Since her appointment to the role of Domestic Abuse Commissioner of the UK in 2019, Nicole Jacobs has put her 20 plus years of experience in domestic abuse policy and intervention to work, driving improvements to transform the response to domestic abuse in England and Wales. Nicole is committed to championing victims and survivors of all ages, status, and backgrounds, and to shining a light on practices that fail them. Her key areas of focus include public leadership on domestic abuse issues, overseeing and monitoring the provision of domestic abuse services across England and Wales. Since the 2021 landmark Domestic Abuse Act became enshrined in statute, she has been furnished with specific legal powers that enhance her ability to make recommendations to national and local government, statutory agencies and third sector organizations on how to improve their response to domestic abuse.
Nicole began her career at the Alabama State Coalition Against Domestic Violence in the United States. In 1999, she came to London as an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate at ADVANCE, one of the first advocacy services in the UK. In 2000, she began working at Standing Together Against Domestic Violence, focussing on embedding the coordinated community response to domestic abuse in the UK. From 2002 – 2013, Nicole held a number of senior leadership positions at highly respected organizations, and in 2013, she returned to Standing Together Against Domestic Violence, and as CEO oversaw substantial growth, headed up strategy development, and expanded the influence of STADV via national programs of work.