Nick Prettejohn Appointed Chairman of RNCM Board of Governors

The RNCM takes great pleasure in announcing the appointment of Mr Nick Prettejohn as its next Chairman of the Board, to succeed Mr Michael Oglesby (pictured above), who has announced that he will be stepping down from the Chair at the end of 2011, following more than six years of distinguished service to the College.

Mr Prettejohn, 50, brings a wealth of relevant experience to the role of Chairman.  Educated at Balliol College, Oxford, and a former President of the Oxford Union, he has held a number of senior positions within the insurance industry, notably as Chief Executive of Lloyd’s of London — where he played a key role in the reconstruction and revitalisation of the London-based international insurance market — and then as Chief Executive of Prudential UK and Europe. Currently, he is Chairman of Brit Insurance and a non-executive Director of Legal & General plc.

His musical credentials are similarly impressive. A passionate music lover, of opera and contemporary music in particular, Mr Prettejohn has served on the Development Committee of Opera North and undertaken trustee roles on the Boards of the English Pocket Opera Company (EPOC – the UK’s foremost children’s opera company), the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (where he chairs the finance and audit committee) and the Britten-Pears Foundation, which he chairs.  This breadth of experience bodes well for the College as it seeks to develop its reputation as a world-class conservatoire at a time of change and challenge in the UK higher education sector.

Of his appointment, which will start on January 1 2012, Nick Prettejohn says: 'The College plays an outstanding role in musical and educational life which I have long admired.  I am hugely looking forward to supporting its continued success in today's challenging environment'.

Speaking on behalf of the RNCM, the Principal, Professor Jonty Stockdale, comments: 'I am delighted that Nick Prettejohn has agreed to become our next Chairman; his wealth of knowledge and expertise from the corporate sector, combined with his clear commitment to, and passion for, music will be of immense value to the College during this period of change in the HE sector.'