Four appoints Dame Heather Rabbatts as new chair

BGF portfolio company, Four Communications Group has appointed Dame Heather Rabbatts DBE as its new chair. Heather first came to prominence as the youngest chief executive of a local authority in Lambeth in the 1980s. Her incredible career has also spanned law, sport, film, media and the arts. As chair Heather joins the group board of the agency, which includes chief executive Nan Williams, group managing directors Andrew Jack, Einir Williams and Ray Eglington and investment director George Tsangarides from BGF.

Commenting on the appointment, BGF’s George Tsangarides, said: “It’s fantastic to have someone of Dame Heather Rabbatts’ calibre and experience join Four. We originally invested £10 million in the company in 2015 to support the expansion of its operations. Since then, Four has made eight acquisitions, enjoyed positive growth and has proved resilient to the challenges of the last nine months. Dame Heather Rabbatts joins the board at an exciting time for the company as it looks to the future with optimism.”

Jamaican-born Heather started her career as a barrister before moving into local government, first as deputy chief executive of Hammersmith and Fulham and then as chief executive of the London Borough of Lambeth then dubbed ‘the worst job in local government’. Later she joined Channel 4 as head of education and also served as a governor of the BBC and on the board of the Bank of England. Heather has also had high profile roles in sport becoming the executive chair of Millwall FC and then an independent director on the board of the Football Association where she also headed its Inclusion Advisory Board. She has also served on the boards of Crossrail, the Royal Opera House, Grosvenor Estates and in supervisory roles at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the LSE and the British Council. She is currently chair of a film production company and the Soho Theatre.

Heather Rabbatt said: “I am delighted to join Four Communications, an agency I have long admired. Following its launch in 2001 the company has grown significantly and built scale and impact which has been impressive. The environment we are all working in with the pandemic is of course extremely challenging but the leadership of Four is very talented and experienced and I am looking forward to continuing to build the company.”

Nan Williams, Four Communication’s chief executive, added: “We have known and respected Heather for some time and it is incredibly exciting to be able to have her join us as chair. Heather’s experience in local government, the arts, sports, film, media, government and communications crosses over with so much of what we do as an agency. Her senior counsel will be invaluable as we move from recovery to growth again in the next year. It is no wonder that she has been described as one of Britain’s most influential women and we are very lucky to have her.”