Carolyn Fairbairn

Dame Carolyn Julie Fairbairn DBE (born 13 December 1960) is a British businesswoman, former director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, and a former non-executive director of the Competition and Markets Authority, Lloyds Banking Group, BAE Systems, and the UK Statistics Authority. She has been the Chair of the Royal Mencap Society since March 2022. Early life and education Fairbairn attended Bryanston School as a sixth-form scholar. She graduated with a BA in economics (double first) from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, then an MA in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by an MBA from INSEAD in France. Career She began her career as an economist at the World Bank. In 1985, she became a business and financial journalist, writing for The Economist magazine. In 1988, she joined McKinsey & Company as a management consultant and, during a seven-year career, rose to partner. She worked with companies in sectors including brewing, DIY retailing, computer services, investment management and newspapers, advising on mergers, business expansion, cost control and global competitiveness. In 1995, she joined the Downing Street Policy Unit under the then prime minister, John Major, developing policy for health and social services.