Programme Leadership

The Future of the Corporation was led by Professor Colin Mayer, a Fellow of the British Academy and now Emeritus Professor of Management with leadership experience in the corporate sector. Professor Mayer was supported by a Steering Group drawn from the Fellowship and a number of external members as well as a wider Advisory Group of business leaders, academics and experts.

Professor Colin Mayer CBE FBA

Professor Colin Mayer FBA provided the inspiration for the Future of the Corporation programme and provided extensive support as academic lead.  Professor Mayer is now Emeritus Professor of Management Studies and Visiting Professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and was elected to the Fellowship of the British Academy in 2013.

Colin was the first Professor at the Saïd Business School in 1994, and the first Director of the Oxford Financial Research Centre between 1998 and 2005.  He has served on the editorial boards of several leading academic journals and assisted in establishing prestigious networks of economics, law and finance academics in Europe at the Centre for Economic Policy Research and the European Corporate Governance Institute.  He was a Harkness Fellow at Harvard University, a Houblon-Norman Fellow at the Bank of England, the first Leo Goldschmidt Visiting Professor of Corporate Governance at the Solvay Business School, Université de Bruxelles, and has had visiting positions at Columbia, MIT and Stanford universities.

Colin was chairman of Oxera Ltd. between 1986 and 2010 and was instrumental in building the company into what is now one of the largest independent economics consultancies in Europe. He has consulted for large corporations and governments, regulators and international agencies around the world. He is an Honorary Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford and of St Anne’s College, Oxford.  He is an Ordinary Member of the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, a member of the UK Government Natural Capital Committee, and a Fellow of the European Corporate Governance Institute.

Professor Mayer was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to business education and the administration of justice in the economic sphere.

The British Academy

The British Academy has convened the Future of the Corporation programme as part of its Policy programmes.  The Academy contributes its extensive experience coordinating research and policy programmes, its convening power, its beautiful surroundings and its academic and business connections.  It has also raised funds for the programme and provides staff to lead its delivery and coordination. 

Public Policy Committee

The British Academy's Public Policy Committee held responsibility for oversight and governance of the programme within the Academy.

Advisory Group

The Advisory Group (consisting of a Steering Group and Corporate Advisory Group) for the Future of the Corporation provided advice and guidance on the development and implementation of the programme.  It met between 2017 and 2021, and comprised of Fellows of the British Academy, academics, experts and leaders from business and finance. It helped to ensure that the programme remains relates to the challenges that face business.