The Samuel Courtauld Trust (the “Trust”) owns and cares for one of the world's greatest art collections, sharing these works with the public at The Courtauld Gallery (“the “Gallery”) in Somerset House, central London. Its remarkable collection includes paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and decorative arts, ranging from the mediaeval period to the present day. The Gallery is most famous for its exceptional group of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, with such iconic works as Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. 

The Trust is an independent charity which owns the collection, working to maintain and develop it, as well as to support the collection’s wider public enjoyment. It also works with the Courtauld Institute of Art (“The Courtauld”) to promote interest and education in the history of art and art conservation. The Home House Society, the predecessor to the Trust, was founded by Samuel Courtauld in the 1930s, at the same time as he established the Courtauld Institute of Art, with both organisations sharing a deep commitment to their founder’s vision of the role of art in society. 

Courtauld Connects is an ambitious transformation programme which will make The Courtauld’s world-class artworks, research and teaching accessible to even more people – driving forward a mission to advance how we see and understand the visual arts. The first stage of Courtauld Connects was completed in November 2021, as part of a major transformation to restore the Gallery and create state-of-the-art facilities.

This Trustee (the “Trustee”), as well as acting as a general Trustee, will additionally report to the Chairman and Trustees of the Trust twice per year on the progress of the SCT investment portfolio, which is currently managed by Cazenove Capital (“Cazenove”). They will also organise two pre-Trustee meetings to run through the detailed performance figures and investment report with Cazenove.

After the meeting at Cazenove’s offices, the Trustee prepares a written report using performance figures and commentary, along with input from any other business feeds or financial editorial as appropriate. This is sent to the portfolio managers for agreement before being shared with the secretary of the Trust for inclusion in the Board papers.

When instructed by the Chairman to raise cash in the Trust’s investment portfolio for general disbursements, this Trustee will liaise with the portfolio managers accordingly.

As of 31st July 2021, the investment portfolio had a value of c. £4.75m.

The Trustee will be expected to initiate board discussion from time to time about the overall performance of the investment mandate and reviewing the appointment of the manager.

As part of prudent succession planning, the Trust is looking for a new Trustee who will bring a good understanding of investment portfolio management, analysis and reporting.

Applicants will be able to act as an intermediary between the Board and the managers of the Trust's portfolio, providing appropriate scrutiny of the portfolio's performance and relaying this clearly to other Trustees.

The successful candidate will have a demonstrable interest in art, appreciate the role of the investment portfolio in maintaining and developing the collection, share the Trust's wider mission to promote interest and education in the history of art and art conservation, work constructively with the other Trustees and be willing to act as an ambassador for the Trust.

The Trust particularly welcomes interest from younger individuals and those from ethnic minority backgrounds, both of which are currently underrepresented on the Board.

Andrew Hochhauser QC, Chair
Lara Barton
Lord Browne of Madingley
Professor Rosalind Blakesley
Charmain Caines
Professor Roger Emery
Henry Legge QC
Charles Booth-Clibborn
Sally Osman
Ina De
Nicholas Hoffman

The Board meets twice per year, normally in May and November; meetings last about three hours. This Trustee also organises two meetings per year with the portfolio managers; these each last for about two hours, and take place at their office, 1 London Wall Place, EC2Y 5AU, at the end of April and October.

The appointment is for a four-year term, which can be renewed for a further four years at the discretion of the Board. The role is unremunerated, but reasonable travel expenses to attend meetings will be covered.

This organisation is based in London and meetings will mostly take place in person. Candidates will therefore be UK-based.