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Portrait of Rachael Shimmin OBE
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LARGE GROUP/120 HOMES

Rachael ShimminOBE

Chief Executive Officer, Anchor

Rachael Shimmin OBE is Chief Executive of Anchor, a large not-for-profit older people's housing and care provider. Formerly CEO of Buckinghamshire Council.

BIOGRAPHY

Rachael Shimmin OBE is Chief Executive Officer of Anchor, which describes itself as England's largest not-for-profit provider of older people's housing and care. She joined in January 2026 and sits on the Anchor Board. In November 2025 the Local Government Chronicle reported that Anchor manages 54,000 homes for people over 55 and about 120 care homes.

Shimmin came to Anchor from local government. She became chief executive of Buckinghamshire County Council in 2016 and led the county's move to a single unitary authority in 2020, which merged five predecessor bodies into Buckinghamshire Council, an organisation with a turnover of about a billion pounds and more than 4,000 staff. From April 2024 she chaired the network of county council chief executives at the County Council Network. Buckinghamshire Council announced on 14 November 2025 that she would step down after nine years.

Before Buckinghamshire she spent ten years at Durham County Council, where she joined as a corporate director in 2006. In August 2012 she took on the combined children's and adults portfolio there, and in the June 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours she received an OBE for services to social care. Her early career included volunteer co-ordination at the children's charity NCH Action for Children from 1994 to 1998. She studied at Durham University (BA in social policy and sociology, a social work diploma and an MA in Applied Social Studies) and is a qualified executive coach.

Buckinghamshire New University gave her an honorary doctorate in July 2025. She sat on the board of the Helena Kennedy Foundation from February 2023 to November 2025 and on the council of the University of Buckingham from April 2021 to December 2022. On 1 October 2026 Bucks Radio reported her appointment as one of five new Deputy Lieutenants of Buckinghamshire.

At Anchor she has written on the supply of homes for older people. With Professor Julienne Meyer she co-authored a Housing LIN blog in May 2026 and an Inside Housing comment piece in July 2026, and in September 2026 she wrote for Care Talk about what keeps her awake at night as a chief executive.

About Anchor. Anchor describes itself as England's largest not-for-profit provider of older people's housing and care; the Local Government Chronicle reported in November 2025 that it manages 54,000 homes for over-55s and about 120 care homes. See its rank and history

CAREER

  1. JAN 2026 – NOW

    Chief Executive Officer · Anchor NOW

  2. 2026 – NOW

    Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire · Buckinghamshire Lieutenancy NOW

  3. APR 2024 – JAN 2026

    Chair, Association of County Council Chief Executives · County Council Network

  4. JUL 2019 – 2025

    Chief Executive Officer · Buckinghamshire Council

  5. FEB 2019 – JUL 2019

    Lead CEO, Transition · Buckinghamshire Transition Authority

  6. SEP 2016 – JUL 2019

    Chief Executive Officer · Buckinghamshire County Council

  7. SEP 2006 – AUG 2016

    Corporate Director · Durham County Council

  8. FEB 2023 – NOV 2025

  9. APR 2021 – DEC 2022

    Member of Council · University of Buckingham

ARTICLES, INTERVIEWS AND APPEARANCES

COUNTED FOR THE RANKING

8 articles in the twelve months to 6 October 2026 (8 trade).