Governing Board

The Lord Browne of Madingley

Lord Browne is the Chairman of the Board of Governors at The Courtauld. He joined BP plc in 1966, becoming its Group Chief Executive in 1995 until retirement in 2007. He is Chairman of BeyondNetZero, a climate growth equity venture, and sits on a range of other boards. He has a wide variety of not-for-profit interests and is currently Co-Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Council on Science and Technology, Chairman of the Francis Crick Institute, and Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. He has previously been President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Chairman of the Tate.

“I joined The Courtauld for two reasons. Firstly, because The Courtauld’s remarkable nature as both a world-class university and a gallery with a collection of exceptional paintings embodies two of my greatest passions: art and education.  And secondly, to use my experience leading a variety of businesses and cultural institutions to help guide The Courtauld through the transformation they are currently undertaking”

Term expires August 2027

Professor Julia Black CBE FBA

Julia Black is Strategic Director of Innovation and Professor of Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is also an External Member of the Prudential Regulation Authority, Senior Independent Member of the Board of UKRI and a member of the Council of Science and Technology. Julia will also be the new President of The British Academy in 2021. Her primary research interest is the legitimacy and dynamics of regulatory systems, and she has written extensively on regulatory issues in a number of areas, advised policy makers, consumer bodies, law reform bodies and regulators on issues of institutional design and regulatory policy in the UK and overseas.

“I feel delighted and privileged to join The Courtauld’s Governing Board. The Courtauld is a remarkable institution, combining academic excellence in art history with an outstanding art collection and gallery. It also has a strong commitment to public engagement, and to making the visual arts accessible to all. I hope to use my knowledge of academic institutions and the wider research policy environment to contribute to the work of The Courtauld as it moves forward over the next few years.”

Term expires March 2028

Sir Leszek Borysiewicz

Sir Leszek is Chair of Cancer Research UK and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge (2010 to 2017).  He is a distinguished academic with an extensive research career focused on the immune response to common viruses and in 2001 was knighted for his pioneering vaccine research.  He was Chief Executive of the UK’s Medical Research Council from 2007 to 2010 and Deputy Rector of Imperial College 2004 to 2007.

“The Courtauld is a unique institution of well recognised international excellence in the visual arts.  It combines both public exhibition and academic endeavour alongside each other which gives it a distinctive and important presence in both higher education and the arts in general.  This is extremely exciting and I believe can set The Courtauld apart from all other such institutions.  I look forward to helping deliver the academic interface in an already exceptional institution.”

Term expires December 2026

Peter Budd

Peter is currently a Non-Executive Director with Arup, having previously worked with the firm for over 45 years in a full time capacity as a Chartered civil/structural engineer.  His experience included tours of duty in the USA, the Middle East, East Asia and Central Africa. He was involved in many of Arup’s most prestigious projects and set up and ran successful Arup businesses in the UK and in North America. From 1998 to 2016 Peter also led Arup’s Global Aviation business.  Peter has been involved in a number of public sector initiatives promoting the profession and international trade and was appointed CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list July 2017 for services relating to developing Sino-British trade. Mr Budd is the Chairman of The Courtauld Connects Steering Group.

Term expires July 2025

Charmian Caines

Ms Caines is a Senior Partner and Managing Director of management consultancy firm, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) serving leading consumer and retail companies.  She has led BCG’s W Europe and UK Consumer, Retail and Travel practise.  She is currently also a Councillor for CBI London and Chair of the Galapagos Conservation Trust.  She is a former Advisory Board Member of River Island.

“I was delighted to become a Governor of The Courtauld Institute because I see it as a truly unique combination of high quality art education and a leading art collection.  I would like the opportunity to bring my strategic and commercial experience to bear as the organisation carries out its ambitious Connect programme.”

Term expires December 2026

Neil Chugani

Neil Chugani is an experienced Chief Financial Officer, having served in this role with global brands including Warner Bros. Discovery, Google & YouTube and BBC Worldwide. He has also been an active advocate for the cause of diversity, equity and inclusion at several organisations, most recently on the International DEI Executive SteerCo. for Discovery, Inc. Neil previously served on the Board of UK Sport, the Government’s lead strategic body for Olympic and Paralympic Sport, as an Independent Member, Chairman of the Audit Committee, and member of the Major Events Panel. He was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2009 and was educated at Oxford University.

“I feel honoured to have been appointed to the Governing Board of the Courtauld, which uniquely offers world class education to its students, and a world class permanent collection to the public. I believe in the power of both the visual arts and education to enrich the human experience, and in the mission of the Courtauld to broaden access to art to as many people as possible. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to apply my experience in media, technology and finance to help further the organisation’s progress toward delivering on that mission.”

Term expires June 2027

Dr Gabriele Finaldi

Dr Finaldi has been Director of the National Gallery since August 2015. He was previously Deputy Director for Collections and Research at the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, a position he took up in 2002. Prior to his role at the Prado, he was a curator at the National Gallery from 1992-2002, where he was responsible for the later Italian paintings in the collection and the Spanish collection. Dr Finaldi is an Alumnus of The Courtauld, completing his BA in 1987; MA in 1989 and PhD in 1995.

“As a Courtauld alumnus, I was honoured to be asked to join the Governing Board. The combination of teaching excellence, superb libraries and the Gallery’s collections make The Courtauld an institution that has a great deal to offer the art history and museums world but also society at large. Its international student body and its worldwide networks give it a real edge. From my current role at the National Gallery, I felt I was in a position to assist in its process of transformation and growth.”

Term expires July 2025

James Freedman

James Freedman is an experienced entrepreneur with expertise in combining strategic vision with commercial acumen to identify innovative approaches to creating long-term, sustainable revenue streams. James has a deep interest in education and the arts, having graduated with a degree in Classics from Queens’ College, Cambridge and recently completed a master’s in history of art at UCL. He sits on boards of both commercial companies and charities and is currently studying for a Masters in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents at Birkbeck College, University of London.

“I am delighted to be joining The Courtauld’s board. Education changed my life for the better, and I feel privileged by the opportunity to help The Courtauld do the same for a new generation. Its mission could not be more critical, and I look forward to contributing my own digital and technology experience.”

Term expires June 2027

Hugh Langmuir

Hugh Langmuir is a founder and former managing partner of the European private equity firm, Cinven. Based in London and Paris, he was responsible for making investments across multiple industry sectors and for raising successive funds from Cinven’s clients across the globe. Prior to joining Cinven in 1991, he started his career as an investment banker with Citigroup and as a management consultant with Bain & Co. He holds degrees from the University of Edinburgh, Harvard University and London Business School.

“I am delighted and honoured to be joining the board of this unique and highly regarded institution. As a keen supporter of higher education and as an art lover, I hope to use my experience as the leader of a major investment firm to help the Courtauld navigate the many challenges it faces in an increasingly uncertain world and to ensure that it not only retains but builds upon its standing as a university and art gallery of the first rank.”

Term expires June 2027

Hugues Lepic

Hugues Lepic is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aleph Capital Partners LLP, a London-based investment firm.  Prior to founding Aleph, he spent 22 years at Goldman Sachs where he was the Head of the Merchant Banking Division in Europe, and a member of the European Management Committee. He currently serves on the boards of Ekinops SA and Darag Group Limited and was previously on the boards of a number of investments including Iliad, Neuf Cegetel, Eutelsat, Prysmian, Groupe Eurotunnel, Pages Jaunes Groupe, Technicolor and Interoute. Mr Lepic is currently the Chair of the Investments Committee and Audit & Risk Committee at The Courtauld.

Term expires March 2024

Sally Osman

Ms Osman has led and shaped communications at two of the UK’s most valued and enduring cultural institutions, Buckingham Palace, where she was Director, Royal Communications, and the BBC where she was Director of Communications.  She was a Trustee of Youth Music for ten years, a Trustee of the Art Fund and a Non-Executive Director at the Welsh National Opera. Ms Osman is the Chair of The Courtauld’s Joint Honours Committee.

“An invitation to join The Courtauld board is a great honour. The institution’s global reputation and influence through its collection, its expertise and its alumni is of immense value. I hope my experience of working within organisations that undergo constant change and transition to ensure they are relevant for future generations will also be of value.”

Term expires July 2027

Franck Petitgas

Mr Petitgas is Head of Morgan Stanley International and sits on the Firm’s Operating Committee.  He is President of the Tate Foundation and formerly the Senior Trustee on the Tate Board. Trustee of Glyndebourne, Patron of Chichester Festival Theatre, he is a Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur of France. Mr Petitgas is the Chair of The Courtauld’s Governance, Nominations & Remuneration Committee.

Term expires December 2026

Märit Rausing Director: Professor Mark Hallett

Mark Hallett has been Märit Rausing Director of the Courtauld since August 2023. Following his studies at Cambridge and the Courtauld, Professor Hallett started his career at the University of York, where he taught in the History of Art Department for eighteen years. In 2012, he moved to London to become Director of the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art, a post which he held for more than a decade. Over his career, he has published numerous monographs and catalogues on the history of British art, and curated major exhibitions at Tate Britain, the Wallace Collection, the Royal Academy and the Yale Center for British art. At the Courtauld, he oversees all aspects of its work as both a specialist scholarly organisation and a world-class gallery.

President of The J. Paul Getty Trust: Katherine E. Fleming

Katherine E. Fleming assumed her post as president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust on August 1, 2022. An accomplished academic leader and internationally recognised scholar of Mediterranean history, religion, and culture, she served as Provost of New York University from 2016 to 2022. She was instrumental in NYU’s development as a research powerhouse and in its emergence as one of the world’s most global institutions, leading NYU’s strategy in Europe. She has served as Alexander S. Onassis Professor of Hellenic Culture and Civilization at NYU, and as a long-standing Associate Professor of History at the Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris. From 2012-2016 she chaired the Board of the University of Piraeus, Greece. An elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she is also Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor and Commander in the Greek Order of Beneficence. Fleming began her career in California, earning her doctorate at UC Berkeley and then teaching at various institutions in Southern California before going to NYU in 1998.

Chairman, Samuel Courtauld Trust: Andrew Hochhauser KC

Andrew Hochhauser KC was appointed as the Chairman of the Samuel Courtauld Trust in December 2019. He is a barrister at Essex Court Chambers, a Harmsworth scholar and Bencher of Middle Temple, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Deputy High Court Judge. In 2011, he obtained an MA from The Courtauld Institute of Art, where he specialised in British Modernism. He is a Trustee of the V&A Foundation, the National AIDS Trust, Ballet Black and a Governor of the University of the Arts London.

President, Students’ Union: Olivia Cheney

Olivia Cheney was elected President of The Courtauld’s Student Union before graduating in the summer of 2023. Olivia came to The Courtauld in 2020 as an undergraduate, and during her BA she specialised in themes of gender, sexuality, desire, and gaze, and their intersections within presentations of self in costume of the 19th century Iranian harem. Olivia was also involved in events work for short courses, lectures series, and conferences, as well as engaging with the Students’ Union and running her own arts-based society throughout her degree. She graduated with honours in History of Art in July 2023.

“I am delighted to be joining The Courtauld Governing Board. The Courtauld’s unique position as both a world-class art historical educator and a leading art gallery means it has a lot to offer both its students and the wider art community. I look forward to championing the diverse student body to enable them to have the best experience whilst helping to facilitate growth and outreach.”

Academic Staff: Professor Jo Applin

Jo Applin is Professor in the History of Art at The Courtauld. Between 2018-2020 she was Head of the History of Art Department. She works on art since 1960 and is the author of numerous books and articles. Her current project is about feminism, art and ageing. In 2012 she was the recipient of a Philip Leverhulme Prize. She has been a Visiting Scholar at Université de Paris 1, Sorbonne-Panthéon, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal. She was Senior Scholar at the Terra Foundation, Giverny, and a Fellow at the University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies, and Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. She currently sits on the Advisory Council of the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, and is an Editor at Oxford Art Journal. From Autumn 2023 Jo will be Director for the Terra-funded Centre of American Art at The Courtauld. She is committed to working with the Board and colleagues across the institute to ensure and safeguard The Courtauld’s national and international reputation as an outstanding research and teaching institute and art gallery.

Term expires March 2027

Academic Staff: Dr Austin Nevin

Dr Austin Nevin is a Reader and Head of Conservation at the Courtauld which he joined in 2020. Following a degree in Chemistry (MChem), he trained as a Wall Painting Conservator at the Courtauld where he obtained a PhD in 2008. Prior to his appointment at The Courtauld he was a Senior Lecturer in Conservation at the University of Gothenburg, and Researcher at the Italian National Research Council, and Marie Curie Early Stage Research Fellow at the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (Greece). He is a Fellow and Vice President of the International Institute for the Conservation of Artistic and Historic Works.

Term expires November 2024

Academic Staff: Dr Stephen Whiteman

Dr Stephen Whiteman is Reader in the Art and Architecture of China at the Courtauld. A specialist in the visual and spatial cultures of early modern and modern East and Southeast Asia, his current efforts focus on transcultural histories of Asian art and strengthening the place of art histories from outside Euroamerica at the Courtauld and in the discipline as a whole. His research has been supported by fellowships and major grants from the British Academy, the Getty Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Dumbarton Oaks, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, and the Center for Advanced Studies in the Visual Arts, among others. He is a Trustee of the Association for Art History and has served in leadership roles with the College Art Association and Society of Architectural Historians (US), as well. Prior to joining the Courtauld in 2019, he was Senior Lecturer in Asian Art and Deputy Director of the Power Institute Foundation for Art and Visual Culture at the University of Sydney, where he continues as an Honorary Associate in Art History.

“I am honoured to have been elected by my faculty colleagues to represent them on the Governing Board. The Courtauld is a remarkable institution with a unique capacity to lead by example. I have joined the Governing Board to help support the Courtauld in its mission as a world-leading institution for art history and conservation that embraces its traditional strengths while charting new paths in the arts and humanities.”

Term ends July 2027

Non-Academic Staff: Chrissy Baker

Chrissy is Development Events and Venue Hire Lead at The Courtauld. She joined the Development team in January 2019 at the start of gallery’s closure for its major transformation project. Since then she has lead the strategy and delivery of international major donor, alumni and member events. Since the Gallery re-opened in 2021, Chrissy has launched new business streams to generate commercial income at the Gallery.
Prior to The Courtauld, Chrissy has experience in high-value fundraising, donor stewardship and special events for major UK charities Macmillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie.

Term expires June 2027

Non-Academic Staff: Natalia Fenyoe FCIM

Natalia Fenyoe is currently the Head of Membership, Events and Alumni Engagement at The Courtauld, with additional responsibility for Audience Insight and CRM. She has been an employee at The Courtauld since 2017 and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Natalia has previous senior level experience across development, marketing and communications within the creative and cultural sectors including leading marketing functions at Turner Entertainment and corporate fundraising at the British Film Institute. Prior to The Courtauld, Natalia was the Director of Marketing, Membership and Business Development and deputy to the CEO at the Incorporated Society of Musicians. She holds a BA in World Art History; Museology from the University of East Anglia.

Term expires March 2027

Non-Academic Staff – Gallery: Dr Alexandra Gernstein

Dr Alexandra Gerstein is the Curator of sculpture and decorative arts at the Courtauld Gallery and the lead curator for Nazi-era provenance and restitution matters. She is responsible for a wide-ranging collection spanning European medieval ivories, Renaissance maiolica, glass and sculpture, Islamic metalwork, 18th-century English silver and furniture, and 19th and early 20th century sculpture. Her research interests include processes of sculptural production in the 19th and early 20th century, the art of the Bloomsbury Group and the history of collecting. In 2016-17 she curated the exhibition Rodin and Dance: The Essence of Movement in the Courtauld Gallery, which explored the intersection of modern dance and sculptural process in Rodin’s late works.

Term expires March 2027

Sarah Robertson

Sarah has over 30 years’ experience as a listed company secretary and governance specialist and is currently Group Corporate Secretary for a listed international mining company.  Sarah has also held similar roles in the oil and gas industry, software industry and financial services industries.  She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Governance Professionals and holds a Masters in Corporate Governance.