Jim O'Neill Elected New Chair of Chatham House

LONDON, April 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Members of the Council of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, have elected Lord O'Neill of Gatley as its next chair.

     (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/679926/Jim_O_Neill.jpg )

Jim O'Neill will lead the council in overseeing the operations and performance of the institute as well as contribute his substantial experience to support its mission to help build a sustainably secure, prosperous and just world. As Chatham House approaches the centenary of its founding in 2020, he will also work closely with council members, the institute's supporters and its director, Robin Niblett, to ensure that the institute continues to be at the forefront of debate, analysis and ideas on the most critical issues in international affairs.

Jim O'Neill will take over from Stuart Popham QC, who has served six years in the post, after the institute's AGM in July 2018. The selection was undertaken by a search committee led by Sir Simon Fraser, vice chair of Council and chair of the nominations committee, working alongside MWM Consulting.

Lord O'Neill said:

"I welcome this opportunity to lead the board of an institution that I greatly respect and that I believe will play a highly important role in the future. Uniquely, Chatham House combines the capacity to convene leading thinkers and practitioners on international affairs alongside deep knowledge on how to confront some of the most intractable global challenges of our time. I look forward to building on Stuart's legacy and to ensuring Chatham House addresses the risks and opportunities of the future with the same passion as it has in the past." 

The post of chair is elected by members of council who are drawn from and elected by the institute's individual and nominated members.

Jim O'Neill's previous roles include joint head of research at Goldman Sachs (1995-2000), its chief economist (2001-10) and chairman of its asset management division (2010-13); commercial secretary to the Treasury (2015-16); chair of the City Growth Commission (2014); and chair of the Review on Anti-Microbial Resistance (2014-16). He was created a life peer in 2015, and serves as a crossbench member of the House of Lords. He is also an honorary professor of economics, University of Manchester, and holds honorary degrees from the University of Sheffield, University of London and City University London. He received his PhD from the University of Surrey.