1. Sir Richard Nicholas Heaton, KCB was born on 5 October 1965 and is a barrister and former senior British civil servant who was the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery from September 2015 until resigning in August 2020.
Richard Heaton had previously served as Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, and First Parliamentary Counsel.
Richard Heaton currently serves as Warden of Robinson College, Cambridge.
Richard Heaton read law at Worcester College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987.
Richard Heaton joined the Government Legal Service in 1991 where he remained until moving to the Department for Constitutional Affairs in 2004 where he served as Director of Legal Services.
Richard Heaton then went on to work as Head of law and governance at the Department for Work and Pensions from 2007 to 2009, and Director General for pensions and ageing society from 2009 to 2012.
In February 2012, Richard Heaton became First Parliamentary Counsel, replacing the retiring Sir Stephen Laws.
On 2 July 2015, it was announced that Richard Heaton would leave the Cabinet Office to take up the position of Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, replacing Dame Ursula Brennan on her retirement.
In July 2020, it was announced that Richard Heaton would leave the Civil Service as Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice in August 2020.
Richard Heaton was succeeded by Antonia Romeo on 18 January 2021.
On 13 May 2021, it was announced that Richard Heaton was to succeed David Yates as Warden of Robinson College, Cambridge.
Richard Heaton assumed the post on 1 October 2021, and serves as the college's third warden.
Richard Heaton was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 2011.