GBCC is independently managed and governed by a board of directors with extensive experience in UK-China relations.
The board is led by our chair, who is appointed by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. Our work is further supported by our distinguished president and vice presidents.
Chair of the Board
Sir Martin Davidson KCMG joined GBCC’s board in 2007 and has been chair of the board since February 2015. He is a former chief executive of the British Council.
Sir Martin has spent much of his career in China and Hong Kong. His commitment to international relationships has been a constant feature of his work. Sir Martin is an independent non-executive director of the House of Fraser Group and a board advisor to a number of China and education related businesses. He is also chair of International Inspiration, the sport for development charity which sprang from the London 2012 Olympics and vice chair of Leonard Cheshire Disability, the UK’s leading disability charity.
Sir Martin lives with his family in Dorset and is a trustee of the Dorset Community Foundation. Sir Martin was knighted in 2014 for his services to British cultural, scientific and educational interests worldwide.
Board of Directors
Chair of the Board
Sir Martin Davidson KCMG, former Chief Executive, British Council
Vice Chair of the Board and Honorary Treasurer
Richard Jackson
Vice Chair of the Board
Alan Black, former senior Partner, Linklaters LLP
Directors
Timothy Danaher, Partner, Brunswick Group LLP
Luke Graham, Director, Deloitte ESG Advisory
Rt Hon Andrew Gwynne MP, Labour MP for Denton and Reddish
Alicia Kearns MP, Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton
Pia MacRae, CEO, Consortium for Street Children
Prof. Katherine Morton, Professor of Global Affairs, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua
Andrew Pittam, Head of China Department, FCDO
Andrew Seaton, Chief Executive, China-Britain Business Council
David Thompson, Head of Political Affairs, British Council
Marina Wheeler KC, Barrister, 1 Crown Office Row
Roderic Wye, Senior Fellow, China Policy Institute
Honorary President
Rt Hon Sir David Lidington, former Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
He served as Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) from May 2010 until July 2016.
David Lidington was Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between 8 January 2018 and 24 July 2019.
He was Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice from June 2017 to January 2018.
He was elected Conservative MP for Aylesbury in 1992.
Sir Lidington has been honorary president of the GBCC since 2022.
Honorary Vice Presidents
Peter Batey CMG OBE, former Chair of the Board, GBCC
Rt Hon Sir Oliver Letwin MP, former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Rt Hon Sir John Major, former Prime Minister
Lord Powell of Bayswater, Co-Chair, Asia Task Force; former Private Secretary to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Lady Pamela Youde, former Trustee, Great Britain–China Educational Trust