Kathryn Jane Parminter, Baroness Parminter (born 24 June 1964) is a

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

, and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

of the United Kingdom. She was created Baroness Parminter, of

Godalming Godalming is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settleme ...

in the County of Surrey on 15 July 2010 and was introduced in the

19 July 2010 and, having supported

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

causes, chose to wear robes of animal-free ermine. She made he
maiden speech
two days later in a debate on women in society. Kate Parminter is an advisor to the ''Every Child a Reader'' programme which tackles illiteracy in schools, a trustee of the

IPPR The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is a progressive think tank based in London. It was founded in 1988 and is an independent registered charity. IPPR has offices in Newcastle upon Tyne, Manchester, and Edinburgh. Funding comes from ...

think tank and is also a Patron of the Meath Epilepsy Trust.

Professional career

Prior to her elevation, Baroness Parminter worked as a freelance consultant advising charities and companies (including

Lloyd’s Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gov ...

, the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...

Mencap The Royal Mencap Society is a charity based in the United Kingdom that works with people with a learning disability. Its Charity Number is 222377. History Established by Judy Fryd in 1946 as The National Association of Parents of Backwards Chi ...

Age Concern Age Concern is the banner title used by a number of Charitable organization, charitable organizations (NGOs) specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people (defined as those over the age of 50) based chiefly in the four cou ...

) on charity issues, campaigning and corporate social responsibility. From 1998 to 2004 she was Chief Executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, a conservation charity. Between 1990 and 1998 she worked for the

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...

, rising from

public relations officer The public relations officer (PRO) or chief communications officer (CCO) or corporate communications officer is a C-suite level officer responsible for communications, public relations, and/or public affairs in an organization. Typically, the CCO ...

to become Head of Public Affairs. She chaired the Campaign for the Protection of Hunted Animals, which helped to ban hunting, between 1997 and 1998. Before this, she was an account executive at ''Juliette Hellman PR'', a parliamentary researcher for

Simon Hughes Sir Simon Henry Ward Hughes (born 17 May 1951) is a former British politician. He is now the Chancellor of London South Bank University, an External Adviser to The Open University, and UK Strategic Adviser to Talgo. Hughes was Deputy Leader ...

MP, and a graduate marketing trainee for The Nestlé Co Ltd.

Political career

Parminter was a Liberal Democrat councillor on

Horsham District Council Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby town ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

between 1987 and 1995. In 2008 she was appointed by

Nick Clegg Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British media executive and former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has been president for global affairs at Meta Platforms since 2022, having previously been vicepr ...

to work on the Party's Reform Commission, which was charged with outlining a route map for the Party's future. She was a member of the Party's Federal Executive Committee, which endorsed the proposal to join the

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

with the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

in May 2010, and the Federal Finance and Administration Committee. She was offered the position three years before accepting but declined the offer as she wanted to look after her children.

Personal life

Baroness Parminter grew up in

and was educated at state schools in

Horsham Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

. She studied

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located on the banks of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formall ...

between 1983 and 1986. She lives in Godalming, Surrey with her husband Neil Sherlock, a public affairs partner at

KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...

, and their two school-age daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parminter, Kate Parminter, Baroness Living people Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers 1964 births Councillors in West Sussex Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors People from Horsham District British public relations people People associated with animal welfare and rights Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford People from Godalming Women councillors in England