Governance
Our structure
Guildhall School of Music & Drama is an institutional department of the City of London Corporation, and our Board of Governors is a Grand Committee of the City of London Corporation’s Court of Common Council.
The purpose of the Board is to provide strategic guidance and oversight of the operation of the School, providing support and constructive challenge to the Principal and the School Executive. Governors remain independent of the School’s management and are not directly involved in the day-to-day operations of the School, which is the responsibility of the Principal and School Executive.
The Board of Governors is collectively responsible and accountable for all activities of the institution, approving all final decisions on matters of fundamental concern within its remit, operating within the City of London Corporation’s corporate governance framework.
Membership
Membership of the Board is comprised of members of the Court of Common Council (‘Common Council Governors’), independently co-opted members (‘Independent Governors’), ex-officio Governors - who sit on the Board by virtue of their position – and representatives of the School’s academic and professional services staff (‘Staff Governors’).
As with all governors, those from the Court of Common Council must exercise independent judgment in the interests of the School, with proper regard to students and other relevant stakeholders, and must not be subject to improper direction or undue influence from external interests, including the City of London Corporation in its capacity as one of the School’s funders or as its corporate parent.
Independent Governors bring specialist knowledge from the Higher Education (HE) sector, the performing arts industry, and other specialisms critical to ensuring the effectiveness of the Board of Governors of a conservatoire and small specialist institution. Independent Governors play a vital role in the work of the Board and have equal status to Common Council Governors in the Board’s governance and decision-making processes.
With the exception of the ex officio governors - who remain on the board for the duration of their tenure - governors are elected for three-year terms, which can be renewed twice. Membership of the Board is overseen by the Board’s Governance & People Committee.
Chair
The Hon. Emily Benn (Common Council)
Common Council Deputy Chair
Deputy Caroline Haines
Independent Deputy Chair
Vacant
Senior Independent Governor
Neil Greenwood
Principal of the Institution (ex officio)
Professor Jonathan Vaughan FGS
President of the Students’ Union (ex officio)
Hebe Cooke
Staff Governors
Dr Amy Blier-Carruthers (Academic)
Professor Julian Hepple (Professional Services)
Common Council Governors
John Foley
Deputy Ann Holmes
Tessa Marchington
Suzanne Ornsby KC
Naresh Sonpar
Deputy Dawn Wright
Independent Governors
Professor Dame Madeleine Atkins
Professor Maria Delgado
Amatey Doku
Sean Gross
Dr Paula Haynes
Professor Christoph Lindner
Annilese Miskimmon
Michelle Wright
The Chair of the Guildhall School Trust is permitted to observe Board meetings in a non-voting, advisory capacity.
Regulatory Framework and Governance
The School is registered with the Office for Students (OfS) as a higher education provider and has formally adopted the Committee of University Chairs’ Higher Education Code of Governance as part of its commitment to meeting its ongoing Conditions of Registration with the OfS. Separately, as a function of the City of London Corporation, the School is also subject to the City of London Corporation’s corporate governance framework, including the Standing Orders of the Court of Common Council.
Academic Board
The School’s Academic Board is responsible for the quality and standards of teaching, assessment, and research within the School, as well as the School’s academic reputation. Individual programmes of study are overseen by the Music Programme Board, the Drama Programme Board or the Production Arts Programme Board. Students are represented on all of these Boards. The School's validation arrangement for its research degrees with City St George's University of London is overseen by a Course Board comprising members from the School and City St George's University.
The Chair and Deputy Chair of the Academic Board are the Principal and Provost of the School, respectively.
An independent governor of the Board also serves as a member of the School’s Academic Board.
Documents
*NB. In June 2026, the Committee of University Chairs published the new Code of Higher Education Governance. Guildhall School is reviewing the new Code and considering its implications for the School’s governance framework, taking account of OfS guidance, external governance advice and the School’s distinctive constitutional status as a department of the City of London Corporation.
The School’s governance arrangements must reflect both the expectations applicable to registered higher education providers and the constitutional, legal and decision-making framework of the City of London Corporation. The School has published its new Governing Document, following approval by the City Corporation, and will publish its Statement of Compliance with the CUC Code and Register of Interests in due course, together with any further governance updates arising from the review.