Sarah Clarke appointed to the role of Black Rod
17 November 2017 (updated on 17 November 2017)
Sarah Clarke has today been appointed as the new Black Rod. She will formally take on the duties as Lady Usher of the Black Rod early next year, succeeding current Black Rod David Leakey who leaves the post at the end of this year.
Sarah was previously Championships Director at the All England Lawn Tennis Club where she was responsible for the organisation of the Championships, Wimbledon, and previously held roles at four Olympic games, the London Marathon and UK Sport.
Black Rod is a senior official in the House of Lords. Black Rod is responsible for managing the State Opening of Parliament as well as other state events, and the highest profile part of the role is summoning the House of Commons to hear the Queen’s Speech. Black Rod is also responsible for business resilience and continuity planning for the House of Lords, and leads a department that includes the Yeoman Usher and the House of Lords Doorkeepers.