DAME VIVIAN HUNT DBE

Vivian was born in Ohio, USA, whilst her father who was an officer in the US Air Force, was on a tour of duty in Alaska. She moved frequently during her early childhood, spending time living across America, as well as in Japan, as a result of her father’s military service. Her mother,a teacher and education specialist, home-schooled Vivian and her two brothers to ensure that they received continuity in their education throughout this period. Eventually, Vivian’s family settled in Massachusetts where she attended boarding school before securing a place to study sociology, economics and government at Harvard University.

During her time at university, Vivian realised both the importance of individual service and the power of scale when she helped to scale Harvard Student Agencies, which employed hundreds of students, who used their wages to help fund elements of their university education. After university, joined the Peace Corps where she was assigned to Sokone, Senegal, to live and work as a rural midwife. During this time, she used her personal experience with the power of scale to help improve the approach to pre- and post-natal care in the local community. In Sokone, Vivian found her passion for healthcare, a sector in which she later specialised for over twenty years.

Following the Peace Corps, Vivian worked in New York before returning to Massachusetts to attend Harvard Business School. Upon graduating, Vivian began work at McKinsey& Company, one of the top management consultant firms in the world. In 1997, she transferred to the company’s London office.

During her long career at McKinsey in London, Vivian has contributed to building a healthcare practice that has made a considerable difference for patients, research and development, management, and policy across the UK and abroad. In addition, since 2007, she has led and contributed to pioneering global research on the positive impact of gender, cultural, and ethnic diversity on financial performance.

She has also contributed to thought-leading work on the power of global diverse talent.

Vivian believes that business leaders should make a broad contribution to society and she serveson the boards of a diverserange of businessand community organisations in this regard, such as British-American Business Council and the CBI London Council.She is also a trustee of The Henry Smith Charity, and sits on the Advisory Council of the Tate Modern and the Southbank Centre.

In 2018, Vivian was awarded a DBE for her services to the economy and womenin business.