The Board of Trustees of the British Museum comprises up to 25 members. One trustee is appointed by The Crown, 15 are appointed by the Prime Minister and five appointed by the trustees. Four trustees are appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the nominations of the Presidents of the Royal Academy, the British Academy, the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Royal Society.[1] The current Chair is George Osborne.
The following is a list of current trustees, . Trustees are usually appointed for an initial term of four years. Appointments can be renewed with the Prime Minister’s approval, but trustees can only serve for a maximum of 10 years.[2]
Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif resigned from the board in 2019, citing issues with "corporate sponsorship" by BP as well as the museum's refusal to repatriate artifacts such as the Parthenon Marbles which she felt should have been repatriated.[3] The resignation was supported by staff members at the British Museum, who were reported by The Guardian to "expressed support" for Soueif.[4] In a 2018 letter to The Guardian, chair of the trustees Richard Lambert stated that the Elgin Marbles should remain in the museum and opposed their repatriation to the Greek government.[5]
The British Museum Act 1753 established a 42 strong board of trustees, which included two representatives each of the Sloane, Cotton, and Harley families, elected representatives and the following ex-officio: Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Chancellor, Speaker of the House of Commons, Lord President of the Council, First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Privy Seal, Lord High Admiral, Lord Steward, Lord Chamberlain, the three Principal Secretaries of State, Bishop of London, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Chief Justice King's Bench, Master of the Rolls, Lord Chief Justice Common Pleas, Attorney General, and Solicitor General.[6]
This rose to 50 by the mid-1800s, including the addition of a trustee appointed by the Crown (British Museum Act 1832) and one representative each from the Towneley, Elgin, and Knight families.[7]
The British Museum Act 1963 reduced the number of trustees to the current 25 and set the time-limit on appointments.
Given the large number of ex-officio and family representatives, this list will only include those trustees who are notable for their work with regard to the British Museum.