Advisory Board Members & Executives

Advisory Board Chairman

Michael Schaefer

35 years in the German Foreign Service, including postings at the UN in New York and Geneva, and in Singapore, and five years as Political Director in Berlin. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China (2007−2013), Chairman, BMW Foundation (2014–2020). Honorary professor at the China University of Political Science and Law; member Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance. Member advisory board, Alliance4Europe, steering group, Club of Three.

Executive Chairman

Michael Maclay

Former diplomat, journalist and television producer, later special adviser to Foreign Secretary and to international High Representative, Bosnia. Chairman, Franco-German-UK Club of Three, Advisory Board member, LSE IDEAS think tank. Former Advisory Board Chairman, British American Project (2012−20). Ambassador, Young Citizens.

Chief Operating Officer

Tom Rhodes

Former New York Bureau Chief of The Sunday Times and Washington Correspondent for The Times. Latterly senior executive of one of UK’s leading strategic intelligence companies and Managing Director International of New York technology company, Exceed. Director, Montrose Associates.

Senior Executive

Ben Welch

Formerly at the World Bank in Washington, DC and Ankara; before that executive at a leading London-based strategic and campaign consultancy. Experience in communications and emerging markets finance. Graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, Cambridge University and Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Advisory Board Members

Edmond Alphandéry

Founder and chairman of the Euro50 Group. Former Board member, GDF Suez, and President of its Strategic Committee. Also Senior Advisor, Nomura Securities and sits on the Consultative Committee of A.T. Kearney, France. A former Minister of Economy of France (1993−1995). Chairman of CNP Assurances 1998–2012. Also former Chairman, Eléctricité de France (EDF).and former President of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

James Arbuthnot, Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom

Chairman, Electricity Resilience Ltd, Chairman, UK Advisory Panel, Thales. Member of the Post Office Horizon Compensation Advisory Board and that of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. Conservative Member of Parliament, 1987–2015, Defence Minister 1994–97, and Chairman, House of Commons Select Committee on Defence, 2005–14.

Michael Bottenheim

Trustee, Airey Neave Trust. Formerly Director, UPM-Kymmene; Managing Director, Lazard Brothers; former Senior Adviser, Lincoln International. Executive Director of Citicorp, and member of the Supervisory Board of Abemy BV. Non-Executive Director, Montrose Associates.

Dame Vivienne Cox

Chair, Victrex. Director, Haleon, Venterra. Chair of the Rosalind Franklin Institute, Vice Chair, Saïd Business School, Oxford. Former Chair, Vallourec and Senior Independent Director, Pearson. Former Director, Rio Tinto, BG. Worked for BP plc for 28 years, latterly as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive of BP’s Gas, Power & Renewables businesses.

Casper von Koskull

Chairman, Oy Karl Fazer Ab, European Business Leaders’ Convention (EBLC), Board Member, Stena AB, Ahlstrom Capital Oy and Board Member Citigroup Inc. Formerly President and CEO, Nordea Bank; held key positions at UBS London, Citibank Frankfurt and Citibank New York.

Chairman Emeritus

David Simon, Lord Simon of Highbury

Former CEO and Chairman of BP. Governor, Institute for Government. Formerly Senior Advisor to MWM, Deputy Chairman of Unilever, Deputy Chairman Cambridge University Council and British Government Minister for Trade and Competitiveness (1997−1999).