Committees
Details of the committees that govern British Academy policy work and roles.
Council
Council
For the role of the Council, see especially the Charter, Clauses 5-9; and Bye-laws 24-27
The Nominations Committee oversees consultation with the Fellowship concerning suggestions for Council membership, and to nominate to Council names for proposal to AGM - bearing in mind the desirability of relevant skills and balance in the membership of Council.
Membership:
Professor Jane Millar OBE
Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad
Professor Bencie Woll
Professor Isabel Armstrong
The Standing Committee of Council supports Council and ensures that decisions of the Council are effectively implemented by the Academy.
Membership:
Chair: Professor Julia Black CBE, President
Professor Christina Boswell, Vice-President (Public Policy)
Professor Cyprian Broodbank, Vice-President (British International Research Institutes)
Professor Lindsay Farmer, Vice-President (Publishing & Conferences)
Professor Mike Heffernan, Vice President (Social Sciences)
Professor Simon Goldhill, Foreign Secretary
Professor Rana Mitter OBE, Vice President (Public Engagement)
Professor Judith Still, Vice-President (Humanities)
Professor Sally Shuttleworth CBE, Treasurer
Professor Margot Finn, Vice-President (Research and Higher Education Policy)
Secretary: Hetan Shah, Chief Executive
The Audit Committee monitors the integrity of the financial statements and reviews significant reporting judgments contained within them; keeps under review the Academy's stewardship of its funds and resources; and advises Council regarding the appointment or reappointment of the external auditors and the audit fee. It agrees the nature and scope of the audit, discusses any problems or reservations arising from the audit and reviews the auditors' management letter. The Committee advises Council on the wording of its corporate governance statement and the internal audit arrangements, and it reviews the risk management arrangements.
Membership:
Chair: Professor April McMahon FBA
Professor Roger Kain CBE FBA
Mr Philip Greenish CBE, external member
Mr Andrew Jones, external member
Professor Anna Sapir Abulafia FBA
Secretary: Dr Nickolas Lambrianou, Head of Fellowship Engagement and Governance
The Resources Strategy Committee advises Council on the Academy's investment management strategy, primarily for its private funds.
Membership:
Chair: Professor Sally Shuttleworth CBE, Treasurer
Professor Julian Birkinshaw
Professor Margaret Brazier
Professor Martin Daunton
Professor Judith Freedman
Professor Simon Swain
Hetan Shah, Chief Executive
Secretary: Graeme Appleby, Director of Resources
The Development Board of the British Academy advises and guides the Academy in respect of its fundraising activity and introduces potential fundraising prospects.
Membership:
Chair: Sir Victor Blank, external member
Professor Julia Black, President
Professor Sally Shuttleworth, Treasurer
Professor Sir David Cannadine
Dame Liz Forgan
Dame Helena Kennedy
Mr Adam Weathered, external member
Sir Brian Ivory, external member
Mr Sam Gyimah, external member
Secretary: Jo Hopkins, Director of Development
The Acceptance of Funds Group advises the Academy on the acceptance or refusal of philanthropic gifts, bequests and sponsorships supporting the British Academy from individual donors, charitable associations, trusts and foundations and corporates.
Membership:
Chair: Mr John Shakeshaft, external member
Professor Catherine Barnard
Ms Bridget Kendall
Mr Rory Landman, external member
Professor April McMohan, Treasurer, ex-Officio
Secretary: Jo Hopkins, Director of Development
The Heritage Committee reviews arrangements relating to the Academy's collections of archives, books, and artworks, including a report from the Art Committee and sets priorities for the development and use of the archives and library. It also supports the Archivist, Librarian and Curator with expert guidance on archives and library matters and helps plan projects to promote the use and display of the archives and library.
Membership:
Chair: Professor Sir David Cannadine
Professor Dawn Ades, Chair, Art Committee
Liz Jolly, external member
Revd Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch Kt
Professor Rana Mitter OBE, Vice-President (Public Engagement)
Dr Elizabeth Shepherd, external member
Professor William Whyte, external member
Dr William Zachs, external member
Secretary: Dr Sharon Messenger, Archivist, Librarian and Curator
Fellowship
The Fellowship and Structures Committee reviews the representation within the Fellowship of the subjects that make up the humanities and social sciences; it monitors the process of election to the Fellowship; and it considers the claims for election of persons whose work does not fall within the purview of any Section. The President regularly invites attendance by Fellows, eg former Presidents, whose experience is useful in dealing with FSC business.
Membership
Chair: Professor Susan J Smith PBA, President
Professor Mike Heffernan FBA, Vice-President (Social Sciences)
Professor Judith Still FBA, Vice-President (Humanities)
Professor Dominic Abrams FBA
Professor Judith Lieu FBA
Professor Simon Shepherd FBA
Three vacancies TBC
Secretary: Marion Paterson, Fellowship Manager
Research and Higher Education Policy
The Research and Higher Education Policy Committee takes an overview of, and approves priorities for, the Academy’s research funding, HE and skills policy in the context of national requirements and overall strategy. The committee is chaired by the Vice-President (Research & Higher Education Policy), Professor Margot Finn FBA.
Membership:
Professor Richard Blundell FBA
Professor Roberta Gilchrist FBA
Professor Charles Forsdick FBA
Professor Ed Page FBA
Professor Peter Mandler FBA
Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad FBA
Professor John Scott FBA
Professor Isabel Torres FBA
Dr Valeria Skafida (external)
Michelle Doyle Wildman (external)
Dr Hannah Gibson (external)
Professor James Wilsdon (external)
Public Policy
The Academy’s public policy programme of work is overseen by the Vice-President (Public Policy), Professor Genevra Richardson FBA, drawing on advice from the Public Policy Committee (PPC). The Committee is chaired by Professor Christina Boswell and includes Fellows as well as external stakeholders among its members.
Membership
Professor Christina Boswell FBA (Chair)
Professor Fiona Stafford FBA
Professor Peter John FBA
Professor Sonia Livingstone FBA
Professor Susan Owens FBA
Dr Amy Orben (external)
Professor Carol Tannahill (external)
Halima Khan (external)
Jamie Agombar (external)
Kate Dommett (external)
Stephen Aldridge (external)
(Secretary: Dr Adam Wright)
International
The International Engagement Committee (IEC) determines the Academy’s International Strategy, including the Academy’s international thematic priorities, and international engagement globally and regionally, including in Europe and with the European Union. It leads on the delivery of the Academy’s international objectives, and champions an international dimension across the Academy’s activities to ensure synergies, including the British International Research Institutes. IEC defines and monitors high-impact programmes and activities which address the Academy’s international objectives, incorporating all the Academy’s activities related to international development, relations, policy and funding. It oversees and approves the development of all partnership and funding opportunities in the international sphere and the Academy’s engagements with all internationally-focused stakeholders, and leads on communications and representations to international bodies and organisations. It sets and periodically reviews priorities for international work, and advises Council on resources needed.
Membership:
Chair: Professor Patrick Haggard, Foreign Secretary and Vice-President
Professor Catherine Barnard
Professor Cyprian Broodbank, Vice-President (BIRI)
Professor Harriet Bulkeley
Professor Patricia Clavin
Professor Andy Jordan
Professor Julia Lovell
Professor Ambreena Manji, external member
The Lord McDonald of Salford, Simon McDonald, external member
Dr Charlotta Salmi, external member
Professor Dr Heidi Stöckl, external member
Secretary: Philip Lewis, Head of Global Strategy, Policy & Engagement
The committee oversees and monitors the allocation of Academy funding to a set of research institutes that enable British and international research.
As part of the British Academy's strategy for international engagement, the committee oversees and monitors the allocation of Academy funding to a set of research institutes that enable British and international research, networking and collaboration in geographical areas of interest and importance.
Membership:
Chair: Professor Cyprian Broodbank, Vice-President British International Research Institutes
Professor Catherine Alexander, external member
Mr Alan Gibbins, ex-officio
Professor Simon Goldhill, Foreign Secretary & Vice-President
Professor Anne Haour
Professor Sally Shuttleworth, Treasurer
Professor Simon Swain, Vice-President (Research and HE Policy)
Dr Lutgarde Vandeput, ex-officio
Secretary: Lesley Talbot, Deputy Head of Research Funding
Communications and External Relations
This committee is responsible for supporting British Academy Conferences and for publishing several series of academic publications.
The British Academy seeks to advance scholarship in its disciplines by supporting a select number of British Academy Conferences each year, and by publishing themed volumes of essays in the Proceedings of the British Academy series. The British Academy Monographs series provides Academy-supported early career scholars with a career-establishing publication opportunity. The Academy also publishes volumes of primary source material – editions and catalogues – arising from British Academy Research Projects.
For more general readerships, there are the online open access Journal of the British Academy, Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the British Academy, and the British Academy Review magazine.
The Academy’s activity in this area primarily relates to the Academy’s Strategic Priority (2), ‘To invest in the very best researchers and research’.
The committee responsible for all the activities in this section is the Publishing and Conferences Committee.
Membership
Chair: Professor Lindsay Farmer, Vice-President (Publishing & Conferences)
Professor David Abulafia FBA
Professor Gurminder K Bhambra FBA
Dr Nicolás Brando, ECR member
Professor Regenia Gagnier FBA
Dr Bea Gassmann De Sousa, ECR member
Professor Andrew Hadfield FBA
Professor Alvin Jackson FBA
Professor Li Wei FBA, Trustee
Professor Andrew Peacock FBA
Professor Elisabeth van Houts FBA
Professor Fiona Williams FBA
Secretary: Geetha Nair, Head of Publishing
The Communications and Engagement Committee takes an overview of the Academy's communications and external relations strategy, and advises Council on priorities; facilitates co-ordination across communications, events and publications activities; takes the lead on activities that will raise the Academy's profile and draw public attention to the value of humanities and social sciences scholarship; and advises Council on resources needed and determines budget priorities.
Membership
Chair: Professor Rana Mitter FBA OBE, Vice-President (Public Engagement)
Professor Uta Frith FBA
Anne Morrison, external member
Nicky Old, external member
Vivienne Parry external member
Professor Sophie Scott FBA
Professor Fiona Williams FBA, Editor, Journal of the British Academy
Professor Bencie Woll FBA
Professor Patrick Wright FBA
Professor Marianne Elliot FBA
Sir Jonathan Cross FBA
Dr Chi Zhang
Secretary: Lucy Grove, Director, Communications
Special Awards Committees
The membership of the British Academy's Neil Ker Memorial Fund Committee.
Membership
Chair: Professor Teresa Webber
Professor Julia Crick
Professor Richard Gameson, external member
Professor Vincent Gillespie
Dr Martin Kauffmann, external member
Dr Julian Luxford, external member
Secretary: Daisy Morris
The membership of the British Academy's Stein Arnold Exploration Fund Committee.
Membership
Chair: Dr John Curtis
Professor Norman Hammond
Dr Georgina Herrmann
Professor Dame Caroline Humphrey
Mr Robert Knox, external member
Professor Nicholas Sims-Williams
Secretary: Charles Hamilton
The membership of the British Academy's Stenton Fund Committee.
Membership
Chair: Professor Paul Brand
Professor John Hudson
Professor David Ibbetson
Dr Neil Jones, external member
Professor Simon Keynes
Dr John Maddicott
Dr Rory Naismith, external member
Professor Nicholas Vincent
Professor Louise Wilkinson, external member
Secretary: Dr Ken Emond
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