The Council of the Royal Commonwealth Society has appointed Janet Cooper, an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire as chair.

Ms Cooper succeeded Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Dr Linda Yueh, while Sianne Haldane and Ravi Suchak were also appointed as trustees.

The RCS disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying Ms Cooper was appointed OBE for services to equality, women’s empowerment and employee share ownership in the 2017 New Year Honours List.

According to the council, she was appointed a fellow of the University of Roehampton in 2024.

It quoted Ms Cooper as saying, “It is a great pleasure and privilege to have been appointed to Chair the RCS; to build on the terrific work the RCS has been doing for over 150 years, as well as look to the future. In a world which is becoming increasingly polarised and in conflict, the work of the RCS provides an opportunity to focus on youth engagement, climate action and equality initiatives across the Commonwealth.”

The council further described Ms Cooper as an experienced chair, lawyer, entrepreneur and trustee, also a non-executive director of Nurture Group that is an independent director of the Cabinet Office.

Also, she is the chair of ProShare and co-founder of the Global Equity Organisation, both non-profit organisations that promote employee share ownership and Vice-Chair of Roehampton University.

“Cooper was one of the first women partners in global law firm Linklaters and went on to found a multi award winning specialist law firm, which was transferred to a trust for the employees in 2020. She was the first woman to chair the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and former trustee and Vice-Chair of the UN Women UK,” the RCS said.

The council, in the statement disclosed that Ms Cooper, Haldane and Suchak would all join it on Sunday, saying that Yueh had served as Chair since 2018 and as member of Council since 2016.

It quoted Ms Yueh as saying, “It has been immense privilege and pleasure to serve as Executive-Chair of this special charity, which has enjoyed extraordinary support from the Society’s Patron, His Majesty The King, Vice-Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, and partners from across the Commonwealth.

“I was deeply honoured to have led impactful programmes which have contributed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on education, equality, environment and communities, as well as high profile events that have celebrated the work of remarkable people, including young leaders, who make the world a better place. I am pleased that Cooper, Sianne and Ravi will join the Council to enable the RCS to continue to make a positive impact on the lives of citizens in the Commonwealth and beyond.” 

(NAN)