The RSA is excited to announce that Andy Haldane has been appointed as our new Chief Executive.
Andy is currently the Chief Economist at the Bank of England, a role which he took on in 2014, having joined the Bank in 1989. He is a member of the Monetary Policy Committee and his previous roles at the Bank include being Executive Director of Financial Stability. He was also Chair of HM Government’s Industrial Strategy Council.
In 2009, Andy co-founded Pro Bono Economics, an independent charity chaired by former Cabinet Secretary Lord Gus O’Donnell, with a mission to use economics to empower the social sector and to increase well-being for all in the UK. In 2014 Andy was named by Time magazine as amongst the world’s 100 most influential people.
Andy has worked closely with the RSA in the past on projects including the Citizens’ Economic Council, which looked to rebuild bridges between experts and citizens on economic issues following the Brexit vote.
The context for Andy’s appointment is that we are at a moment of historic significance. Covid and deep-seated inequalities, and in the UK, Brexit, require powerful and creative thinking, and practical solutions capable of global application. Change must come if lives are to be improved and the planet’s future secured.
At the same time, the development of the Oxford ‘vaccine for the world’ shows how in the UK, the government, private and voluntary sectors are able to collaborate for the public good.
These circumstances all represent an opportunity and indeed a need for the RSA to step up and deliver the required solutions.
In our view, Andy’s accomplishments in his thirty years at the Bank, in economic policy and academia, in his commitment to people leadership and diversity, equity and inclusion, and in building bridges between experts and citizens, government and business all make him the ideal person to lead the RSA at this critical time.
Andy Haldane said:
“My conversations with the RSA’s trustees and staff have confirmed a shared sense that this is an historic moment for our societies, with new challenges from technology to longevity, from inequality to the environment.
“Meeting these new challenges will require new thinking, new policies and new partnerships between governments, industries and civil society, working in partnership.
“With its long and distinguished history of creative thinking, social innovation and civic participation, including through its Fellows, I believe the RSA is the institution best placed to tackle these challenges.
“For more than 250 years, the RSA has been creating a sense of wonder about the world – and then, through its actions, changing the world by creating new wonders.
“That task has never been more important than now.
“I am looking forward to working with trustees, staff, Fellows and partners to help write the next chapter in the RSA’s illustrious history, delivering the lasting change its role requires and our societies deserve.”
Andy is incredibly excited to meet everyone when he joins. We look forward to welcoming him to the RSA in September.
For general enquiries, please contact our Fellowship Office on [email protected]
For messages to the Chair of Trustees, please contact Liz Vinton on [email protected]
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