The Chairman and Council members are appointed jointly by the BIS and DCMS Secretaries of State. The Council appoints the Chief Executive (with the approval of sponsoring departments BIS and DCMS) and makes certain that high standards of corporate governance, risk and financial management are applied at all times.
Our Council meets approximately eight times a year and the minutes from these meetings are published on this site.
In early 2009 we appointed these 7 new Council members:
- Sebastian Conran, Managing Director, Studio Conran
- Joe Ferry, Head of Design, Virgin Atlantic Airways
- Professor Alan Livingston CBE, Rector of University College Falmouth
- Professor Jeremy Myerson, Director of the Helen Hamlyn Centre, Royal College of Art
- Professor Eddie Obeng, Founder of Pentacle Business School
- Martin Temple CBE, Chairman of the Engineering Employers Federation
- Sophie Thomas, Director and Co-founder of Thomas.Matthews Ltd
The new additions join 8 other Council members, plus our Chairman, Sir Michael Bichard, who was appointed in 2008.
The Chairman and Council members are unpaid.
As well as being a member of the Design Council, our Council members have full time day jobs.
Sophie Thomas tells us what it's like to work for a week in her life.
Our current Chairman is Sir Michael Bichard, who is pictured here on the left with previous Chairmen Sir George Cox, Sir Christopher Frayling and Sir John Sorrell