People The Executive Board Elizabeth Honer CB

Elizabeth Honer CB

Chief Executive

Elizabeth has had a lifelong love of dance, starting her career at Sadler’s Wells and most recently through classes at RAD headquarters, membership of the London Ballet Circle, as a supporter of the Acosta Dance Centre and, most pertinently, as a member of the RAD’s Finance Committee, which has given her a deep insight into the role and workings of the charity and its members.  

Elizabeth has had an illustrious career in the public service, latterly as CEO of an HM Treasury commercial agency where she led 500 people across over 40 locations with a diverse range of stakeholders, successfully developing a compelling vision that led to business growth with significant increases in both staff engagement and customer satisfaction. Before that, she was a director at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, engaging at senior levels around the globe. Throughout her career, she has been involved in setting strategy, organisational transformation, stakeholder and employee engagement and improvements in financial performance.  

Elizabeth has also served on the global board of a professional institute, so she has a good understanding of an international membership body. Her expertise in strategy, governance and improving organisational performance led to her appointment as a visiting fellow at the Cranfield School of Management.  Her roles in the charity sector include trusteeships at the Vision Foundation and the Dartington International Summer School Foundation. Her early career also involved fundraising for the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Elizabeth was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours.  The opportunity to serve as Chief Executive of the RAD perfectly combines her love of dance with her wide-ranging and international leadership experience.