.

Early life

Ruddock was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland. She attended Northwestern High School in Baltimore before receiving a degree in Politics from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

. After early jobs in advertising and publishing for Young & Rubicam, ''

Inc. Magazine ''Inc.'' is an American business magazine founded in 1979 and based in New York City. The magazine publishes six issues per year, along with surrounding online and social media content. The magazine also produces several live and virtual events y ...

'' and ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', she relocated to London in 1983 and co-ran The Government Research Corporation before joining Alex. Brown & Sons in 1985, becoming managing director in 1994. There she oversaw the mergers of the firm's European equity business with both

Bankers Trust Bankers Trust was a historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons in 1997 before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1999. Deutsche Bank sold the Trust and Custody division of Bankers Trust to State Street Corpor ...

and

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...

Philanthropy

After leaving Alex Brown in 1999, Ruddock became involved in the theatre, joining the main boards of

The Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by M ...

and the educational theatre charity, The Mousetrap Theatre Projects, which seeks to bring theatre to disadvantaged young people. She was a trustee of the main board of Governors at

for ten years. Together with her husband, they are donors at

The Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art and are ambassadors of AfriKids, a child rights organisation that works alongside indigenous communities in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

to improve the quality of life for rejected and vulnerable children. She and her husband are patrons of The Donmar Warehouse, The Mousetrap Theatre Projects,

The Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

, The National Theatre and Almeida Theatre. In May 2015, Ruddock was made a "Chevalier dans Ordre des Arts et Lettres" for services to French art, awarded by the French Government's Minister of Culture. She was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the

2016 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2016 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

, in recognition of her philanthropic work with older people.

''The Second Half of Your Life''

Ruddock is the author of ''The Second Half of Your Life'' (Vermilion, 2011), a book about successful ageing using menopause as the hormonal springboard to get to the best years of a woman's life. It offers practical hands-on advice for post-menopausal women, covering many of the issues women face as they grow older: from finance, dating, divorce, exercise, going back to work, the libido, marriage, andropause and to how to look your best. The book also emphasises what she believes is the foundation for healthy ageing, her "Five A Day"; purpose, passion, exercise, nutrition and staying connected to family friends and community. The book is now in its 9th printing and was released in mass market paperback in March 2015. "I'm trying to rebrand the entire process of getting old," she has told the press, arguing that the menopause should be welcomed rather than feared by women. All author proceeds go to fund the work of The Second Half Foundation.

The Second Half Foundation and Second Half Centre

Ruddock is chairman and founder of The Second Half of Life Foundation (Reg 1141988), a charity which seeks to address loneliness and isolation among the over 50s for any person from any background over the age of 50: from the underprivileged to ethnic minorities to those who are just isolated through the creation of community centre. The first Second Half Centre opened in October 2012 at the NHS St. Charles's Hospital, North Kensington. The centre brings to life the "Five a Day" for successful ageing as cited in her book, offering older adults the opportunity to socialise, learn new skills, and exercise for a small fee. The project's supporters include Jeremy Hunt MP,

Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...

and

Ruby Wax Ruby Wax (; born 19 April 1953) is an American-British actress, comedian, writer, television personality, and mental health campaigner. A classically-trained actress, Wax was with the Royal Shakespeare Company for five years and co-starred on t ...

. The Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea named the Second Half Foundation as her charity of the year in 2011–2012. The Second Half Foundation is creating a self-sustaining template to reflect 21st century solutions to the problems facing our ageing population in the 21st century. In addition to The Second Half Centre now run by Open Age, which has over 4000 members and 80 hours of activities weekly, Ruddock has expanded in London, partnering with the Diocese of London creating four Second Half Clubs in churches on days not of worship: St Stephen, St Andrews, St Paul's and St Mary The Boltons.

Awards

* ''Jewish Care Woman of Distinction Award 2012'' * ''Veuve Clicquot, Woman of The Year Tribute 2012'' * ''Bowdoin College Common Good Award 2012'' * ''The Libertine 100 2015'' for "...challenging stereotypes about ageing" * ''Chevaliers dans Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' – awarded May 2015 * ''

(CBE)'' in the

, for philanthropic services to older people.

Personal life

She has been married to Sir Paul Ruddock, co-founder of Lansdowne Partners hedge fund, since 1991. The couple have two adult daughters, Sophie and Isabella, and live in Notting Hill.

Bibliography

* Ruddock, Jill Shaw (2011). The Second Half of Your Life (1st ed.). Vermillion March 2015 * Ruddock, Jill Shaw (2015). The Second Half of Your Life (2nd ed.). Vermillion March 2015

References

External links

Afrikids

Donmar Warehouse

Mousetrap Theatre Projects

The Second Half Centre

The Second Half Foundation Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw Ruddock, Jill American investment bankers American philanthropists British women Bowdoin College alumni British philanthropists British writers Businesspeople from Baltimore Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Directors of museums in the United States Women museum directors Living people American patrons of the arts British patrons of the arts Philanthropists from London Philanthropic organisations based in England Commanders of the Order of the British Empire American emigrants to England Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Wives of knights 1955 births