My wife, Pam Alexander, who has died aged 68 of ovarian cancer, held leadership positions across the public sector followed by a variety of non-executive roles to which she brought her vast experience and a commitment to encouraging more women to take up senior positions.
Born in London, Pam was the daughter of Reginald Alexander, a marine underwriter, and his wife, Marion (nee Ross). She attended Lady Eleanor Holles school, in Hampton, followed by Newnham College, Cambridge, where she studied geography, graduating in 1975.
Her career started in the civil service fast stream at the Department of the Environment (now Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). Housing was her passion and by 1992 she was head of the DoE Housing Associations Division.
In the same year as our marriage in 1994, she left to become deputy chief executive of the Housing Corporation and, in 1997, chief executive of English Heritage. Notably she persuaded Sir Jocelyn Stevens, her chairman, to make Stonehenge accessible for the celebration of the summer solstice. She also oversaw the final stages and unveiling of the restored Albert Memorial restoration in Kensington Gardens.
She then moved to become chief executive of the South East England Development Agency, where she led for all the nation’s Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) on innovation, science and universities and co-chaired the national Women’s Enterprise Task Force. Pam had a particular interest in the regeneration of seaside towns including Hastings, Eastbourne and Margate. She was appointed OBE in 2012.
She had many subsequent non-executive roles in both private and public sector arenas. She was on the boards of Crest Nicholson and Crossrail; she was chair of the Peabody Trust and of the Covent Garden Market Authority, where she led the redevelopment of the market on the Nine Elms site.
To all these varied but significant roles Pam brought formidable acumen, her professional skills as an urban geographer and leadership experience to build bridges across the public, private and voluntary sectors. The aim was always to promote a power of place through a focus on the complex relationship between communities and the place where they live. Architecture is a crucial element in the equation and in 2020 Pam became an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Pam was an extraordinary networker, and a fine conversationalist, known for her wonderful smile and ability to bring people together. Newnham remained a place of great significance for her and she was part of the group that created the 2018 TEDxNewnham.
She loved choral singing and was a member of different choirs since early on in her career, most recently the Vivace Chorus, participating in their biannual European tours. This extended to a passion for opera, art and theatre.
She is survived by me, my children from a previous marriage, Oliver, Joanna and Ben, her sister, Carolyn, and her nieces, Jessica and Katie.
