Our governance

Chatham House was granted its Royal Charter by His Majesty King George V in 1926, and the governance structure serves as a guarantee of its independence and impartiality.

Patron

The reigning sovereign serves as Patron of the institute and confers on Chatham House the benefit of their formal support through the institute’s Royal Charter, although they have no official governance responsibilities.

Presidents

Our presidents underpin the institute’s independent, non-partisan voice on international affairs. The presidents confirm, through their experiences at the highest levels of government and diplomacy, the connection between Chatham House and policymakers.

Baroness Manningham-Buller LG DCB

President

The Rt Hon Helen Clark

President

The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH

President Emeritus

Council

Our council oversees the operation and management of the institute in accordance with its charter and bye-laws. Council members are drawn from and elected by the institute’s membership.

Sir Nigel Sheinwald GCMG

Council Chair

Joanna Cound

Council Deputy Chair

John Berriman

Honorary Treasurer and Member of Council

Sam Alvis

Member of Council

Juliet Dryden

Member of Council

Alan Houmann

Member of Council

Anita Lowenstein Dent

Member of Council

Rob Macaire CMG

Member of Council

David Nussbaum

Member of Council

Andrew Payne

Member of Council

Herbert Swaniker

Member of Council

Dr Rhodri Williams

Member of Council

Executive leadership

Bronwen Maddox

Director and Chief Executive

Simon Flanagan

Chief Operating Officer, Director's Office

Professor Tim Benton

Research Director; Director, Environment and Society Centre

Dr Patricia Lewis

Research Director; Director, International Security Programme

Lisa O’Daly

Managing Director, Professional Services

Dr Alex Vines OBE

Research Director; Director, Africa Programme

David Watson

Managing Director, Communications and Publishing

Panel of senior advisers

The panel of senior advisers was founded in 2008 to provide us with an experienced sounding board for our policy conclusions and help communicate our ideas at the highest levels internationally.

Mark Carney

Senior Adviser Co-Chair

Shriti Vadera

Senior Adviser Co-Chair

Baroness Valerie Amos

Senior Adviser

Ayman Asfari

Senior Adviser

Shumeet Banerji

Senior Adviser

José Manuel Barroso

Senior Adviser

Gavin Boyle

Senior Adviser

Victor Chu

Senior Adviser

Lord Davies of Abersoch CBE

Senior Adviser

Ian Davis

Senior Adviser

Iain Drayton

Senior Adviser

Mary Francis CBE

Senior Adviser

Sir Simon Fraser

Senior Adviser

Dame Clara Furse DBE

Senior Adviser

The Rt Hon Lord Hammond of Runnymede

Senior Adviser

André Hoffmann

Senior Adviser

Gay Huey Evans CBE

Senior Adviser

Majid H. Jafar

Senior Adviser

Dame DeAnne Julius

Senior Adviser, and Distinguished Fellow, Global Economy and Finance Programme

Michael Klein

Senior Adviser

Ali Y. Koç

Senior Adviser

Marc E. Leland

Senior Adviser

Rachel Lomax

Senior Adviser

Sir Mark Lyall Grant

Senior Adviser

Strive Masiyiwa

Senior Adviser

Lubna Olayan

Senior Adviser

Simon Patterson

Senior Adviser

The Rt Hon Lord Robertson KT, GCMG, HonFRSE, PC

Senior Adviser

Chris Rokos

Senior Adviser

HE The Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC

Senior Adviser

Daniel Sachs

Senior Adviser

Sir John Sawers

Senior Adviser

Marietje Schaake

Senior Adviser

Sir Jonathan Symonds CBE

Senior Adviser

Panel of young advisers

The panel guides the institute on new and existing initiatives that aim to engage upcoming generations internationally. Panel members also contribute to strategy and share ideas with the Council and Executive Leadership Team.