Rachel Wang, Sir Peter Stothard and Bjorn Saven reappointed as Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery

Rachel Wang

Rachel Wang is a Black British filmmaker and the co-founder of production company Chocolate Films. For Chocolate Films, Rachel produces video content for online and broadcast from bases in London, Glasgow and Berlin, with work spanning many sectors and styles. She works extensively in video production for arts, culture and heritage and works with galleries and museums across the UK, Europe and the Middle East to produce exhibition AV, documentaries and promotional content.

Rachel is passionate about producing factual content that highlights human stories and society today. She is the co-creator of 1000 Londoners, the online documentary portrait of London. Her latest long-form documentary ‘Her Life Matters’ is an insight into an international campaign to reduce maternal mortality. As an advocate for improving diversity in the media, Rachel spearheads a video production workshop programme through Chocolate Films.

Rachel studied at Bristol University, University of Law and Wimbledon School of Art. She holds honorary doctorates in Law and Business and sits on the panels of Film London’s Film Hub andLondon Screen Archive Committee. Rachel is a UK Council member of the Creative Industries Federation and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Sir Peter Stothard

Sir Peter Stothard is an author and journalist. He was Editor of The Times (1992-2002) and of the Times Literary Supplement (2002-16). His books include The Last Assassin, the Hunt for the Killers of Julius Caesar (2020), The Senecans, Four Men and Margaret Thatcher (2016), Alexandria, the Last Nights of Cleopatra (2013) and On the Spartacus Road, a Spectacular Journey through Ancient Italy (2010).

He was Chair of judges for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction (2012). He has previously served on the boards of the Roundhouse and Cancerbackup and is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford. He holds the President’s Medal of the British Academy for services to the humanities and was knighted in 2003.

Bjorn Saven

Bjorn Saven is founder of IK Investment Partners Limited. Bjorn is also Chairman of IKARE as well as deputy Chair of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in London. He was Chief Executive of IK Investment Partners since it started in 1989 until 2010 and Chair until 2017. Previous work experience includes 12 years with the Esselte Group (1976-1988) in Sweden, the UK and the USA. Mr Saven holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a degree from Stockholm School of Economics.

He has held various non-executive directorships including Nordea Bank, Orkla, Alfa-Laval (deputy Chair), Konecranes (Chair) and Vattenfall. He was deputy Chair of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.

Currently he serves as a Trustee at Tommy’s (the UK pre-natal care charity) and at the Heart/Lung Foundation of Sweden as well as on the European Spallation Source executive advisory board at Lund. He holds honorary doctorates from the Stockholm School of Economics and Business, the Swedish School of Economics and Business in Helsinki as well as from the Institute of Technology at Lund University.

These roles are not remunerated. These reappointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Rachel and Bjorn have not declared any activity. Sir Peter has declared he has canvassed on behalf of the Conservative Party.