Dame Sharon Michele White, Lady Chote, DBE (born 21 April 1967) is a British businesswoman who served as the sixth Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, having previously held a variety of roles in the Civil Service.
She was the chief executive of the British media regulator Ofcom from March 2015 to November 2019,[1] and was second permanent secretary at HM Treasury from 2013 to 2015.[2] She was the first black person, and the second woman, to become a permanent secretary at the Treasury.
At the Treasury, she supervised a review of the financial management of government and the Treasury's management response to the international financial crisis of 2007–08.[5] She was director general for public spending at the Treasury from 2012 to 2013,[7] and then replaced Tom Scholar as second permanent secretary in 2013.[8][9] She was the first black person to become a permanent secretary at the Treasury, and the second woman after Dame Anne Mueller in the 1980s.[8][10]
In November 2014, The Voice named White the 7th most powerful black person in Britain.[11] White has been recognised for her influence as one of the most powerful Black British people in the UK on a number of occasions by Powerlist, topping the 2023 list,[12] as well as regularly ranking in the top 10 since 2016, including second place in 2019 and last listed in the 2020 and 2021 editions.[5][13][14]
In December 2014, it was announced that White would be the chief executive of Ofcom from March 2015,[15] replacing Ed Richards as the previous chief executive and Steve Unger as the interim chief executive.[16]
In June 2019, it was announced that White would be stepping down from her role at Ofcom to replace Sir Charlie Mayfield as the sixth chairman of the John Lewis Partnership.[17] White succeeded Mayfield during a meeting of the John Lewis Partnership Council on 4 February 2020. It was confirmed that White would be awarded an annual salary of £990,000 for her role at the John Lewis Partnership, a significant increase on her previous salary, which was £341,700 according to data released by Ofcom.[17]
^O'Callaghan, Laura (7 June 2017). "First woman to lead Ofcom inspires career paths of young girls". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 26 May 2024. Mrs White said: 'It was a real pleasure to go back to Connaught. The three years I spent there, when it was a middle school, were amongst the happiest of my school life.'