Loyd Grossman CBE announced as Chair of the Board of Trustees

The Royal Society of Arts is delighted to announce that after a robust recruitment process, Loyd Grossman CBE has been appointed Chair of its Board of Trustees, effective from the date of our AGM on 10 October 2024, where his appointment will be ratified by our Fellowship.

With a longstanding commitment to history, the arts and heritage, including the RSA where he has been a Fellow for 31 years, Loyd will lead the Board as we continue to build on our Design for Life mission – enabling people, places and the planet to flourish in harmony and securing a regenerative future for everyone.

Loyd Grossman, new Chair of the Royal Society of Arts, said:

"I am delighted to have been appointed Chair of the RSA at such an exciting time in its 270-year history. I share the RSA’s commitment to a new Enlightenment. A new Enlightenment which prizes and promotes the value of knowledge widely and freely spread; discussion and debate without fear; toleration; belief in human goodness; and the feeling that progress can be spiritual, cultural and material.

“These values are in the RSA’s DNA. It has done tremendous good and can be an even greater force for good, blessed as it is with an incomparable heritage, a large and varied Fellowship and an international outlook”.

In his new role as Chair, Loyd Grossman will amplify the RSA’s commitment to regenerative impact – economically, socially and environmentally, will seek to grow the RSA’s vibrant and diverse international Fellowship and build RSA House’s reputation as a cultural destination in the heart of central London.

Loyd has just concluded his term as Chair of The Royal Parks, where he led its transition from a government agency to its establishment as an independent charity, all while making great advances in the charity’s commercial output and commitment to public benefit. He also concludes his full term as Chair of Gresham College.

Loyd has also been Commissioner of the Museums and Galleries Commission, English Heritage, and the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. He was a founding member of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council; a past Member of the Council of the British School at Rome and of the British Institute of Florence; Chairman of National Museums Liverpool, and Deputy Chairman of Liverpool European Capital of Culture.

He has been Chairman of the Churches Conservation Trust, Chairman of the Heritage Alliance, Chairman of the University for the Creative Arts, and Deputy Chairman of The Royal Drawing School. He was a member of the Court of Governors of the LSE and is now an Emeritus Governor of the LSE.

Andy Haldane, Chief Executive of the RSA, said:

"Loyd combines an outstanding commitment to cultural heritage with a proven track record of financial acuity, political skill and commercial innovation to deliver public good. Through his extensive experience across heritage and cultural organisations around the world, Loyd has clear alignment with the RSA, its roots in the Enlightenment, and the growing momentum of our Design for Life mission.

“I am hugely excited to work with Loyd as he leads the Board, helping us to unlock the many opportunities of the future. I would also like to thank Tim Eyles for his outstanding leadership and wise stewardship of the RSA and its international Fellowship since 2018. We at the RSA owe Tim an enormous debt of gratitude for all he has done to secure the organisation over the last six years, not least throughout the pandemic and the immense challenges it presented.”

Outgoing Chair of the RSA, Tim Eyles OBE, said:

"It has been a huge honour and privilege to serve as the RSA’s Chair and I am enormously grateful to my fellow trustees, the RSA’s staff, the Fellows and our partners for all their support. I am immensely proud of the enormous progress made under Andy Haldane’s leadership in delivering meaningful social impact through powerful interventions under the Design for Life mission, dynamic engagement with the RSA’s Fellows and significant growth in the global and youth Fellowship. I am delighted by Loyd Grossman’s appointment as my successor and wish him every success in taking the organisation forward. Exciting times lie ahead."

The appointment process was led by the RSA’s Deputy Chair of Trustees, Charlotte Oades, with the direct support of many of the Board Members and an external independent search firm. A diverse range of applications were received from the RSA’s Fellowship and beyond.

The RSA Nominations and Governance Committee unanimously approved the appointment, and this will be ratified at the RSA’s Annual General Meeting on 10 October 2024.