The governance of the Royal Society, which is a registered charity, rests with a Council of 21 Fellows, who are elected by the Fellowship. The Council manages all the Society’s business and its members are Trustees of the Society under charity legislation. They have the power to make, appeal or amend the Standing Orders (PDF) for the regulation of the Society’s affairs in accordance with its Statutes (PDF).
The Council is elected annually and takes up office on Anniversary Day, 30 November, each year. All Council members give their time voluntarily. Each year, ten Council members are replaced and the remainder put up for re-election.
The Council for 2011-2012 is:
Sir Paul Nurse (President)
Sir Peter Williams CBE (Treasurer)
Professor John Pethica (Physical Secretary)
Dame Jean Thomas DBE (Biological Secretary)
Professor Martyn Poliakoff (Foreign Secretary)
Professor John McWhirter (Sectional Committee 1)
Professor Wilson Sibbett CBE (Sectional Committee 2)
Dr Simon Campbell (Sectional Committee 3)
Professor Andrew Blake (Sectional Committee 4)
Professor Alexander Halliday (Sectional Committee 5)
Professor Nicholas Tonks (Sectional Committee 6)
Dr Robin Lovell-Badge (Sectional Committee 7)
Professor Trevor Robbins (Sectional Committee 8)
Professor Peter Donnelly (Sectional Committee 9)
Professor John Collinge (Sectional Committee 10)
Professor Anthony Cheetham
Professor Gillian Bates
Dame Linda Partridge DBE
Professor Judith Howard
Professor Kim Nasmyth
Professor Christopher Snowden