Court of Regents

Branwen Jeffreys is a journalist and broadcaster, who in 2015 became the first Education Editor for BBC News - writing, broadcasting and presenting news and documentaries on the lives of young people. A consistent aspect of her work over more than three decades has been in the impact of social policy on the lived experience of those using public services. Branwen was on the board of The Health Foundation for 9 years as a Governor. It followed almost a decade in which she was a senior health correspondent for BBC News. In that role she set up an award-winning tracker of emergency waits, reported on unit alcohol pricing, explored the ethics of rationing healthcare and engaged in many debates, including addressing a closed session of senior US and UK health officials in Washington. Her late father Eurig Jeffreys was an orthopaedic surgeon, and a Fellow of this College.

Rt Hon Lord Ajay Kakkar KG KBE PC is President of The Thrombosis Research Institute London and Chairman of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. He is emeritus Professor of Surgery, University College London (UCL), having served as Professor from 2011-2021 and Chairman of University College London Partners Academic Health Science Partnership from 2013-2021, and Consultant Surgeon at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from 2011-2021. Lord Kakkar completed his medical degree at King’s College Hospital Medical School and received his PhD from Imperial College London. He has been a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) since 1992. His research interests include the prevention and treatment of venous and arterial thromboembolic disease and cancer associated thrombosis. Lord Kakkar was created a Life Peer in 2010 and sits on the cross benches of the House of Lords. He was Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission from 2013-2018 and the Judicial Appointments Commission from 2016- 2022. He is Chairman of The King’s Fund, Chairman of UK Biobank, and Chairman of UK Office for the Strategic Coordination of Health Research. He is also Chancellor of the University of Lincoln. He was appointed a member of His Majesty’s Most Honorable Privy Council in December 2014 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2022.

Mrs Tari Lang has had an international career advising blue-chip corporations and government leaders. She was CEO of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide and Founding Partner of Reputation Inc. Her expertise lies in reputation risk, scenario planning and capacity development. She has a non-executive portfolio on the boards of several major arts and culture organisations, these have included the Edinburgh International Festival, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, The National Galleries of Scotland and the National Theatre of Scotland. She currently chairs the board of The Royal Lyceum Theatre and is on the boards of Creative UK, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 

Mrs Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is a pioneering biotech entrepreneur, a visionary in healthcare, a global influencer and a passionate philanthropist. She is a pioneer of India’s biotech industry and founder of Biocon. She is the proud recipient of two of India's highest civilian honours, the Padma Shri (1989) and the Padma Bhushan (2005). Additionally, she has been honoured with the Order of Australia (2020), Australia’s highest civilian honour, and Knight of the Legion of Honour (2016), the highest French civilian distinction. She has been conferred with the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year™ 2020 Award, which is a testimony to her entrepreneurial journey of over four decades.

Rt Hon Lord Jack McConnell was the First Minister of Scotland 2001-2007, UK Special Representative for Peacebuilding 2008-2010, and joined the UK House of Lords in 2010. Lord McConnell currently holds positions as Chancellor of the University of Stirling, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the UN Global Goals, and Chair of the McConnell International Foundation. He is an adviser to the Bangsamoro peace process in the Philippines, a mediator with the World Bank, Chair of SSE Sustainable Development Fund, and a global adviser to PwC. Additionally, Jack is Vice President of UNICEF UK, Chair of Reform Scotland, and an Ambassador for Action for Children. He also holds the positions of Honorary President of Scottish Athletics and Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland’s Endowment Fund. Lord McConnell has received honorary degrees from Stirling and Edinburgh Universities. Lord McConnell was a Member of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 to 2011, Minister for Finance from 1999 to 2000, and Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs from 2000 to 2001. Jack graduated in Mathematics from the University of Stirling before teaching Mathematics in high school.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald GBE FREng FRSE is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde. He was elected President of the Royal Academy of Engineering in September 2019 and continues to serve in that role through which he is a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology. Sir Jim Co-chairs, with the First Minister, the Scottish Government’s Energy Advisory Board. He is also Chair of the Independent Glasgow Economic Leadership Board. He currently holds several senior non-executive business appointments with organisations including the Weir Group plc (FTSE100), Scottish Power plc and the UK National Physical Laboratory. Additionally, he Chairs or participates in several national and international committees related to research, economic development and education. He was a founding Non-Exec Director of the UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and held a Non-Exec Director position on the Board of Axeda Systems (US NASDAQ). In the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List 2012, Professor McDonald was awarded a Knighthood for services to education, engineering and the economy. In December 2023 he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in the King’s New Year’s Honours list. The award is for his services to engineering, to education and to energy. He was President of CESAER 2017-19, the association of European Universities of Science and Technology.  He was Chair of the Glasgow Science Centre Board, 2011-16 and Chancellor of the Children’s University Scotland 2015-22. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institute of Physics, the Energy Institute and the Royal Society of Arts. He is an International Member of the National Academy of Engineering (US); International Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Honorary Fellow of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering; Honorary Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering; and, Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow.  He is a Presidential Fellow at NYU, USA and holds Honorary Professorships at Peking University and Tsinghua University, China.

Mr Eric Young is a commercial Chartered Surveyor (Eric Young and Co, 1983-2019, and Orinsen, from 2000), a non-Executive Director of West Town Limited (a residential development by Edinburgh Airport), Rutterford Holdings, and M2 Group/Miller Developments. Eric was a Director of Archangels (an investor in early-stage science and technology spin-outs) from 2000 to 2023, including eight years as Chair. The Young family supports various charities involved in sport, education, health, and culture.

Professor Patricia Peattie stepped down in early 2025 after 18 years as Vice Chairman of the RCSEd Lay Advisory Committee, including representing the College on the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ Council as Chairman of the Academy’s Lay Advisory Committee. Throughout this time, she was also the Lay Member of the Intercollegiate Committee for Surgical Training, the Joint Committee for Surgical Examinations and the Intercollegiate Quality Assurance Committee, and participated in a number of UK committees /Working Groups for Health and Education related organisations. She has a particular interest in patient safety and quality of care delivery which has been reflected in all these activities.

A qualified nurse and teacher with a degree in Architectural Studies and Psychology from Edinburgh University, Patricia had a successful career in nursing, nurse teaching and higher education management. She has held executive and non-executive roles on many Boards, including Chairman of Lothian University Hospitals Trust, the Scottish Multicentre Research Ethics Committee, Lay Member University of the West of Scotland University Research Committee, Chairman of the Finance and General Purposes Committee West Lothian College and Chairman of the Scottish Colleges Foundation.

Other roles have included Convenor and Charity Trustee of the Scottish Episcopal Church Provincial Standing Committee, and one of three Commissioners for the Church in Wales. She is currently a Trustee of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

Awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to Health and Higher Education, Patricia was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Edinburgh Napier University in 2006 and an Honorary Doctorate of the University by the University of the West of Scotland in 2018.

The RCSEd gave her the rare honour of becoming a Companion of the College in 2016.