Appointment details

Chair of the British Council

Summary

• Organisation: British Council
• Sponsor department: Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office
• Location: London
• Sectors: Education
• Skills: Audit and Risk, Commercial, Communication, International Experience
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Time commitment: 4 day(s) per month
• Length of term: 3 Years
• Application deadline: 11:55pm on 12 July 2026

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   12 June 2026

2. Application deadline

   11:55pm on 12 July 2026

3. Sifting date

   31 July 2026

4. Interviews expected to end on

   28 September 2026

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Appointment description

The British Council is seeking to appoint an experienced and exceptional leader as Chair of its Board of Trustees.

They must be passionate about building cultural and educational connections, understanding and trust between

people in the UK and countries worldwide to support peace and prosperity. The successful person must be

credible with senior stakeholders within and outside government and able to operate at the highest levels on a

global stage.

The role will require an individual capable of leading the Board through a period of significant financial,

organisational and strategic challenge, bringing clarity, discipline and direction to governance and decision-making.

Organisation description

The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational

opportunities.

Founded in 1934, The British Council is a charity incorporated by Royal Charter – one of the largest in the UK –

with a substantial English teaching and assessment revenue-generating arm that helps to support our purpose. It

is also classified as a public corporation, as over 51% of revenues come from earned income sources, and is a

non-departmental public body that receives grant in aid from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

(FCDO).

The British Council is uniquely positioned: operating globally, combining charitable purpose with

income-generating activity, and functioning under public service scrutiny. It demands exceptional governance and

strategic leadership.

In 2024-25, revenue was £1 billion, with over £702 million from English teaching and exams businesses. The

organisation is currently navigating a period of financial pressure, in part due to the legacy of the COVID-19

pandemic and in part from growing digital competition. This will require careful oversight and successful delivery of

a multi-year transformation programme. With a global reach of 600 million people through face-to-face, digital, and

publication and broadcast channels, the British Council is a critical part of the UK’s soft power and influence

building system.

The British Council delivers its mission through uniquely combining the UK’s rich expertise in arts and culture,

education and the English language, its global presence and relationships in over 100 countries, and its

unparalleled access to young people.

The British Council shares UK values and explores ideas. The organisation enables people to have difficult

discussions and to find common ground. It creates mutually beneficial relationships between the people of all four

nations that make up the UK and other countries. This helps strengthen the UK’s global reputation and influence,

encouraging people from around the world to visit, study, trade and make alliances with the UK.

The organisation works directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to

transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. It supports them to build networks and

engage in critical thinking, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain

internationally recognised qualifications.

The team works with governments and partners in the culture, education, and English language sectors, across all

four nations of the UK and globally. Working together they make a greater difference, creating benefit for

millions of people all over the world.

The British Council takes a long-term approach to building relationships and operates at arm’s length

from government.

More details about the governance and funding of the British Council are available

at: https://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/how-we-work

Board composition

Baroness Wendy Alexander of Cleveden, Deputy Chair & Chair of the Remuneration and People

Committee

Baroness Wendy Alexander of Cleveden joined the Board of Trustees in October 2022. Wendy became Deputy

Chair of the Board in December 2024. She is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Chair of the

Electrotechnical Sector Joint Industry Board and serves on SEP LLP’s Investment Advisory Board.

She is a former chair of Times Higher Education’s International Education Advisory Board, Education, Venture

Partner at Emerge Education, and served as Scotland’s Trade & Investment Envoy for Higher Education and

Patron of Social Investment Scotland. 

Earlier in her career, Wendy worked in international consultancy, moving

into government and public service, serving in Scottish Cabinets holding the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning,

Transport and Communities portfolios and subsequently working in international higher education.

Second term: 01 October 2025 – 30 September 2028

First term: 01 October 2022 - 30 September 2025

Richard Hookway, Trustee & Chair of the Finance Committee

Richard Hookway is an international business leader having had a 35-year career, latterly as a senior executive at

BP and Centrica. In addition to energy, he is experienced in transformation, business services, and all aspects of

IT and Digital. He joined the British Council Board of Trustees in October 2021.

He is currently a Non-Executive Director at Royal Vopak N.V and the UK Atomic Energy Authority, where he chairs

the Audit and Risk Committees for both entities. He is also chair at Swim England, the governing body for the sport

in the country, in addition to his trustee role at the British Council.

Richard has previously served on the boards of Naftogaz of Ukraine, Parkland Corp, Deptford City Challenge, the

Houston Grand Opera and as a member of the CBI President’s Committee.

Richard graduated in Mathematics from Manchester University and has an MSc in Management (Sloan Fellow)

from Stanford University.

First term: 12 October 2021 – 11 October 2024

Second term: 12 October 2024 – 11 October 2027

David Lefevre, Trustee

David Lefevre is Professor of Practice (Digital Innovation) at the Imperial College Business School and a serial

Edtech entrepreneur. He is Chairman of Insendi, a learning platform company now part of Study Group, an expert-in-

residence at the Imperial Enterprise Lab and co-founder of Tutello, an AI tutoring company. 

In the late 1990s, David worked on Edtech projects at the British Council offices in Tokyo, Athens, Milan and London.

First term: 12 October 2021 – 11 October 2024

Second term: 12 October 2024 – 11 October 2027

Malcolm Press, Trustee

Professor Malcolm Press CBE DL was appointed as Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University in

2015, having previously held positions at the Universities of Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester and UCL.

Malcolm is an ecologist who has studied the impacts of climate and environmental change in northern Europe and

the Arctic, the regeneration of tropical rain forests in Malaysian Borneo, and the impact of parasitic weeds on

subsistence farming in sub-Saharan Africa.

Malcolm is currently a trustee of the British Council and English National Opera (ENO), and President of

Universities UK (UUK).

Previously, he has served as president of his subject association, the British Ecological Society, and has also

served as a trustee of the UCAS, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and WWF-UK, as a council member of the

National Trust, and as a board member of the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE).

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 in recognition of his contributions to

education.

Second Term: 16 September 2023 - 15 September 2026

First term: 16 September 2020 - 15 September 2023

Sushil Saluja, Trustee & Chair of the Commercial Committee

Sushil Saluja is senior business leader and advisor based in London, focused on international business,

technology-led transformation and education.

He has over 30 years’ prior experience at Accenture. He led business units for EMEA (based in London) and Asia

Pacific (based in Hong Kong), and has launched FinTech accelerators in Hong Kong and Dubai.

Sushil has been active in education through the delivery of higher education to Malaysian students through local

colleges and British universities.

Sushil graduated in engineering from Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was a Trustee of the Princes’ Teaching

Institute (PTI) and is a Governor of the University of Greenwich.

First term: 1 September 2020 – 31 August 2023

Second term: 1 September 2023 – 31 August 2026

Paul Woodgates, Trustee

Paul brings many years of experience in strategy, operations and change in the education sector. He built and ran

the international education practice of PA Consulting where he worked with a wide range of organisations including

governments, regulators, funding bodies and frontline education providers (particularly universities). 

His experience is in delivering major programmes to define strategy, improve outcomes for learners, transform support

services, and enhance efficiency.

Paul is a qualified Chartered Accountant. Across his career, he has worked as an auditor, consultant, programme

leader and change manager in a range of organisations particularly in the public sector in the UK and overseas.

In addition to his role at the British Council, he is Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors of De Montfort University,

a non-executive director of Advance HE and a governor of St Chad’s College, Durham.

First term: 11 September 2023 – 10 September 2026

David Todd, Trustee & Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee

David is a Chartered Accountant who spent his career as a financial sector partner with the accounting firm KPMG,

working in London and New York. He worked primarily with large international banks, leading a mixture of audit

and governance / risk advisory projects.

Alongside his KPMG career, David was also previously a trustee and audit / risk committee chair for two of the

UK’s large international development agencies.

Since leaving KPMG in 2019, David has taken up a portfolio of non-executive board roles, chairing audit or risk

committees. He is currently a director at Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets and the UK subsidiaries of Assured

Guaranty (a US insurer).

David graduated in Mathematics from Bristol University.

First term: 13 May 2025 - 12 May 2028

Mariella Frostrup, Trustee

For over four decades, Mariella has been at the forefront of UK media as a leading journalist, broadcaster, author,

and cultural commentator. She has tirelessly promoted the intrinsic value of arts and culture to wider society and

the importance that they connect with and are accessible to all.

Mariella’s name is synonymous with arts and literature, having presented the UK’s leading book programmes,

cultural shows and judged its highest literary and arts awards. She was the first non-elected member of the Royal

Academy’s Council for a full six-year term, dealing with all issues pertaining to the running of the RA including

financial, curatorial and reputational.

As a broadcaster she has created, presented and produced many flagship television and radio

shows/documentaries and been a lead columnist across the arts, culture and news. She has been entrusted with

almost every prominent UK arts award, being a member of judging panels from the Booker to the BAFTAs, RIBA to

the Turner Prize. She was awarded Doctor of Arts from Nottingham University in 2009 for her lifelong work and

achievement in arts and culture.

Mariella is also a leading figure in the UK’s gender equality movement and a driving force behind gender equality

in the workplace. She co-founded the annual Women in Work Summit (@WiWSummit), is the Government’s

Women’s Employment Ambassador, chairs the advocacy group Menopause Mandate, and is a Save the Children

Ambassador.

Mariella is a Royal Society of Literature fellow and a BAFTA member. More recently, she has become a Trustee of

the V&A.

First term: 13 May 2025 – 12 May 2028

Yaw Nsarkoh, Trustee

Yaw trained as a chemical engineer. He was to spend the majority of his three-decade long career with Unilever

Plc, in the consumer goods sector, playing roles in the supply chain, marketing and in general management.

He has deep intercontinental breadth in his career experience. A certified professional coach he has very rich

experience in modern corporate governance, including the full sweep of Sustainability.

Yaw has a keen interest in all matters connected with development, particularly the pursuit of intercultural,

interdisciplinary and international approaches to achieve greater inclusiveness in human society.

First term: 13 May 2025 – 12 May 2028

Kate Marsh, Trustee

Kate is an experienced non-executive and executive director with deep expertise in international digital and media

industries, gained over a 30-year career. She is Non-Executive Chair of indie games company Devolver Digital Inc.

and Non-Executive Director of FTSE 100 Games Workshop Group plc, where she chairs the Remuneration

Committee. Kate also serves as a Governor at the University for the Creative Arts.

Kate has held senior executive roles with global media companies including Amazon, MGM, Sky, GroupM, Sony

Pictures and the BBC. She has served at board level for Sony Pictures Entertainment European companies and

Mediahuis Ireland (formerly INM plc) – the home of the Belfast Telegraph and the Irish Independent. Before

embarking on a portfolio career, Kate led the international expansion of MGM+ International, the storied studio’s

branded streamer outside the US.

Kate holds a BA (Hons) in English Language & Literature from Newcastle University and is an alum of the National

Broadcasting School where she trained as a radio journalist.

First term: 28 May 2025 – 27 May 2028

Neil Wigan, Trustee

Neil Wigan is Director General Strategy and Delivery at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

(FCDO).

Previously, Neil was His Majesty’s High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya from July 2023 until September

2025 and Ambassador to the State of Israel from June 2019 to June 2023.

Neil also served as Director for Africa at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) from November 2015 to

September 2018, British Ambassador to Somalia from June 2013 to July 2015, and British Ambassador to the

Democratic Republic of Congo from March 2010 to March 2013.

Neil has also worked in the Cabinet Office, working for the Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Adviser, and on Middle

Eastern and EU economic issues within the FCO.

First term: 30 September 2025 – 29 September 2028

Person specification

Essential criteria

Essential Experience and Skills

▪ Board and organisational leadership - Significant leadership experience at Board or Chair level in large, commercial and international organisations, including the ability to lead effectively through ambiguity, build consensus, and drive clear and timely decision-making.

▪ Transformation and financial oversight - A track record of overseeing successful organisational transformation and delivering financial sustainability within a complex commercial environment, including navigating strategic change, risk, and competing stakeholder pressures.

▪ Stakeholder and government credibility - Demonstrable ability to build trusted relationships and communicate effectively with a wide range of senior stakeholders, such as Ministers, officials, regulators,

partners, funders, and international stakeholders.

▪ International perspective - Experience operating internationally, with sound judgement and an understanding of the opportunities and operational complexities associated with leading global

organisations across multiple markets and geographies.

▪ Alignment with mission and values - Strong affinity with the British Council’s mission and values, including a genuine interest in cultural relations, education and the UK’s international influence and soft power role. The judgement, integrity and commitment required to lead a major UK institution operating under public scrutiny.

Desirable criteria

Charity experience - Prior demonstrable commitment to a not-for-profit organisation that shares an affinity with the arts or education sectors

Application and selection process

About this appointment

Some public appointments are made by the Prime Minister, or the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Others are made by Secretaries of State or other ministers and are of interest to the Prime Minister.

Public appointments made by or of interest to the Prime Minister

How to apply

All Candidates must ensure they have entered their diversity data on their Public Appointments profile.

The recruitment process is being undertaken by Russell Reynolds Associates on behalf of the British Council. 

Candidates must then submit their application through Russell Reynolds Associates (www.rraresponses.com), including:

• registration of contact details, 
• a CV outlining career history and achievements, 
• a Statement of Suitability (maximum two pages), 
• a Diversity Monitoring Form (for aggregated monitoring only and not shared with assessors), 
• and a completed Declaration of Interest Form.

Overview of the application process

The assessment process

This appointment will be conducted in the spirit of a public appointment process, reflecting the principles of fairness, openness and merit-based assessment.

The assessment process will comprise the following stages:

1. Application review and longlisting:

Russell Reynolds Associates will review all applications for eligibility and provide the Panel with a structured assessment of candidates against the published criteria.

2. Longlist assessment:

Russell Reynolds Associates will conduct interviews and due diligence on longlisted candidates to support the Panel’s consideration of shortlist recommendations.

3. Shortlisting:

The Panel will agree a shortlist of candidates to progress to final interview.

4. Stakeholder engagement and referencing:

Shortlisted candidates may be invited to meet key stakeholders and Ministers as part of the process. Appropriate referencing and due diligence will also be conducted.

5. Final interviews and appointment:

The Panel will interview shortlisted candidates and make recommendations to Ministers, who will provide their approval for the preferred candidate. The preferred candidate will then be elected by the British Council Board in line with the British Council’s Royal Charter.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

Tony Poulter – Independent Panel Member

Helena Vega-Lozano – Departmental Official

Neil Wigan – Departmental Official

Richard Hookway – Public Body Representative

Pavita Cooper – Independent Panel Member

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)

If you require additional information, please contact responses@russellreynolds.com in the first instance, quoting reference number:2605-088L.

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.PLEASE ENSURE YOUR DIVERSITY DATA IS ADDED TO YOUR PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS ACCOUNT.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘essential criteria', we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert. When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

• ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
• making adaptations to interview locations;
• allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
• giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
• allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
• making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 

• any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
• any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
• and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

While the role is not remunerated, you can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying.

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Should you wish to speak with someone before submitting an application, or if you have difficulty in accessing the online platform, please contact responses@russellreynolds.com in the first instance, quoting reference number 2605-088L. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

Attachments

• Candidate Pack

• Job Advert

Contact details

Should you wish to speak with someone before submitting an application, or if you have difficulty in accessing the online platform, please contact responses@russellreynolds.com in the first instance, quoting reference number 2605-088L.