Sheila Valerie Noakes, Baroness Noakes, (née Masters, born 23 June 1949) is a British

Conservative 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 ...

politician and former corporate executive.

Education and early career

Sheila Masters was educated at Eltham Hill Grammar School, followed by the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, where she studied Law. She qualified as a Chartered Accountant and became a partner in Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co, which is now part of KPMG. For three years from 1988, she was seconded to the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

where she modernised its financial management. In 1999 she became the first female President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. At the same time, she was a non-executive director of the Bank of England and a governor of the

London Business School London Business School (LBS) is a business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London. LBS was founded in 1964 and awards post-graduate degrees (Master's degrees in management and finance, MBA and PhD). Its motto is " ...

, while still overseeing privatisations and other public sector work at KPMG. Trade journal ''

Accountancy Age ''Accountancy Age'' is an online trade publication for accountants and financial staff in the United Kingdom. After running from 1969 to 2011 with a circulation of over 60,000 in print, it changed with effect from May 2011 to an online-only publ ...

'' described her as "the country's most high profile accountant".

Political career

Baroness Noakes was the Opposition spokesperson for the Treasury (2003–2010), Work and Pensions (2001–2006) and Health (2001–2003). In January 2006 she moved, with Lord Phillips, an amendment to the

Identity Cards bill The Identity Cards Act 2006 (c. 15) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was repealed in 2011. It created national identity cards, a personal identification document and European Economic Area travel document, linked to a ...

which led to it being defeated in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

and sent back to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

. She is a co-director of the

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Founders Share Company and the British carpet retailer, CarpetRight. She was made a Non Executive Director at RBS in August 2011.

Honours

She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the

1996 Birthday Honours Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supple ...

. She was created a life peer as Baroness Noakes, of Goudhurst in the

County of Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces the ...

on 7 June 2000.

References

External links

PeerageProfile: Baroness Noakes, conservative Treasury spokeswoman
''Accountancy Age'', 16 August 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Noakes, Sheila Noakes, Baroness 1949 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Conservative Party (UK) life peers People from Goudhurst Women accountants British accountants NatWest Group people