British Library Board
The British Library Board manages the British Library as a national centre for reference, study and bibliographical and other information services, in relation both to scientific and technological matters and to the humanities.
Constitution, members and meetings
The British Library is governed by its Board, the constitution of which is set out in the British Library Act.
The British Library Board consists of the Chair and not less than 8 and up to 13 other members, all of whom are appointed by the Secretary of State with the exception of one member who is appointed by HM The King. One member of the Board is appointed after consultation with Scottish Ministers. The Chief Executive is the only full-time, executive member of the Board.
The Board meets five times a year, with one of those meetings substantially devoted to the review and development of strategy.
British Library Board members
British Library Board and Committee members’ Register of Interests
Giles Adams
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Member, British Library Board
Non-Executive Director, Vemi Ventures Limited
Non-Executive Director, ICBC (London) plc (appointed 17 April 2024)
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
None
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital)
None
Registerable interest in land or property
None
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
Patron of the British Library
Trustee of Historic Buildings and Places (the working name for the Ancient Monuments Society)
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
My wife is a Licentiate of the Designer Bookbinders Society
23 February 2026
Francine Bennett
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Member, British Library Board
Director and sole shareholder, Hidden Layer London Ltd – limited company providing AI consultancy. Clients include DSIT, Alan Turing Institute, Viasat, Pleo
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
Board Member, Ada Lovelace Institute
Member, Gambling Commission Digital Advisory Panel
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital)
Sole shareholder in Hidden Layer London Ltd, as above
Registerable interest in land or property
Two rental flats in London, 50% ownership
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
None
24 February 2026
Professor Dame Carol Black GBE FRCP FMedSci
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Chair and Member of the British Library Board Board Member, Vitality Limited Programme Board
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
Independent Advisor to UK Government on combatting Drug Misuse
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital)
None
Registerable interest in land or property
None
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
Director, Rothesay Foundation (appointed since 8 April 2020)
Director, Institute for Employment Studies (appointed since 25 October 2018) Chair, Centre for Ageing Better (appointed since 2019)
President, Scleroderma and Raynaud’s UK
Chair, Centre for Homelessness Impact (appointed since 2025)
Patron, World Scleroderma Foundation
24 February 2026
Baroness Stephanie Fraser
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Board Member, Creative Scotland Member of the of House of Lords Member, British Library Board
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
CEO, Cerebral Palsy Scotland
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital)
None
Registerable interest in land or property
None
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
Other
Member of the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Select Committee
23 February 2026
Mary Hockaday
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Member, British Library Board Independent NED ICAEW
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital)
None
Registerable interest in land or property
None
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
None
6 March 2026
Tom Holland
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Member, British Library Board
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
Self-employed
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital)
None
Registerable interest in land or property
None
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
None
6 March 2026
Shobi Khan (Shoaib Z Khan)
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Member, British Library Board
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
Chief Executive, Canary Wharf Group (see Appendix A attached)
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital)
None
Registerable interest in land or property
None in UK
Investments in three apartment projects in California
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
UCL School of Management Advisory Board (Member)
25 February 2026
Appendix A - Companies House (UK and Jersey) Current Directorships (294) As at 25 February 2026
- 10 Cabot Square I Unit Trust GP Limited
- 10 Cabot Square I Unit Trust LP Limited
- 10 Cabot Square II Unit Trust GP Limited
- 10 Cabot Square II Unit Trust LP Limited
- 20 Cabot Square I Unit Trust GP Limited
- 20 Cabot Square I Unit Trust LP Limited
- 20 Cabot Square II Unit Trust GP Limited
- 20 Cabot Square II Unit Trust LP Limited
- Admirals Way Investments Limited
- Armoric Holdings Limited
- Armoric Limited (Jersey)
- Bannerclose Limited
- Braeburn Estates (AH) Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B3) Residential Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B3) Retail Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B3) T1 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B3) T2 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B4A) Residential Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B4A) T1 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B4A) T2 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B4B) Residential Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B4B) T1 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B4B) T2 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B5) Residential Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B5) T1 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B5) T2 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B6/7) Residential Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B6/7) T1 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (B6/7) T2 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (GP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates (Hungerford) Limited
- Braeburn Estates (Lollard Street) Limited
- Braeburn Estates (Retail) T1 Limited
- Braeburn Estates (Retail) T2 Limited
- Braeburn Estates B3 (GP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates B3 (LP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates B4A (GP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates B4A (LP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates B4B (GP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates B4B (LP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates B5 (GP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates B5 (LP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates B6/7 (GP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates B6/7 (LP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates Development Management Limited
- Braeburn Estates Developments (1) Limited
- Braeburn Estates Developments (2) Limited
- Braeburn Estates Developments (Infrastructure) Limited
- Braeburn Estates Management Company Limited
- Braeburn Estates Retail (GP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates Retail (LP) Limited
- Braeburn Estates Retail Limited
- Canary Wharf (BP1) Limited
- Canary Wharf (BP1) T1 Limited
- Canary Wharf (BP1) T2 Limited
- Canary Wharf (BP4) Limited
- Canary Wharf (BP4) T1 Limited
- Canary Wharf (BP4) T2 Limited
- Canary Wharf (Car Parks) Limited
- Canary Wharf (DS6) T1 Limited
- Canary Wharf (DS6) T2 Limited
- Canary Wharf (FC2) Office Limited
- Canary Wharf (Finance Lessor) Limited
- Canary Wharf (Former Projects) Limited
- Canary Wharf (HQ5) Jersey LP Limited
- Canary Wharf (North Quay) Limited
- Canary Wharf (Park Place) Limited
- Canary Wharf (PB) Jersey Limited
- Canary Wharf (Riverside South) Limited
- Canary Wharf 1BS Finance Limited (Jersey, UK Branch)
- Canary Wharf 1BS Lending Limited (Jersey, UK Branch)
- Canary Wharf 1BS Properties Limited (Jersey, UK Branch)
- Canary Wharf A2 SPV1 Limited
- Canary Wharf A2 SPV2 Limited
- Canary Wharf B2 SPV1 Limited
- Canary Wharf B2 SPV2 Limited
- Canary Wharf Central Limited
- Canary Wharf Communities Limited
- Canary Wharf Contractors (10BS) Limited
- Canary Wharf Contractors (1BS) Limited
- Canary Wharf Contractors (B3 Hotel) Limited
- Canary Wharf Contractors (BP4) Limited
- Canary Wharf Contractors Limited
- Canary Wharf Developments Limited
- Canary Wharf E1/2 SPV1 Limited
- Canary Wharf E1/2 SPV2 Limited
- Canary Wharf Energy Company Limited
- Canary Wharf Estate Limited
- Canary Wharf Finance (Investments) Limited
- Canary Wharf Finance Holdings Limited
- Canary Wharf Finance II plc
- Canary Wharf Finance Leasing (BP1) Limited
- Canary Wharf Financing Limited
- Canary Wharf Group Investment Holdings plc
- Canary Wharf Group plc
- Canary Wharf Group Residential Limited (Jersey)
- Canary Wharf Holdings (BP1) Limited
Kate Mosse
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Member, British Library Board Director, Mosse Associates Ltd Director, Mosse Futures Ltd Director, Mosse New Holdings
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
Employee, Mosse Associates Ltd
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital):
50% - Mosse Associates Ltd 25% - Mosse Futures Ltd
Registerable interest in land or property
None
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
Spouse Greg Mosse
Director, employee, shareholder - Mosse Associates Ltd Director, employee, shareholder - Mosse Futures Ltd Director – Mosse New Holdings
23 February 2026
Laela Pakpour Tabrizi
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Member, British Library Board
Non-Executive Board Member and Chair of Audit Committee, Big Yellow Group plc
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
Finance Director, Virgin Media O2
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital)
None
Registerable interest in land or property
None
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
Husband is an employee of Citigroup
17 March 2026
Dr Jeremy Silver
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Member, British Library Board
Non-Executive Director, (AQ) Limited
Non-Executive Director, Academy for Contemporary Music
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
None
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital)
Mediaclarity Digital Limited Clowdy Ltd
Registerable interest in land or property
Ownership of residential property in London
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
Trustee of Studio Wayne McGregor
Honorary Professor, UCL Department of Computer Science Director, Mediaclarity Digital Limited
23 February 2026
Dr Wei Yang
Remunerated directorships, partnerships or trusteeships
Member, British Library Board Director, Wei Yang & Partners Ltd Director, Digital Task Force for Planning
Remunerated employments, professions and other offices
Registerable shareholdings (above 1% of the company’s issued share capital):
Wei Yang & Partners Ltd
Registerable interest in land or property
None
Unremunerated interests and other interests (including those of family members or persons living in the same household)
Board Trustee, Construction Industry Council Member, MHCLG Digital Planning Steering Board
23 February 2026
Committee responsibilities
The Board has delegated certain responsibilities to committees.
Board Audit Committee
A standing committee which supports the Board and the Accounting Officer in their responsibilities for issues of finance, risk, control and governance by reviewing the comprehensiveness, reliability and integrity of assurances provided to them.
Remuneration Committee
A standing committee which makes determinations on behalf of the Board with regard to the performance, pay and employment terms and conditions of the Chief Executive, and which considers the recommendations of the Chief Executive in relation to the Executive Leadership Team and other staff.
Capital Portfolio Committee
A limited-life committee whose primary responsibility is to assist the Board in overseeing achievement of the objectives of the Library’s major capital programmes.
Digital Portfolio Committee
Similar to the above, a committee whose primary task is to assist the Board in overseeing the achievement of the objectives of the Library’s major digital programmes.
Investment Committee
A committee tasked with strategic direction and oversight of the Library’s investment assets.
Nomination Committee
An ad-hoc committee of the Board to support the recruitment of the Chief Executive.
