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

His Majesty King Charles III serves as Patron of the institute, providing the benefit of his formal support through our Royal Charter, although he has 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 Simon Fraser GCMG

Chair

Joanna Cound

Council Deputy Chair

Keith Harrington

Honorary Treasurer

Bridget Kendall MBE Hon FBA

Co-opted Member of Council

Sam Alvis

Member of Council

Jessica Cecil

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

Professor Karen Smith

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

Zara Berry

Head, Individual Membership, External Relations; Head, The Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership and the Next Generation

Dr Alex Vines OBE

Research Director; Director, Africa Programme

David Watson

Managing Director, Communications and Publishing

Ana Yang

Director, Environment and Society Centre

Dr Andrew Payne

Research Director, Europe, Russia and Eurasia, UK in the World, US and the Americas Programmes

Dr Samir Puri

Director, Global Governance and Security Centre

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.