Nick Hardwick began work as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in July 2010. He was previously the first Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission from 2003 to 2010.

His earlier career was in the voluntary sector, where he began working with young offenders for NACRO (The National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders). From 1986 to 1995 he worked as Chief Executive of Centrepoint – a charity and housing association for young homeless people. In 1992 he was seconded to the Department of Environment to work as a special adviser to the then Housing Minister, Sir George Young Bt. MP. He was the Chief Executive of the Refugee Council from 1995 to 2003.

He is currently chair of the Housing Ombudsman Service (no remuneration taken) and a trustee of New Horizon Youth Centre.

Nick has a BA (Hons) from Hull University in English Literature and has an Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences from the University of Wolverhampton. He was awarded a CBE in 2010.