Francis Burkitt was born in Cambridge and brought up in Grantchester, two miles south-west of the city; his great-grandfather was Professor of Divinity and his grandfather lectured in Prehistoric Archaeology, both at Cambridge University. He lives in Grantchester with his wife Joanna, and they have three children. Francis read Natural Sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge and then embarked on a career in the City of London, advising large UK companies on their finances, which he has recently retired from.
Francis was a South Cambridgeshire District Councillor for 12 years, and as part of that role he served on the Greater Cambridge Partnership, becoming its Chair. Using his financial knowledge, he was a Non-Executive Director of the Cambridge Building Society and is a member of Trinity College’s Investment Committee. He is active within the church, being a Canon of Ely Cathedral and Senior Non-Executive Member of its Chapter, and also a member of Bishop’s Council with a particular focus on looking after the Diocese’s Glebe Land and investments. He was a Trustee of the conservation charity Cambridge Past, Present and Future, and is a Trustee of The Arbory Trust which runs an environmentally-friendly woodland burial site near Cambridge. He has fund-raised for Red Balloon, the Cambridge-based educational charity for severely-bullied children, as is currently Chair of the Campaign Board for the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (part of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust). He has been nominated to serve as High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire in 2026/27.