Dame Hilary Mary Cropper (née Trueman; 9 January 1941 – 26 December 2004) was a British businesswoman.
[2] Cropper read mathematics at the University of Salford, graduating with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree, before joining an engineering company based in Trafford Park making turbines; she would later recall that there were only three women in a company dominated by men.
[1] In 1970, Cropper moved to the computer mainframe manufacturers International Computers Limited (ICL); although initially working in part-time positions to help raise her children, she was later promoted to senior management roles, eventually becoming the male-dominated company's most senior woman.
[3] She was a member of the Financial Reporting Council between 1997 and 2003, and also sat on the New Deal Taskforce, the National Employment Panel and the Security Commission.
[3] In 2001, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but kept the illness from her colleagues while initially receiving treatment.