The Council

Baz has spent a lifetime in television where he’s been a news journalist, a documentary maker, a creator of entertainment formats and an independent producer at Endemol. In 2012 he was knighted for services to broadcasting. He also served as President of the Royal Television Society and on the boards of DCMS and Channel 4. He took a lead on broadcasting policy which led him into championing the Creative Industries in general.

In the field of the arts, as well as his time at Arts Council England, Baz chaired a steam museum, English National Opera, and currently heads the non-fiction book prize, the Baillie Gifford. He’s also the author of The Empathy Instinct, which explores the positive role of the arts in society.

In terms of higher education, Baz is a non-executive at UKRI (UK Research & Innovation). He’s been working closely with the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as it develops its links with the creative industries. He also served as Deputy Chair of the National Film & TV School, another graduate college. More recently he’s become a founder member of SHAPE, the campaign promoting the value of arts & humanities. Peter is Hon Professor of the Creative Industries at Manchester University. Other trusteeships: none.

Mary Boakye, a capital markets and investment expert and one of UK’s leading authorities on Africa is the founder and CEO, Oriol Associates Ltd and a Consultant/Senior Advisor to Dentons UKIME LLP.

Mary provides legal, and strategic advisory services to a wide variety of clients, including corporates, investment funds, financial institutions, and individuals, on responsible and successful investment or expansion in Africa and to African sovereigns and companies raising funding in the international markets.

Mary has had an international career with global firms Allen & Overy and Dentons LLP in the UK, USA, Asia and Africa. Previously a partner and Head of Dentons’ Africa Financial Markets Group, she shared the strategic leadership and development of the firm’s Africa practice and jointly supervised its transformation into a leading and globally recognised practice.

An award-winning lawyer, trusted advisor and internationally acknowledged leader in her field, Mary has many years’ legal and strategy experience in both international and emerging markets across a broad range of sectors and has been recognised by The Lawyer as one of the UK’s “Hot 100 Lawyers … skilled in dealing with complex regulatory environments and jurisdictions”; by Powerlist as “one of UK’s most influential black people”; and by Cranfield School of Management in its 100 Women to Watch lists (2019 and 2018) and its 50 BAME Women to Watch 2019 . She received the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award by Women, Influence & Power in Law UK, 2021 as one of UK’s leading female lawyers.

Mary founded and co-Chair’s Dentons’ Black Professionals Network and is a former member of Dentons’ I&D Council. she shas served on various boards including Development Bank Ghana, Business Advisory Board of H.E. Kofi Annan’s Africa Progress Panel, and the China Europe International Business School’s Africa Foundation for Governance and Leadership

When not at work, Mary mentors diverse young professionals and students in various countries, to recognise and fulfil their potential and ambitions and is also a member of Aspen Institute UK’s Faculty of Moderators. Mary is a keen cook and collector of contemporary African Art.

Other Trusteeships: The Fore Trust; National Philanthropic Trust UK; National Philanthropic Trust Transatlantic.

Suzy graduated in 1998 from University College London with a Degree in Art History and subsequently gained a Masters Degree from London School of Economics in 2001. She is a Governor at the London Film School and chair of the Remuneration Committee.

Since 2014 Suzy has been the Group HR Director at Guardian News and Media with executive responsibility for the People and Culture. Before joining GMG, Suzy was the Chief People Officer at Lloyd’s of London, the world’s specialist insurance market, conducting business in more than 200 countries. In her early career, she held senior positions across a diverse range of businesses including ICI, Barclays, Microsoft UK, The Women & Equality Unit, The Cabinet Office and The London Assembly.

Suzy was previously a Governor at the London School of Economics and a member of the remuneration committee. She is also a former board member of The Fawcett Society, one of the UK’s leading charities campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights.

Michael Birshan is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he advises and supports the leaders of private, public and social sector institutions on their management challenges. Michael leads the firm’s Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and previously managed McKinsey’s Governance Task Force to ensure the governance of the firm was fit for the future. Based in London, he has also lived and worked in San Francisco and Mumbai. Michael studied Philosophy, Politics & Economics at Balliol College, University of Oxford, and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Passionate about education, Michael has been a trustee of the World Schools’ Debating Championships, a governor of Brentford School for Girls, a commissioner of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission that stewards the Marshall Scholarships, and serves on the advisory board for King’s Business School. He is a fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. Other trusteeships: none

Professor Hugh Brady is President of Imperial College London. Prior to his appointment in August 2022, he served as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol from 2015 to 2022, and President of University College Dublin (UCD) from 2004 to 2013.

A graduate of UCD, Professor Brady trained in general medicine and nephrology, and was awarded PhD and MD degrees for research in renal physiology and molecular medicine, respectively. His academic career as a physician-scientist included positions at Harvard Medical School, the University of Toronto and UCD. He is an international authority on the pathogenesis of renal inflammation and diabetic kidney disease.

Professor Brady is a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the Queen’s University Belfast, an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Anaesthetists in Ireland, and the Robert Menzies Medal from the University of Melbourne.

Professor Brady is a member of the Royal College of Art’s Council, and the League of European Research Universities (LERU) Rector’s Assembly. He was non-executive director of Kerry Group plc from 2014 to 2024 and non-executive director of ICON plc from 2014 to 2022. He Chaired Ireland’s Public Health Reform Expert Advisory Group, and served as a member of Ireland’s Higher Education Authority.

Professor Rachel Cooper is Distinguished Professor of Design Management and Policy at Lancaster University and Director of ImaginationLancaster, where her research interests include design thinking, design management, design policy, design for wellbeing and socially responsible design. Publications include Designing Sustainable Cities, Constructing Futures and Handbook of Wellbeing and the Environment (Wiley Blackwell). She is also series editor of the Ashgate series Design for Social Responsibility covering topics such as designing for sustainability, inclusivity, service design, sport, health, transport and policy. 

Professor Cooper is currently working on Liveable Cities, an Engineering Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded six-year research programme working to identify design and engineering solutions that will lead to low-carbon, resource-secure, future cities in which societal well-being is prioritised. Also The Creative Exchange, an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Knowledge Exchange hub partnership with the Royal College of Art, looking at the growth of the creative industries through exploring the ‘digital public space’. She is also Co-Investigator of an AHRC project on Design Value in Innovation, co-Director of HighWire (Digital Economies Innovation Doctoral Training Centre), non-executive Director of the Future Cities Catapult and a member of the EPSRC Strategic Advisory Network. She has recently been a Lead Expert for the UK Government Foresight programme on the Future of Cities, and is on the Academy of Medical Sciences Working group addressing ‘the health of the public 2040’ and the 2014 Blackett review on the Internet of Things, founding and past president of the European Academy of Design, founding editor of The Design Journal, and a trustee of the Research and Development Management Association (RADMA). She was a member of the EU Design and Innovation Leadership Board, and has undertaken several other advisory roles to national and international universities, government and non-governmental organisations. Professor Cooper is a governor at Manchester High School for Girls. Other trusteeships: none. 

Mike has extensive experience in the Airports and Aviation sector, particularly at BAA where sat on the Executive Committee and led the design of Terminal 5 and the third runway projects. He now leads Forster Associates, a consultancy advising organisations with large infrastructure developments on their strategy, master planning and project briefing. Mike is also a qualified architect and before BAA was a partner at Sheppard Robson, a large London practice. He is an Adjunct Professor at Imperial College, the Deputy Chairman of the British Aviation Group and a member of the Acumen 7 Business Leaders Network. Other trusteeships: none. 

John Gibbs is the Group CIO at Computacenter having previously held the same role at the International Airline Group and Rolls-Royce plc. Having worked for over 30 years in a wide variety of IT roles, organisations and industries, John brings a wealth of experience to the RCA in technology strategy, delivery, operations, cybersecurity and management alongside a passion for coaching, mentoring and championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity.

Dr Tristram Hunt became Director of the V&A in February 2017.  Formerly the Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent Central, he served as the Labour Party’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education. He has a First Class degree in history from Trinity College, Cambridge (1995), and served as an Exchange Fellow at the University of Chicago (1996). Tristram has a PhD from the University of Cambridge, on ‘Civic Thought in Britain, 1820–1860’ (2000).  In 1997, he became a Special Adviser to Science Minister Lord Sainsbury (1997–2000), Associate Fellow at the Centre for History and Economics, King’s College, Cambridge and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Between 2001–2010, Tristram combined his post as Senior Lecturer in History at Queen Mary, University of London, with work as a history broadcaster, presenting a range of radio and television programmes for the BBC and Channel 4. He is the author of several books, most recently Ten Cities That Made an Empire (2014). He has lectured on British and international culture at the Centre for European Studies, University of California Berkeley; the Centre for European Studies, Harvard; Princeton University and the National University of Singapore. Tristram has served as a Trustee of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund, and the History of Parliament Trust.  He played a key role in helping to save the Wedgwood Collection from dispersal and is President of the British Ceramics Biennial. Other trusteeships: Gilbert Trust, Stoke-on-Trent Literary Festival.

Anne-Marie was one of the youngest ever to be awarded a Master's degree in Mathematics & Computer Science by the University of Oxford, at age 20. In 2018 alone, she was listed among the top 50 women in tech in the world by Forbes, voted the fifth most influential woman in IT by Computer Weekly and was the recipient of the prestigious Barclays UK ‘Woman of the Year’ award.

2017 saw her featured among the top 50 most inspiring women in tech by Inspiring Fifty (an accolade she received for a second time in 2018). In recognition of her significant influence and achievements, Anne-Marie was awarded an MBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours for services to young women and STEM sectors. In June of the same year she was also made an Honorary Fellow at Keble College, Oxford.

Not only a champion of getting women into STEM positions, Anne-Marie has previously worked with Goldman Sachs, Hewlett-Packard, Deutsche Bank and Lehman Brothers, amassing a wealth of experience. She is also a recognised thought-leader in the tech space, regularly appearing in the media as a talking head, and giving talks at tech giants such as SXSW and Founders Forum. Other trusteeships: Urban Development Music Foundation, The Institute for the Future of Work.    

Saba Shaukat is a business and technology Executive who specialises in frontier technology to drive transformational change and inspire multi-disciplined teams to create sustainable impact at pace. Her career, spanning over 25 years, includes various senior roles in telecommunications and technology, such as business strategy and growth, technology horizon-scanning, agile disruptive innovation with business reinvention, and operational improvement.

Saba is currently leading Government Engagement and Innovation at the Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE), a joint venture between the Home Office and QinetiQ plc, aimed at accelerating digital transformation in security, national resilience, and UK prosperity for public good. Previously, Saba was the Group Director of Technical Capability and Innovation at Defence company QinetiQ plc. Prior to this Saba was Director of Government Strategy at Capita and for a period headed up the Telecommunications and Media practice.

She holds an MBA from London Business School and has completed an Executive Leadership program from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Sudhir Singh is currently the Head of Not for Profit and an audit partner for the Chartered Accountants MHA MacIntyre Hudson. He is a recognised expert in not for profit accounting, finance, governance, law and regulation. His experience includes working with charities, independent schools, academies, free schools, further and higher education establishments, and other not for profit organisations. Sudhir has advised complex and high profile organisations and acted for more than 25 top 250 registered charities, using his extensive knowledge to provide practical solutions. His personal sector commitment in a voluntary capacity also extends over 25 years in trustee, school governor, vice-chairman, treasurer and audit/finance committee roles.

Fields is Deputy Chair of Council and Chair of the College’s Planning & Resources Committee. She is currently also a non-executive director of BNP Paribas and of Scor (the world’s fourth largest reinsurance company) where she chairs the Remuneration Committee.

Fields believes in the power of the arts, culture and the creative sectors to enrich society and communities. Over the years, she has served as a trustee of Arts & Business, LIFT, Tate Members and London Musici. Her commitment to education brought her to join the Council of King’s College London, where she served for 9 years as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) and as a member of the Chairman’s Committee. Fields has also worked extensively in the public sector; she served on the ministerial boards of the DTI, the Ministry of Justice, and most recently the DCMS, where she was Chair of the ARC and chaired two government reviews of arts bodies.

In addition to her work in the arts, higher education and the public sector, Fields had her main career in financial services, including a pivotal time as Chief Financial Officer and Strategy Director of the London Stock Exchange where she led the transformation of the London equity markets. Following her executive career, for the last 25 years Fields has served as a non-executive director on the boards of global companies based in the UK, France, Sweden and India. Her deep interest in leadership and in being ‘a good ancestor’ led her to co-found Leaders’ Quest, a social enterprise focused on addressing the biggest issues facing the planet and leaders in the 21st century. She has worked extensively all over the world, from China and Russia, to India, South Africa and Brazil. Other trusteeships: none

Ed Williams is CEO of Edelman UK and Ireland, the largest communications consultancy in the UK with over 500 staff. He joined the firm in late 2011 from the BBC where he had been Director of Communications since the beginning of 2008 and a member of the BBC’s management board. At the BBC he led the group communications division and acted as a senior adviser to the Director-General, Mark Thompson. 

Prior to the BBC, Williams was Group Director of Communications at Reuters working to the CEO, Tom Glocer. He was an adviser to Glocer during the Thomson-Reuters transaction. He spent five years at financial public relations firm, Brunswick, specialising in corporate advisory work and campaigns. During that time he also worked on a number of public affairs projects including advising General Wesley Clark during his evidence giving in the Milosevic trial in the Hague and acting as a pro bono adviser to the International Crisis Group and other NGOs.

Ed started his career in journalism, including five years in network television at GMTV where he was News Editor. He has also worked as a national newspaper reporter. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Programme (AMP 180). Ed is a Board Member of the PRCA, a trustee of the Woolf Institute at Cambridge a member of the Arthur Page Society and serves on the international advisory council of the International Crisis Group. Other trusteeships: none.