The Council of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) has announced the appointment of Janet Cooper OBE as its new Chair.
Cooper, who was recognised in the 2017 New Year Honours for her contributions to equality, women’s empowerment, and employee share ownership, succeeds Dr Linda Yueh CBE. The RCS also named Sianne Haldane and Ravi Suchak as new Trustees.
In a statement released on Friday, the Society highlighted Cooper’s extensive experience. She was recently made a Fellow of the University of Roehampton in 2024. Expressing her appreciation, Cooper said:
“It is a great pleasure and privilege to have been appointed Chair of the RCS. I look forward to building on the Society’s remarkable legacy of over 150 years, while looking ahead to the future.
In a world increasingly marked by polarisation and conflict, the RCS’s mission offers hope focusing on youth engagement, climate action, and equality initiatives across the Commonwealth.”
The RCS described Cooper as a seasoned chair, lawyer, entrepreneur, and trustee. She currently serves as a non-executive director at the Nurture Group, an independent director at the Cabinet Office, Chair of ProShare, and Vice-Chair of Roehampton University. She also co-founded the Global Equity Organisation, a not-for-profit promoting employee share ownership.
She was among the first women to become a partner at global law firm Linklaters before founding a multi-award-winning specialist law firm, which transitioned into an employee-owned trust in 2020. Cooper previously served as the first female Chair of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and as Vice-Chair and trustee of UN Women UK.
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The new Chair and Trustees will officially join the Council on Sunday. The RCS acknowledged Dr Yueh’s distinguished tenure, noting that she served as Chair since 2018 and as a member of Council since 2016.
Reflecting on her time in office, Yueh said:
“It has been an immense privilege and pleasure to serve as Executive Chair of this special charity, which has benefited from the unwavering support of its Patron, His Majesty The King, and Vice-Patron, Her Majesty The Queen.
I am proud to have led programmes that supported the UN Sustainable Development Goals on education, equality, the environment, and community building, as well as high-profile events celebrating outstanding individuals especially young leaders making a positive impact worldwide.
I am pleased to hand over to Janet, Sianne, and Ravi, confident that they will guide the RCS in continuing to create lasting change across the Commonwealth and beyond.”
The RCS, a non-governmental organisation and network of individuals and organisations committed to improving the lives and prospects of Commonwealth citizens.
