New Council Chairman Appointed

Sir James Henry Leigh-Pemberton CVO has been appointed as Chairman of the Duchy of Lancaster Council from 4^th July 2023. He succeeds Sir Alan Reid GCVO who is stepping down from the Council after five years’ service as Chairman and 15 years as an ex-officio member in his capacity as Keeper of the Privy Purse to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2002 to 2017).

Sir James is a highly experienced and respected finance professional who served as Receiver General of the Duchy of Cornwall from 2000 until his retirement in 2021. A former Managing Director of Credit Suisse, Sir James also served as Chairman of the Government-owned UK Financial Investments, and Deputy Chairman of its successor organisation UK Government Investments, from 2013 to 2022. He is currently the non-executive Chairman of RIT Capital Partners plc, Chairman of Trustees of the Royal Collection Trust, Chair of Trustees of the Charities Aid Foundation and a Trustee of the Alnwick Garden Trust.

Commenting on the appointment, Duchy Chief Executive and Clerk to the Council, Nathan Thompson CVO said: “We are delighted that Sir James has agreed to join the Council and look forward to working closely with him in the years ahead to achieve our ambition of becoming one of the most respected landed estates in the country. His wisdom and experience will undoubtedly help us as we seek to build on our progress to date to take the organisation forward to the next stage.

“I would also like to add my personal thanks to Sir Alan Reid for his unstinting support, guidance and leadership over the last five years. On behalf of everyone at the Duchy, I wish him continued good health and happiness in his well-deserved retirement.”