Deputy Chief Officer Shantha Dickinson

Shantha Dickinson was appointed Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service in June 2021. As a member of the Executive Team, she provides strategic leadership to help ensure the Service delivers effective prevention, protection and emergency response services for the communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Shantha began her career in the British Army after graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, serving on operational deployments overseas. She joined Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2014 as Head of Knowledge Management before joining the Executive Team as Assistant Chief Fire Officer in 2016.

Throughout her career with the Service, Shantha has led a wide range of functions including organisational learning, assurance, performance improvement, strategic planning and service transformation. In 2018 she became Director of Performance and Assurance, where she was responsible for strengthening organisational learning and continuous improvement across Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Services.

Shantha Dickinson

Shantha was seconded to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services from May 2023 for 12 months, gaining valuable national insight into fire and rescue service performance, governance and public sector improvement. She has also participated in national leadership programmes, including the National Leadership Centre Accelerate Programme and the Windsor Leadership Programme.

A passionate advocate for collaboration across the public sector, Shantha serves as Deputy Chair of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum, helping to strengthen resilience, preparedness and partnership working across the region. She is committed to ensuring organisations work together effectively to support communities before, during and after emergencies.

Alongside her executive role, Shantha contributes to the wider fire and rescue sector through a number of non-executive and governance positions. She is a Director of 3SFire Community Interest Company and has held trustee and national leadership roles supporting the development of the UK fire and rescue service.

Shantha is passionate about public service leadership, organisational learning and developing future leaders. She is a champion for inclusion, wellbeing and continuous improvement and is committed to helping public services adapt to the changing needs of the communities they serve.

Outside work, Shantha enjoys trail running, exploring the countryside with her family and dog, and trying to recreate dishes from overseas travels!

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