THE HIGH SHERIFF, Susannah Fish
I am honoured to serve the County as High Sheriff and will take every opportunity to meet, support and recognise all those across Rutland who work to improve the lives of others
Susannah Fish joined Nottinghamshire Police in 1986 as a Police Constable, and her career has seen her work across uniform and detective roles in Nottinghamshire, the West Midlands, and the Metropolitan Police, and nationally. Her national leadership on gun crime was game changing for communities disproportionately affected. She is credited with, amongst other things, transforming gun crime affecting Nottingham, introducing misogyny as a hate crime, and leading the first force in the country to have a menopause policy. Her career culminated being appointed Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police until her retirement in 2017.
She was awarded the OBE for services to policing in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2008. She received the Queen’s Policing Medal for distinguished service in the Birthday Honours 2016, and was also awarded Upstander of the Year in the national hate crime awards 2017 for her leadership on misogyny as a hate crime. In 2018 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Nottingham for her outstanding contribution.
Since stepping away from policing she put this track record to use to campaign to have misogyny as a hate crime adopted nationally and has been a leading voice in demanding change in policing to address police sexual misconduct and misogyny.
Susannah has been a resident of Rutland since 2009 with husband, James. They moved to Wing temporarily for a year but loved it so much they decided to put down roots which have flourished ever since. They have three adult children and a granddaughter. She is proud that four generations of her family live in the county. She is active in the local and wider community, including vice chair of Wing Parish Council and a trustee of the Leicestershire and Rutland County Nursing Association.
She is honoured to be appointed as High Sheriff and will serve the communities of Rutland to the best of her ability, making time to hear, support and champion all those who make our county such a special place to live, work and play.
THE UNDER SHERIFF, Peter Lawson
Peter Lawson was born in Oakham and attended Oakham School. A career in corporate IT starting with ICM in the UK and ending at eh New York headquarters of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
In retirement he’s taken a leading role in several establishments including the University of Leicester, Oakham School, Warning Zone, Peterborough Cathedral Development Trust, Rutland Historic Churches Preservation Trust and a number of cultural organisations.
Peter was High Sheriff of Rutland in 2011-2012, and appointed Deputy Lieutenant for the County that same year.
CHAPLAIN TO THE HIGH SHERIFF, Reverend Peter Collins
Peter was born and educated in Nottinghamshire. He studied for a career in agriculture subsequently moving into construction. Exploring a call to ordination Peter studied pastoral theology on the East Midlands Ministry Training Course at Nottingham University before preparing for ordained ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge, where he continued his academic focus on pastoral theology to Master’s degree.
He served as curate in the South Lawres Group, Lincoln Diocese, then as Priest in Charge of the Parish of the Upper Wreake in Leicester Diocese, and for over the last eleven years as Rector of the Hykeham Benefice in Lincoln. Peter’s recent Institution and Induction as Rector of the Rutland Water Benefice is a welcome return to rural ministry, and where he and his wife Sally, with Lady their dog, look forward to exploring this most beautiful county and supporting Susannah, with prayer and pastoral care, in her role and responsibilities as High Sherriff of Rutland.
High Sheriff of Rutland Police Cadet
Izzy Kilsby
My name is Izzy Kilsby, I am passionate about policing, helping the community, and engagement. I am looking forward to supporting the High Sheriff, in bringing the community and Rutland together, supporting the emergency services and those in need, over the coming year. I have been serving for Leicestershire Police as a police cadet for 4 years, and I feel deeply privileged to take up this role as the High Sheriff’s police cadet. I am passionate about being a positive influence for other young people, and hopefully being relatable for young people. I also enjoy championing neurodiversity, and raising awareness that you can still achieve, and that neurodiversity enables individuals to see different perspectives, especially within the professional environment. I look forward to meeting the community out and about in the beautiful county of Rutland.
High Sheriff in Nomination for 2027-28, Sue Ball
Originally from Lincolnshire, I have lived and worked in Rutland since 1992. My career in arts education spanned over 40 years, working in the secondary, post 16 and adult education sectors. Latterly, I was chair of governors at Casterton College Rutland, and still keep strong links with education in the county. My passion has always been about encouraging everyone to participate in arts activity, and I am especially interested in arts for good mental health and wellbeing. I currently run a community arts business, Springboard Arts, and have the great privilege of working with a wide variety of people across the county. This includes work with the Rutland Community Fridge, collecting surplus food and distributing it to the public. I am extremely honoured to have been chosen to be High Sheriff of Rutland, and am looking forward to serving my community further during my year in office.
High Sheriff in Nomination for 2028 – 29, Hilary Fox
Hilary Fox was born in Crawley, Sussex, to a MOD family, and lived as a child on RAF bases in Cyprus and Germany. She went to medical school in Leicester, living and working in Leicestershire before moving to Rutland in 1992.
Becoming a GP in Uppingham in 2001 she worked there for for 16 years, latterly also serving on the Board of the Clinical Commissioning Group as Rutland Locality Lead before becoming the first clinical director of the Rutland Primary Care Network, which brought together the four Rutland GP practices to work collaboratively with Rutland County Council . One of the greatest challenges the early PCN had to face was the delivery of the Covid vaccination programme, demonstrating the immense power of volunteers in our county who supported the clinical team that worked so hard to ensure it was successful. Hilary retired from as Clinical Director in 2022, becoming a medical examiner for Leicestershire and Rutland, based at the Leicester hospitals where her medical career began in 1985.
Hilary lives in Edith Weston and is married to Richard with two adult children, one of whom has recently returned to live in Rutland. Retiring in August 2025, she now volunteers for the Inspire2tri rehabilitation classes for older and clinically vulnerable adults in Manton, is chair of trustees for Dying Matters Rutland and volunteers with the forestry team at Burghley estate. She is a keen church bell ringer and plays the French horn with the aptly named Rusty Players orchestra of Oundle.