Jackie Ballard has been the Director General of the RSPCA since 2002. She believes that any society or individual who is cruel to animals through intention or neglect demeans itself and humanity.

Prior to 2002 she lived in Iran for almost a year, studying Persian language, after losing her seat as the Member of Parliament for Taunton. She was active in Parliament and within the Liberal Democrats on many issues including domestic violence, child abuse, liberty and justice. She was one of the driving forces in campaigns to get more women into Parliament.

Jackie has also been a member of the Youth Justice Board and is a trustee of the Science and Arts Foundation (a charity which works in Iran to enable young people to beneift from developments in IT). One of her unfulfilled ambitions is to write a book and she has the first few chapters of her time in Iran already written up - now looking for an agent or publisher!