Founded in 1934, the British Council are a charity incorporated by Royal Charter aiming to support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding, and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We deliver our mission through uniquely combining the UK’s rich expertise in arts & culture, education and the English language, our global presence and relationships in over 100 countries, and our unparalleled access to young people with a global reach of 589 million people through face-to-face, digital, and publication and broadcast channels.

We operate a substantial English teaching and assessment revenue-generating arm that helps to support our purpose. We are also a public corporation and non-departmental public body that receives approximately 16% of our £1bn annual turnover in grant aid from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), so we have a unique governance structure and operate under public service scrutiny.

Following a challenging time financially during the pandemic and with reductions over the last decade to our government funding, the British Council has actively been transforming both its business model and strategic delivery in order to fulfil its mission at a time when the Prime Minister is seeking to re-set the UK’s relationship with Europe, and the Foreign Secretary is continuing her predecessor’s approach of ‘progressive realism’ in the UK’s foreign policy.

With this in mind, we are currently looking for a Trustee with senior financial or commercial leadership, who has preferably served at board level either as a CFO or a Finance Director, to enhance the Board’s strengths in this field. The ideal candidate will have experience of operating within large, complex international organisations and will be able to display strong financial literacy (ideally holding a professional accounting qualification), analytical skills, strategic thinking and show experience of risk mitigation. This trustee will also need to demonstrate the strong communication skills that are applicable in a board environment at the nexus of business, charity and non-departmental government activity and be a good relationship builder. Furthermore, ideal candidates will be fully rounded individuals who combine interest and passion in the overall mission of the British Council with collegiate skills, an enquiring mind and a positive attitude and demonstrably high standards of personal integrity and the ability to maintain and build on the values of the organisation – with an enthusiasm for, and understanding of, contemporary UK life and society. Successful candidates will bring past governance and board-level experience.

We particularly welcome candidates from the devolved nations, the regions of England, those with lived experiences in the other countries in which the British Council operates, and candidates from the Global Majority.

It is essential that trustees can devote the necessary time to the role. Currently we are holding a standard six Board meetings plus an Away Day each year and the Board’s committees meet regularly in addition. We call extra meetings as and when needed. The successful candidate must be prepared to serve on the Audit and Risk or Finance Committee.

For further details about the Finance Trustee, including the job description, person specification, and information on how to apply, please visit https://plusportal.perrettlaver.com/ quoting 8224.

Candidates wishing to apply should submit a CV (including comprehensive details of key achievements and responsibilities) along with a covering letter which fully addresses the competencies outlined in the role description and person specification.

The closing date for applications is 11:59pm on 15 March 2026.

The British Council will be supported in this appointment by the executive search firm Perrett Laver. Any initial enquiries should be directed to Ryann Schutt at ryann.schutt@perrettlaver.com and +44 (0) 20 7340 6224.

Accessibility

For a conversation in confidence, please contact Ryann Schutt at ryann.schutt@perrettlaver.com and +44 (0) 20 7340 6224.

Should you require access to these documents in alternative formats, please contact Bharti Aggarwal on bharti.aggarwal@perrettlaver.com.

If you have comments that would support us to improve access to documentation, or our application processes more generally, please do not hesitate to contact us via accessibility@perrettlaver.com.

Inclusion

Perrett Laver believes that excellence will be achieved through recognising the value of every individual. A broad range of perspectives, backgrounds and opinions amongst our global community of colleagues is crucial in maintaining our culture of openness, intellectual curiosity, and creativity. We take an active role in supporting under-represented communities and groups in becoming better and more fairly represented in the leadership of all organisations. We also know that diverse and inclusive teams have a positive impact on our ability to identify, engage and secure candidates from these groups.

Our commitment to inclusion across race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, identity, and experience drives us every day – for clients, for candidate identification and in the recruitment, development and retention of colleagues. 

To ensure inclusion on the basis of age, disability, ethnic or national origin, family circumstance, gender, gender identity, marital status, nationality, political or religious beliefs, race, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, we would like to specifically invite applications from under-represented groups.

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As defined under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Perrett Laver is a Data Controller and a Data Processor, and our legal basis for processing your personal data is ‘Legitimate Interests’. You have the right to object to us processing your data in this way. For more information about this, your rights, and our approach to Data Protection and Privacy, please visit our website http://www.perrettlaver.com/information/privacy/.