Scott McDonald CEO British Council

Scott McDonald is the Chief Executive of the British Council.

Scott is a member of the Global Strategy & Leadership Expert Panel of McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management. He also sits on the European Advisory Board for The Nature Conservancy and the Advisory Group for Yodomo, a UK crafting platform. Scott has degrees in Finance & Economics from McGill University and International Relations from Cambridge University.

Previously, Scott was the President & CEO of the Oliver Wyman Group and sat on the Executive Committee of Marsh & McLennan Companies, including more than 75,000 staff in over 100 countries. Before joining Oliver Wyman, Scott worked in investment banking, the editorial side of the magazine industry, and ran a small publishing company. Scott is an avid hiker, runner and fisherman and lives in London with his wife and daughter.

British Council

We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, building lasting relationships between the UK and other countries. It is an essential part of our international effort to promote British values and interests.
British Council is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Our purpose

Although we receive a government grant in aid, the British Council is operationally independent from the UK government. All our work contributes to our purpose and Royal Charter (PDF 180kb) aims: ‘[to] advance, for the public benefit, any purpose which is exclusively charitable and which shall

(a) promote cultural relationships and the understanding of different cultures between people and peoples of the United Kingdom and other countries;
(b) promote a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom;
(c) develop a wider knowledge of the English language;
(d) encourage cultural, scientific, technological and other educational cooperation between the United Kingdom and other countries; or
(e) otherwise promote the advancement of education.’