Jane Barker CBE FRCM appointed RCM Vice President
Monday 28 November 2022
Jane Barker CBE FRCM has been appointed a Vice President of the Royal College of Music.
Jane was a member of the RCM Council for 15 years, joining in 2007 and stepping down from the board in summer 2022. She has served three five-year terms, beyond the usual two terms, which is extended only in exceptional circumstances.
Before she joined the Council in 2007, Jane was also involved with the RCM's Prince Consort Foundation, which provided financial support to the College. She worked actively as a board member for a number of years, including assisting in its closure when it was no longer needed.
Jane’s long-standing dedication was marked on 2 December 2021, when RCM President, The former Prince of Wales, appointed her Vice President during a visit to the College in which he also opened the newly transformed campus.
A chartered accountant by profession, Jane Barker recently stepped down as Chairman of Marsh Ltd and Mercer Ltd. Her previous roles have included being Finance Director and then Chief Executive of the Equitas Group of Companies, of which she remains a non-executive Director, and Finance Director of the London Stock Exchange.
Jane was also awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 2014.
In addition to her work on the Council, Jane has been a donor for over two decades, founding the Jane Barker Scholarship for brass students and, more recently, the More Music Technology Fund to assist with the College’s digital infrastructure.
Jane has also supported the More Music building development, with Teaching Room 105 renamed the Jane Barker Room in recognition of her contribution.
RCM Director, Professor Colin Lawson, said: ‘Jane has given quite remarkable support to the RCM in all kinds of ways. We have benefitted from her extraordinary range of experience across business and the arts, and her generosity of spirit has been a total inspiration.’
Jane comments: ‘I started coming to the College in the 1990s and have enjoyed a tremendous amount of excellent music ever since. The students are always a source of inspiration through their dedication, their enthusiasm and their consummate skills.
'Working with Professor Colin Lawson, Lord Guy Black (Chairman of the RCM Council) and the many other members of Council over the last 15 years to further the aims of the College has been a real pleasure. We have achieved so much topped for us all recently by the successful completion of the More Music Campaign. I look forward to supporting the College into the future as a new Vice President.’
