RIBA appoints four new Board Trustees

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the two new independent experts and two RIBA Council members who will complete the RIBA Board of Trustees, with immediate effect.

The RIBA Board is responsible for the management of the RIBA charity, working closely with RIBA Council, the representative body, which oversees the organisation’s strategy on behalf of the architects’ profession – and the executive staff team.

Nik Benford, Sarah Boon, Jennifer Dixon and Sumita Singha will join the Board this month.

Photo: Clockwise from top left: Nik Benford, Sarah Boon, Jennifer Dixon and Sumita Singha.

They will each have the following portfolios of focus:

• Nik Benford (Digital) – independent expert - Nik is an IT and business transformation leader with over 35 years’ experience spanning global automotive, tier-1 consulting, healthcare and private equity, across the UK, Europe, India and the USA.
• Sarah Boon (Communications) – independent expert - Sarah is Managing Director of Corporate Affairs and Strategic Policy at UK Finance and is responsible for media, campaigns, UK and international public affairs, content and marketing, and cross-cutting policy.
• Jennifer Dixon (Membership Engagement) – Council member - Jennifer is an Architect and Lead Designer, with experience of all scales of practice from sole practitioner to global multi-disciplinary built environment consultancy. She currently practices internationally as an RIBA Client Advisor.
• Sumita Singha (Education) – Council member - Sumita Singha, OBE, is an award-winning architect, academic and author. She founded RIBA’s equality forum, Architects for Change. She is a non-executive director for the NHS, author of many books and publications, and trustee of four charities.

The new Trustees have been appointed for a three-year term, with the two Council members’ appointments conditional upon them continuing as elected RIBA Council members.

Chaired by Jack Pringle, the current RIBA Board comprises the RIBA President (Simon Allford), Honorary Secretary (Graham Devine), Honorary Treasurer (Simone de Gale), Jo Bacon (Culture & Events), Murray Orr (Business & Enterprise) MaryAnne Stevens (Heritage) and Marjorie Strachan (Organisational Change).

RIBA Board Chair, Jack Pringle, said: “I am delighted to welcome Nik, Sarah, Jennifer and Sumita to their new roles. With such a vast range of skills and experiences, the RIBA Board is in the best position to manage our operations, ensuring that we provide the tools, support and influence that our members need, now and in the future.”