My wife, Carol Jackson, who has died aged 64 after being knocked down by a car, was the recently retired chief operating officer of the RSA (Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). She had enjoyed a varied career in finance, including at John Lewis department stores and as deputy chief executive of the Refugee Council.
Carol was born in Sunderland to Brian, a British Rail clerk, and his wife, Audrey (nee Wragg). After Bede school in Sunderland she studied economics at Girton College, Cambridge, and qualified as an accountant in 1980.
Working first as a personal assistant to a partner at Dixon Wilson & Cowith in London, she was then an assistant manager in corporate finance at SG Warburg before moving in 1984 to be an investment executive at the Greater London Enterprise Board.
She was a senior manager at Touche Ross (1985-89), and then had two years as an investment appraisal manager at the National & Provincial building society. For almost a decade she served as a financial adviser at the department store chain John Lewis, and then as their finance director (2001-04).
She was director of resources at the Refugee Council (2004-08) and then its deputy chief executive, switching to the RSA as chief operating officer from 2011 until her retirement.
Carol and I met in 1982 and found that we shared a love of theatre and hill walking, as well as an interest in feminism. We married in 1991, moved to East Finchley, north London, and when our daughter, Rebecca, was born in 1993 I left my full-time job as a social worker to look after Rebecca and later Simon, who came along in 1995.
My wife was brilliant at integrating work and home, and her friends and colleagues always spoke of her wonderful grace under pressure, perseverance, professionalism, modesty, kindness, smartness, style and wry sense of humour.
She is survived by me, our children, her mother and her sister, Brenda.
