Vanessa Lawrence
CB FRGS FRICS FRSGS
Global Advisor for Geospatial Information to the World Bank Group
Assumed office
2015
PresidentAjay Banga
David Malpass
Kristalina Georgieva (Acting)
Jim Yong Kim
1st Co-chair of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM)
In office
2011–2015
Under Secretary-General
Director-General and Chief Executive, Ordnance Survey
In office
2000 – April 2014
Preceded byDavid Willey
Succeeded byNeil Ackroyd
Personal details
Born (1962-07-14) 14 July 1962
Amersham, Buckinghamshire[1]
Nationality British
OccupationGeographer

Vanessa Vivienne Lawrence CB HonFREng FRGS FRICS FRSGS CCMI (born 14 July 1962) is a British businessperson, geographer and speaker working internationally.

For 14 years, until April 2014, she was Director-General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, Great Britain's national mapping agency.[2] She was the first woman to hold the post and at the time of her departure had held the Director General role longer than any predecessor in more than a century.[3][4][5]

In 2015 Lawrence was appointed Global advisor for geospatial information to the World Bank Group.[6][7]

The same year, she was also appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd,[8] a Director of Location International, a Location Global Ltd Company[9] and a Member of the Advisory Groups of the Urban Big Data Centre,[9] Seraphim Space LLP,[10] the Space Venture Capital Fund backed by the British Business Bank and Spatial Finance Initiative.[11]

Biography

In January 2008 Lawrence was invested as a Companion of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB) in the New Year Honours List.[12] She has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors and of the Royal Academy of Engineering.[13] She is also a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute,[14] a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society[15] and a Chartered Geographer.[16]

During her career with government she served as the co-founder and inaugural chair of Association of Chief Executives (ACE)[17] which represented the CEOs of Government Agencies, Trading Funds and Non-Departmental Bodies,[18] was the Chair of the Geographic Information Panel[19][20] that produced the Location Strategy of the United Kingdom known as Place Matters: the Location Strategy for the United Kingdom[21] and was a Non-Executive Director of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister[22] and the Open Geospatial Consortium[23]

Prior to working in government, she was employed by Autodesk[24] and by Pearson plc in the Longman Group.[25][26]

She has been awarded the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Scottish Geographical Medal for conspicuous merit and world-wide repute,[27] the Institute of Directors South-East Director of the Year Award in 2008[28] and was made the Geospatial Person of the Decade 2000-2010[29]

In 2008 she joined the Council of the University of Cambridge[30] for four and a half years having served on the Council of the University of Southampton from 2001 to 2008.[31]

In 2011 the United Nations elected Lawrence to serve as the inaugural co-chair of its Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM).[32][33][34][35] She served in this role continuously for four years working with others to develop UN-GGIM to be the lead global authority for governments and the private sector in geographic Information. On leaving UN-GGIM after four years, she was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Under-Secretary-General, Dr Wu Hongbo[36][37] The text of the Certificate[36] read as follows:

"The deep appreciation, respect and gratitude of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) is presented to Dr. Vanessa V. Lawrence CB. On behalf of all UN Member States, the Committee of Experts appreciates the considerable leadership and dedication of time and effort you have given to promote, shape and guide UN-GGIM since its establishment by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) in 2011. As the inaugural Co-Chair of the Committee of Experts from 2011–2015, your global knowledge and expertise has ensured that significant progress has been made towards achieving the Committee's mandated objectives. Through your leadership the international community has made important progress towards recognising the essential role of geospatial information in global development. With grateful thanks."

In 2020 she was appointed as a Non-Executive Director and Trustee of the Alan Turing Institute for Data Science and AI[38] and a Board Member of the Walker Institute for interdisciplinary Climate Science, University of Reading[39]

She remains the Honorary Colonel, 135 Geographic Squadron Royal Engineers,[40][41][42] and an Honorary Group Captain in 601 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force,[43] an adjunct professor at the University of Southampton,[44] a Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society[45] and a Patron of the Cure Parkinson's Trust[46] and MapAction.[47]

See also

References

  1. ↑ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007
  2. ↑ 1 2008 New Year Honours: The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58557. pp. 1–26. 29 December 2007.
  3. ↑ "Lawrence to leave Ordnance Survey after 14 years – Civil Service World". www.civilserviceworld.com. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  4. ↑ "Major chief executive to step down". Daily Echo. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  5. ↑ Hipwell, Deirdre (2 April 2014). "Ordnance Survey chief plots surprise departure". Retrieved 30 November 2018 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  6. ↑ "Geodesy on the World Bank's agenda". Kartverket. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "Session Overview". Conftool. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB – Non-Executive Director – Catapult". Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Urban Big Data Centre". Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "Seraphim Capital LLP".
  11. ↑ "Spatial Finance Initiative".
  12. ↑ 2008 New Year Honours: The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58557. pp. 1–26. 29 December 2007.
  13. ↑ "The Fellowship". Royal Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Chartered Management Institute: In my Opinion". www.managementtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "Honorary Fellowship (FRSGS) – RSGS". rsgs.org. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  16. ↑ "Royal Geographical Society - Chartered Geographer". www.rgs.org. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  17. ↑ ".ACE | Association of Chief Executives". uk-ace.org.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  18. ↑ "CIVIL SERVICE CHIEF EXECUTIVES LAUNCH NEW ASSOCIATION". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  19. ↑ "[geo-discuss] [Fwd: UK GI Strategy Workshop 23 June]". Lists.okfn.org. 12 June 2006. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  20. ↑ "UK Location Strategy: Ordnance Survey: 9 Jan 2008: Hansard Written Answers – TheyWorkForYou". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  21. ↑ "Place matters: the Location Strategy for the United Kingdom" (PDF). Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  22. ↑ "ODPM Organisation Chart archived 2 May 2006" (PDF). webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  23. ↑ "The OGC Elects Directors". Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  24. ↑ "GIS, CAD, and mapping daily news provided by Spatial News". 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  25. ↑ Johnston, Professor Ron; Johnston, Ron; Williams, Michael; Williams, Professor of Geography Michael; Academy, British (11 September 2003). A Century of British Geography. OUP/British Academy. ISBN 978-0-19-726286-3.
  26. ↑ Smith, L. Graham (11 September 2014). Impact Assessment and Sustainable Resource Management. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-90010-8.
  27. ↑ "Scottish Geographical Medal – RSGS". rsgs.org. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  28. ↑ "Ordnance Survey Boss Director of the Year". www.hydro-international.com. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  29. ↑ "Geospatial World forum 2011". geospatialworldforum.org. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  30. ↑ "Two new external members appointed to Council". 5 January 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  31. ↑ "Dr Vanessa Lawrence opens new university research hub". Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  32. ↑ "Dr Vanessa Lawrence, Co-Chair UN-GGIM: Exclusive Interview". 28 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  33. ↑ Division, United Nations Statistics. "UNSD – UN-GGIM". ggim.un.org. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  34. ↑ "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  35. ↑ "Talking GI at UN-GGIM – Ordnance Survey Blog". 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  36. 1 2 "Award of Certificate of Appreciation: UN-GGIM Co-Chair Dr. Vanessa Lawrence". United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  37. ↑ "Vanessa Lawrence honoured for her contribution to UN-GGIM – UNGGIM: Europe". un-ggim-europe.org. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  38. ↑ "Alan Turing Institute".
  39. ↑ "Walker Institute". Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  40. ↑ "Colonel inspects her squadron". Surrey Comet. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  41. ↑ "Colonel inspects her squadron". This Is Local London. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  42. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  43. ↑ "601 Squadron RAUXAF".
  44. ↑ "Professor Vanessa Lawrence – Geography and Environmental Science – University of Southampton". www.southampton.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  45. ↑ "Royal Geographical Society - Governance". www.rgs.org. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  46. ↑ "Patrons". Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  47. ↑ "Our supporters – MapAction". www.mapaction.org. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
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