Bennett School of Public Policy announces new Advisory Board with members from across public and private sectors to advise on current and future policy research, teaching and engagement
Bringing together experts from academia, businesses and government from across the World, a new Advisory Board will inform the growth and direction of the Cambridge Bennett School of Public Policy.
The inaugural Advisory Board will serve as a vital source of strategic guidance, constructive challenge, and external perspective, supporting the School’s leadership, academic, and professional services teams in building a globally recognised centre for excellence in public policy research, teaching, and practice.
The Bennett School is an independent, cross-disciplinary department within the University of Cambridge that addresses some of the most profound and disruptive challenges of our time through its established policy research programme.
Alongside its growing portfolio of research projects, the School delivers two world-leading Master’s-level programmes for an international cohort of policymakers and is launching a PhD programme to develop the next generation of policy researchers. It also has ambitious plans to expand its Executive Education offering, extending its impact beyond academia to policymakers and practitioners worldwide.
Ottoline Leyser, Regius Professor of Botany, University of Cambridge, will chair the first meeting on 15 October 2026. The School’s first Annual Report will also be launched on that day.
Members will use the first meeting to discuss strategy, growth and direction of the School since it became a department in August 2025 and, drawing on real-world knowledge and experience, discuss the research, teaching and engagement needed to better inform policymaking worldwide.
Head of the Bennett School of Public Policy, Professor Michael Kenny said:
“The Advisory Board will be an invaluable source of strategic advice, external perspective, and practical support for the Bennett School. We are delighted to have appointed eminent and highly impactful senior figures from the worlds of policy, government, business, media and research.
Chair of the Bennett School of Public Policy Advisory Board Prof Ottoline Leyser said:
“Advancing long-term policy research and teaching requires vision and collaboration. The new Advisory Board brings together a broad range of expertise and experience to help shape the Bennett School’s development and ensure it has impact.
“The Board will provide sustained strategic oversight and advice on the School’s programmes, ensuring they are grounded in robust, real-world evidence and informed by leading policy practice.”
Full list of Bennett School of Public Policy Advisory Board members:
- Ottoline Leyser, Regius Professor of Botany, University of Cambridge (Chair)
- Ben Ansell, Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions, Department of Politics and International Relations, and Professorial Fellow, Nuffield College
- Marcus Bokkerink, Independent Non-Executive Director at Pinsent Masons, PWC and Provenance
- John Browne, Lord Browne of Maddingley, co-Founder and Chairman of BeyondNetZero
- Ben Chu, Policy and Analysis Correspondent, BBC Verify
- Alexandra Jones, Director General, Growth, Science and International, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
- Michael McNair, President & Chief Executive Officer of Arctic Economic Development Corporation
- Lord James O’Shaughnessy, Senior Partner and co-founder at Newmarket Strategy
- Stuart Russell, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley
- Shriti Vadera, Chair, Prudential plc and Chair, The Royal Shakespeare Company
- Dr Hannah White, CEO, Institute for Government
- Cornelia Woll, Professor of International Political Economy, Hertie School, University of Governance in Berlin
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Bennett School of Public Policy.
