Alison Deborah Moira Hewitt (born 31 August 1963) is a British businesswoman and sports administrator. She was appointed as chair of the Football Association in June 2021, taking up the role in January 2022. Hewitt is the first woman to hold the post. Hewitt was previously chairwoman of The Restaurant Group.

Early life

Alison Deborah Moira Hewitt was born on 31 August 1963 and grew up in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

. While studying for her A-levels, her mother died. Her grandfather, Dr Vivian Brackstone, received an MBE for saving the lives of his fellow prisoners-of-war in a Japanese prison camp.

Career

Hewitt did not initially go to university, and began her career on a Marks & Spencer management training scheme. She later joined Lex where she managed a

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

dealership in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

; Lex sponsored her MBA from the University of Bath, which she completed part-time from 1992 to 1995. She was

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the RAC (which was part of the Lex group) from 2006 until 2008. Since 2018, Hewitt has been the non-executive chairman of BGL Group. She is also non-executive chair of Visa Europe and White Stuff. In the

2011 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2011 were announced on 31 December 2010 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: New Zealand,New Zealand"New Year Honours 2011"(14 January 2011) 2 '' New Zealand Gazette'' 55. The Cook IslandsThe Cook Islands: Grenada,Grenada: ...

, Hewitt was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "for services to business and to the public sector."United Kingdom: In 2021, she was voted in by a unanimous decision of the seven-member selection panel to become the first chairwoman of the FA, following the resignation of Greg Clarke in 2020. The

FA Council The FA Council consists of 92 elected representatives, from the FA Premier League, the Football League, County FAs, and the non-executive board of The Football Association. The council meets to decide the major policies of The FA, which is the ...

ratified the decision in its 22 July 2021 meeting. She announced that she would step down as chair of the Restaurant Group at the end of 2021.

Personal life

Hewitt is married to Paul Hewitt, former finance director at the RAC, and they have twins. She is a life-long

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

fan and lives in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

. She is a parish councillor on the Hough and Chorlton Parish Council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewitt, Debbie 1963 births Living people People from Nottinghamshire Chairmen of the Football Association British women chief executives Alumni of the University of Bath Councillors in Cheshire Members of the Order of the British Empire