Job Description
The Alan Turing Institute is the UK's national institute for data science and artificial intelligence. Founded in 2015 by five leading universities and EPSRC, the Institute develops trusted, reliable AI to strengthen UK sovereign capability and national resilience across defence, national security, climate, and the protection of critical national infrastructure.
The Institute is entering a new chapter. Following a significant strategic transformation and the appointment of Dr George Williamson CMG as Chief Executive, the Board seeks a new Chair to provide independent governance leadership at a defining moment for the organisation.
The Chair will lead the Board in ensuring effective governance, strategic oversight and accountability. They will act as a senior ambassador for the Institute with government, funding bodies, defence and national security agencies, industry and the academic community, and will build a strong working partnership with the new CEO.
We are looking for candidates who bring:
- Proven board leadership experience, ideally gained through chairing or serving in a senior independent non-executive capacity in a complex, multi-stakeholder organisation.
- The standing and credibility to engage at the most senior levels of government and across the research, defence and innovation landscape.
- A demonstrable interest in data science and AI and an understanding of their significance for UK defence, national security and national resilience.
- Experience of governance oversight during periods of significant organisational change.
- A clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Experience of both company and charity governance.
The appointment is for an initial three-year term, renewable for a further three years. The Chair will need to hold or be willing to obtain security clearance. The role carries remuneration, the level of which is subject to an ongoing benchmarking exercise. Details will be provided in due course.
How to apply
Perrett Laver has been appointed to support this search. To apply, please submit an application to quoting reference 8506. For informal inquiries please contact Devin Dattan at . The deadline for applications is on Monday 20 th July 2026 at 09:00 am BST.
Applications should consist of a full CV and a covering letter (no more than two pages) setting out how you meet the criteria, why you are interested in the role, and what you believe you can bring to it.
The Alan Turing Institute is committed to building a diverse community and welcomes applications from the broadest spectrum of backgrounds. Reasonable adjustments can be made for candidates with a disability.
Protecting your personal data is of the utmost importance to Perrett Laver and we take this responsibility very seriously. Any information obtained by our trading divisions is held and processed in accordance with the relevant data protection legislation. The data you provide us with is securely stored on our computerised database and transferred to our clients for the purposes of presenting you as a candidate and/or considering your suitability for a role you have registered interest in.
As defined under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Perrett Laver is a Data Controller and a Data Processor, and our legal basis for processing your personal data is 'Legitimate Interests'. You have the right to object to us processing your data in this way. For more information about this, your rights, and our approach to Data Protection and Privacy, please visit our website
