She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2006 for services to equality.
[6] Mellor was born in 1957 and studied experimental psychology at Brasenose College, Oxford, where she is now an honorary fellow.
Before her appointment as chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) her career was in human resources, working for Royal Dutch Shell (1981–1983), the Greater London Council (1983–1986), the Inner London Education Authority (1986–1989), Trustee Savings Bank (1989–1992) and as corporate human resources director for British Gas (1992–1996).
[9] Following her time at the EOC she was a partner in the health team at PricewaterhouseCoopers (2005–2011) and pioneered citizens' juries as part of the firm's contribution to the public sector.
[10] Mellor has been a non-executive board member on the Commission for Racial Equality (1996 and 2003), the Fatherhood Institute (2004–2008), the National Consumer Council (2001–2007), the Employers' Forum on Disability (1994–2009), the Green Alliance (2007–2009) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2008–2011).