Eve Poole (author)

Eve Poole
Third Church Estates Commissioner
Incumbent
Assumed office April 2018
Preceded by	Andrew Mackie
Personal details
Born	(1972-02-05) 5 February 1972 (age 49) St Andrews, Scotland
Nationality	British
Spouse(s)	Nathan Percival ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	Two
Alma mater	University of Durham University of Edinburgh University of Cambridge
Profession	Author
Website	Official website

Catherine Eve Poole (born 5 February 1972), known as Eve Poole, is a British writer. Since April 2018, she has served as the Third Church Estates Commissioner, one of the most senior lay people in the Church of England.^[1] She was the first female Chairman of the Board of Governors at Gordonstoun, an independent school in Moray, Scotland, from 2015-2021.^[2] Her books include Capitalism's Toxic Assumptions and Leadersmithing, which was Highly Commended in the 2018 Business Book of the Year Awards.^[3]

Early life and education[]

Poole was born on 5 February 1972. One of four children, she was educated at Madras College in St Andrews and at Westminster School (Connecticut), having received a scholarship from The English-Speaking Union. She studied theology at Durham University and was awarded a BA in 1993 before going on to work for the Church Commissioners. She graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1998. She completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Divinity at Newnham College, Cambridge,^[4] in 2010 with a thesis titled From the fall of The Wall to the collapse of credit, Church of England views on capitalism 1989–2008.^[5]

Career[]

Poole started her career working for the Church Commissioners for England between 1993 and 1997. From 1998 to 2002, she worked as a Change management consultant for Deloitte, specialising in capital markets and the public sector. In 2002, she joined the faculty at Ashridge Executive Education to teach leadership and was the Deputy Director of the Public Leadership Centre and ran programmes for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the BBC, the Ministry of Defence, Tesco and local government.

This unusual combination of careers has made her a frequent commentator on ethics in public life and about how leaders should behave at work.^[6] She is a regular contributor to Thought for the Day for BBC Radio Scotland.

In June 2015, she became the first female Chair of the Board of Governors of Gordonstoun School.^[7]

In 2018, Poole became the Third Church Estates Commissioner, one of the most senior lay people in the Church of England,^[8] in succession to Andrew Mackie. As Commissioner, she is a member of the Church Commissioners' Board of Governors and the General Synod of the Church of England. She also Chairs the Bishoprics & Cathedrals Committee and the Mission, Pastoral and Church Property Committee.

Prior to taking up the role of Third Church Estates Commissioner, Poole was a research fellow of the and the . She also served on the management boards of Theos and of Faith in Business at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. She was a Founding Director of the Foundation for Workplace Spirituality (2007–2014), a Trustee of the Foundation for Church Leadership (2006-2012), and Trustee and Deputy Chair of the Christian Association of Business Executives (2005–2011). She is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Selected works[]

• The Church on Capitalism: Theology and the Market (2010) ISBN 978-0230275164
• Ethical Leadership: Global Challenges and Perspectives (2011, with Carla Millar) ISBN 978-0230275461
• Capitalism's Toxic Assumptions: Redefining Next Generation Economics (2015) ISBN 978-1472916792
• Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership (2017) ISBN 978-1472941237
• Buying God: Consumerism and Theology (2018) ISBN 978-0334056744

References[]