Gill Whitehead

Whitehead was a student at King Henry VIII School, Coventry.^[1] She trained as an economist, and worked for the BBC, Channel 4 and Google.^[2] She has a master's degree in the social sciences of the internet from Oxford University,^[3] and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.^[4]

In November 2021, Whitehead was appointed by Ofcom to be the chief executive officer of the new digital regulators forum, established in response to the proposed Online Safety Act.^[5][6] Whitehead was one of several women hired from senior positions in major technology companies to take on this new regulatory role.^[7] In late 2022, Whitehead was appointed as Ofcom's Group Director for Online Safety.^[4] Whitehead was appointed a non-executive director of the NatWest Group in January 2025.

Whitehead played rugby league for England students, and is a qualified RFU coach. In May 2021, she was appointed as an independent non-executive director of the British Olympic Association.^[8] In January 2023, Whitehead was announced as the independent chair of the board for the Rugby World Cup, which was held in England in August and September 2025.^[9]

Whitehead was a guest on Cerys Matthews' show on BBC 6 Music on 22 June 2025, as a part of programme celebrating the women's summer of sport.^[10]

In December 2025, Whitehead was appointed OBE in the King's New Years Honours list for services to Women's Rugby.^[11]