Governance Dashboard

Leadership in governance and decision-making

The People Behind
Cambridge Governance Labs

Founder and Director

Dr John Barker

Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at Cambridge and founding Director of Cambridge Governance Labs. Over 35 years’ experience in international law, governance and development, with extensive work across Africa advising governments, UNDP, the EU and DFID on justice sector reform and human rights.

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Management Board

At Cambridge Governance Labs, our work is guided by a diverse team of legal scholars, policy experts and practitioners with decades of experience tackling governance challenges around the world.

Board Member​

William Charnley

Corporate lawyer advising boards on governance, risk and regulatory change, with deep experience in oversight, fiduciary responsibility and institutional decision-making.

Board Member​

Hugh Parnell

Founder and Chairman of Cambridge Cleantech, with 18+ years in low-carbon technology and business development, advising organisations from start-up to scale on growth, funding and sustainable innovation.

Chair

Kara Irwin

US and UK qualified lawyer providing international advisory services to law firms, law schools and non-profits at board and operational levels, with expertise in governance, compliance and pro bono practice.

Chair

Kara Irwin

US and UK qualified lawyer providing international advisory services to law firms, law schools and non-profits at board and operational levels, with expertise in governance, compliance and pro bono practice.

Board Member​

Hugh Parnell

Founder and Chairman of Cambridge Cleantech, with 18+ years in low-carbon technology and business development, advising organisations from start-up to scale on growth, funding and sustainable innovation.

Board Member​

William Charnley

Corporate lawyer advising boards on governance, risk and regulatory change, with deep experience in oversight, fiduciary responsibility and institutional decision-making.

Executive Team

The operational core of Cambridge Governance Labs, our executive team drives the day-to-day delivery of research, training and advisory programmes across the globe.

Senior Legal Advisor​

Dr Matthew Turnour​

Honorary Senior Fellow at Melbourne Law School and governance trainer for the Australian Institute of Company Directors (50,000+ members). Over three decades leading legal project delivery and a Vice Chancellor’s Award recipient for excellence in teaching.

Senior Counsel, Dispute Resolution

Wolf von Kumberg

Leading independent arbitrator and mediator practising out of London, Washington D.C. and Abu Dhabi. Over 30 years in complex international commercial disputes; former Legal Director at Northrop Grumman Corporation with experience across 52 countries.

Head of Operations​

Shahnaz Wanda​

Finance and operations professional with over 19 years across private and non-profit sectors. Oversees CGL’s operations, financial management and delivery of research and training programmes to advance governance in developing countries.

Senior Strategic Advisor​

Nick Gogerty​

Fintech innovator and strategic adviser with expertise in blockchain, macroeconomics and sustainability. Creator of SolarCoin, winner of awards at UN COP22 and MIT Solve and author of The Nature of Value (Columbia University Press, 2014).

Research Team

Grounded in rigorous academic inquiry, our researchers translate complex legal and governance questions into practical frameworks for real-world application.

Research Associate

Paul Harding

Associate of the International Forum at Jesus College Cambridge and Operations Director of Cambridge Global Conversations. Former China-based fintech co-founder with 13 years’ experience; contributor to The Diplomat and Newsweek.

Senior Advisory Council

A distinguished group of former ministers, judges, diplomats and academics who lend their experience and networks to support CGL’s work at the highest levels.

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL​

Professor John Wood CBE FREng​

Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and first chair of the European Research Area Board. Former Principal of Engineering at Imperial College London.

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL​

Professor Sir Myles Wickstead CBE KCMG​

Expert on international development and Africa; former British Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, former UK representative on the World Bank Board and Head of Secretariat to the Commission for Africa (2004–2005).

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL​

The Lord Rees of Ludlow OM FRS​

UK Astronomer Royal, Fellow and Former Master of Trinity College Cambridge and former President of the Royal Society. Member of the House of Lords and co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risks (CSER).

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL​

Professor Garton Kamchedzera

Associate Professor of Law and former Dean of Law at Chancellor College, University of Malawi. Cambridge doctorate on children’s rights; adviser to UNICEF and numerous international development organisations.

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL​

Rowena Ironside

Founder and Chair of Women on Boards UK, Non-Executive Director of the Digital Catapult and former City Fellow of Hughes Hall, Cambridge. Twenty-five years’ experience in the ICT industry across Australia and the UK.

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL​

Andrew Hind CB​

First Chief Executive of the UK Charity Commission (2004–2010), Editor of Charity Finance magazine and Visiting Professor of Charity Governance at Cass Business School, City University London.

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL​

The Rt Hon The Lord Michael Hastings CBE​

KPMG International’s Global Head of Corporate Citizenship, Vice President of UNICEF and former BBC Head of Public Affairs. Awarded a CBE for services to crime reduction and a life peerage in 2005.

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL​

The Rt Hon The Lord Geidt​

Member of the House of Lords and former Private Secretary to HM The Queen for a decade. Currently Chairman of King’s College London and Chairman for International Relations at Schroders plc.

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL

Professor James Bacchus​

Founding judge and former Chief Judge of the WTO Appellate Body, former U.S. Congressman and Distinguished University Professor of Global Affairs at the University of Central Florida. Senior fellow at CIGI and the Cato Institute.

Expert Panel

Specialists drawn from law, psychology, technology, security and social science, providing the interdisciplinary depth that governance challenges demand.

Expert Panel​

Justice Tankebe

Associate Professor of Criminology at Cambridge and Deputy Director of the Institute of Criminology. Researches police legitimacy, public trust, corruption and police violence; Associate Editor of Criminology & Public Policy.

Expert Panel​

Cailin Morrison

Head of Law at Brighton Law School and senior legal consultant specialising in health law and pharmaceutical patents. Over 20 years advising UNDP, UNITAID and UNAIDS on WTO TRIPS-compliant legislation to advance global health equity.

Expert Panel​

Dr Sharath Srinivasan

David and Elaine Potter Lecturer in Governance and Human Rights at Cambridge, founding Director of the Centre of Governance and Human Rights and Fellow of King’s College. Adviser to international organisations on conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

Expert Panel​

Major General (Retd) Andrew Sharpe CBE​

Strategist and military scholar with 34 years of service and nine operational tours. Former Director of the UK MoD’s Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre; doctoral researcher at Trinity College Cambridge and lecturer at King’s College London.

Expert Panel​

Dr Simone Schnall

Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Embodied Cognition and Emotion Laboratory. Researches how emotions and physical sensations shape moral judgements and decision-making; widely covered in international media.

Expert Panel​

Fredrik Galtung

CEO and co-founder of TrueFootprint and a founding staff member of Transparency International. Over two decades in international development, advising governments and organisations on integrity and anti-corruption in more than 40 countries.

Expert Panel​

Oba Nsugbe QC, SAN​

Head of Pump Court Chambers, Crown Court Recorder and Visiting Professor of Law at City University. Senior Advocate of Nigeria with a broad international practice, bringing deep expertise in development, rule of law and high-stakes litigation in Africa.

Expert Panel​

Matthew King​

Consultant in operational risk, compliance and internal audit. Former Head of Group Compliance and Head of Group Audit at HSBC, with experience across London, Hong Kong, Australia and the USA. Co-founder of a governance charity in Africa.

Expert Panel​

Professor Eddie Halpin

Chair of HURIDOCS (Geneva) and Professor for Peace Education at Leeds Metropolitan University. Expert adviser to the European Parliament and UN agencies on emerging technologies, governance and human rights documentation.

Expert Panel​

Professor Christopher Forsyth​

Professor of Public Law and Private International Law at Cambridge and a Bencher of the Inner Temple. Author of over 100 publications; his Administrative Law is the definitive textbook on the subject across the common law world.

Expert Panel​

Professor Alan Blackwell​

Professor of Interdisciplinary Design at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory and Director of Crucible. Over 15 years designing industrial systems and digital technologies, with expertise in human behaviour and decision-making at the interface.