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Press Statement from the Trustees of the Royal Institution of Great Britain
8 January 2010
The Trustees of the Royal Institution of Great Britain have completed the first stage of a governance review and as a consequence have concluded, that the requirement for the functions of the role of Director as currently defined has ceased to exist. We are therefore sad to announce that Baroness Susan Greenfield left the Ri on 08/01/2010.
Baroness Greenfield has played a leading role, not only in the development of the Ri, but also in the wider scientific community through her work in popularising science. In her twelve years as Director of the Ri, she was the driving force behind numerous initiatives, notably, the recent visionary refurbishment project and the renowned Science Media Centre. Baroness Greenfield leaves with our thanks and we wish her all the very best in her future endeavours.
The Ri will continue to deliver its main charitable objectives under the direction of Chief Executive Officer, Chris Rofe and a talented senior team including Professor Quentin Pankhurst, the Director of the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory, Dr Gail Cardew, the Head of Programmes and Professor Frank James, Head of Collections and Heritage. Over the coming months the organisation will focus on strengthening its finances, fundraising, and addressing the organisational governance to ensure the Ri continues to deliver its many, diverse and renowned activities in scientific research, education and public engagement.
This year the Ri celebrates 200 years as a member organisation, continuing not only to talk about science but also to communicate it through its cutting-edge research in collaboration with UCL, young people's programme, public events and heritage activities. The Ri, based on Albemarle Street in Mayfair, looks forward to welcoming visitors to its museum (with free admission) and inspiring many more scientifically inquisitive minds of all ages.