Sir John Kingman KCB, FRS

John Kingman (History, 1987) has been Chairman of Legal & General plc since 2016. He is also Chair of Tesco Bank and Deputy Chair (twice Acting Chair) of the National Gallery. From 2016–21 he was the first Chair of UK Research and Innovation, which oversees Government science and innovation funding of c£8bn a year. He was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society in 2021 ‘for his unwavering support for science throughout his career’. At the Treasury, where he was Second Permanent Secretary, he was closely involved with the response to the 2007–9 financial crisis, leading on the nationalisation of Northern Rock and the £37bn recapitalisation of RBS, Lloyds and HBOS. He was also particularly involved with science funding, leading on five spending reviews which prioritised science and in 2004 leading the cross-Government ten-year science and innovation framework. In 2018 he undertook a highly critical review of the Financial Reporting Council, recommending wholesale reform of the FRC and ending self-regulation of the major audit firms. John is also a World Fellow of Yale University.