Dame Donna Kinnair was born in Hackney in 1961. She was one of nine children to Antiguan parents. Her interest in healthcare was kindled at an early age after a lengthy hospital stay and so in 1983, she attended Princess Alexandra School of Nursing at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

After qualifying, she began working with intensive care and HIV patients before moving on to become a health visitor in various boroughs and eventually gained a master’s degree in Medical Law and Ethics. With this qualification Dame Donna focused on Child Protection and was, notably, one of the experts on the Laming inquiry which investigated the 2001 death of Victoria Climbié.

During her career, Dame Donna has held several key positions as Strategic Commissioner for Children’s Services at Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham health authority, Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust, Executive Director of Nursing, South-east London Cluster Board and Director of Commissioning, London Borough of Southwark & Southwark Primary Care Trust.

She has taught medical law, ethics and child protection in multiple countries, worked with the prime minister’s commission in 2010, providing advice on Midwifery and Nursing and in 2015, was appointed Head of Nursing of the Royal College of Nursing, promoted to Director for Nursing, Policy and Practice in 2016 and was appointed Chief Executive and General Secretary 2019.

Dame Donna resigned from RCN in 2021 and is now non-executive Director for East London Foundation Trust.