The extension of the term will begin July 31, 2022 until October 31, 2022. This extension was made while the process to nominate a permanent chair is ongoing.
Lady Judith Macgregor
Dame Judith Macgregor served as British High Commissioner to South Africa from September 2013 until March 2017, when she retired from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) after 40 years of diplomatic service.
After graduating with a First Class degree in Modern History at Oxford and spending a year in Romania, Dame Judith joined the FCO in 1976, serving first in the former Yugoslavia and then as First Secretary in Prague and Paris.
After accompanying her husband as General Manager for Trade Promotion in Germany and Ambassador to Poland, she resumed her career as FCO Director for Security Policy in 2000, then as Ambassador to Slovakia (2004-6). She became the FCO’s Director for Migration in 2007 and Ambassador to Mexico in 2009. In 2013 she became British High Commissioner to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland and received the DCMG in January 2016.
In 2017, Dame Judith was appointed to the board of the British Tourist Authority, becoming interim chair in August 2022. She is an independent non-executive director of UK/Mexican mining company, Fresnillo plc and deputy chair of the University of Southampton. . In 2018 she joined the Arts and Humanities Research Council and became a trustee of the University of Cape Town Charitable Trust. In February 2020 she was appointed Chair of the Global Challenges Research Fund Strategic Advisory Group and in March 2020 she became a Trustee of the Caradon Lecture trust.
In addition to her work on the board, Dame Judith is a member of the advisory board of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, and an honorary member of the Middle Temple. In 2018, she became a Second Lieutenant for Hampshire.
Remuneration and Governance Code
This interim appointment was made in accordance with the Cabinet Office Governance Code for Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Public Appointments Commissioner. As interim chairman, Dame Judith will be offered a salary of £40,000 a year. The Government Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee within the last five years be disclosed. This is defined as holding office, speaking in public, making a recordable donation, or standing for election. Dame Judith reported no activity.
