Chair of Trustees
Royal Institute of British Architects
Remuneration: £45,000 per annum for a 2-day-per-week commitment
Location London
Closing date: Thursday 16 April 2026 @ 12pm (noon)
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a global cultural institution committed to advancing architecture and the built environment for the benefit of society. We support our members to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Championing and celebrating excellence in design, fostering innovation, and promoting sustainability, we advocate for the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct. Being inclusive, ethical, environmentally aware and collaborative underpins all that we do.
We are looking for our next Chair at an unprecedented time of change. The introduction of the Building Safety Act led to a substantial and important regulatory shake-up. The climate change emergency continues, high on our agenda, and the growing diversity of our profession also remains a priority. We are taking positive action across all of these areas, influencing government policy and regulation, supporting our members, and promoting our vision for a low-carbon future built environment. We are doing so against a backdrop of business change and improvement.
We are now seeking our next chair; an outstanding leader and experienced Non-Executive Director and Board/Committee Chair who is enthusiastic about the work, contribution and prospects of our members, able to apply board and strategic leadership credentials to oversee strong Institute performance on behalf of an important profession. The role will be broad, overseeing our House of Architecture Programme which involves substantial financial investment and complex, multi-faceted business change, alongside our continued development of the profession to meet current and emerging challenges. Commitment to outstanding membership experience and the advancement of RIBA’s charitable objectives will be critical.
This is an exciting and important time for RIBA and our members. If you have passion for what we do, and experience that will help us to accelerate progress on numerous fronts, we look forward to hearing from you.
To arrange an informal discussion about this role, contact our recruitment partners at GatenbySanderson: Zoe Bennett, zoe.bennett@gatenbysanderson.com, or Stephanie Wilson, stephanie.wilson@gatenbysanderson.com.
Members of RIBA are encouraged to apply. We encourage applications from both members and lay candidates from a broad range of backgrounds.