Ann Robinson obituary

My friend Ann Robinson, who has died aged 82, began her career in the civil service before moving to leadership roles in public bodies and the charity sector.

In 2000 she became executive chair of the consumer organisation the Gas and Electricity Consumers Council, also known as Energywatch, where she developed her lifelong interest in energy and consumer policy. This led to her taking the role of director of consumer policy at uSwitch, the price comparison service, from 2005 to 2016.

Her interest in the effects of fuel poverty grew and she became a noted energy consumer champion, often called upon to debate consumer issues on television and radio, and to provide expertise and commentary on topical energy issues for the Guardian and other national newspapers.

In 2018 Ann was appointed a non-executive director of Ofgem’s governing body, the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, a role she retained until her retirement in 2020.

She was adopted as a baby by William and Winifred Flatley and brought up in Wigan, Lancashire. After leaving school, Ann worked as a clerical assistant at the Royal Ordnance Factory in Chorley, and while there took the civil service internal exams to gain promotion to executive officer. She later passed the assessment to enter the higher levels of the civil service. This was exceptional at that time for someone without a degree or good connections. The promotion meant a move to London, and she joined the Department of Health and Social Security in 1969.

Ann quickly moved through the ranks, eventually becoming director of policy and planning at what was then the Benefits Agency. She left this role in 1993 to become chief executive of the Spastics Society, where she set about modernising the organisation and was instrumental in changing its name to Scope. In 1997 she became director general of the British Retail Consortium before moving to Energywatch.

During her working life she also served as chair of Victim Support London (1997-2001) and was a lay member of the General Medical Council from 2003 to 2012.

I shared a flat with Ann in Earl’s Court in the late 1960s, after she moved from Lancashire to join the DHSS. She was one of the most positive thinkers I have ever met. She could instantly turn a setback into an opportunity to explore an alternative that might not otherwise have been considered. She had tremendous energy, a love of art and a genuine interest in helping and supporting others, not only through her professional roles but also for those of us fortunate to be her friends.

In 1961 Ann married Peter Robinson. He survives her.