Gillian Nott OBE - Chairman. Appointed November 1999 – Chairman June 2006. Gill Nott is a director of Martin Currie Portfolio Investment Trust plc, Blackrock Smaller Companies Trust Plc, Baronsmead VCT 2 plc,  Baronsmead VCT 3 plc and Baronsmead VCT 5 plc. Gill is also on the board of Liverpool Victoria, the UK’s largest friendly society and is a deputy chairman of the Association of Investment Companies. From 1994 to 1999 she was chief executive of ProShare, the organisation which promoted financial literacy and individual share ownership and was a  director of the Financial Services Authority from 1998 to 2004.

Leslie Atkinson Senior Independent Director. Appointed June 1999. Dr Atkinson is a non-executive director of Samworth Brothers (Holdings) Limited.  He has had a distinguished career with BP and was chairman of BP Asia Pacific, based in Singapore, where he was a member of the Council of the National University of Singapore. Previously, he was for two years a member of the UK Government’s Central Policy Review Staff “think tank”.

Sarah Bates Appointed January 2004. Sarah Bates is a non-executive director of St James’s Place plc, New India Investment Trust plc, JPMorgan American Investment Trust plc and Development Securities plc. Sarah is Chairman of the Association of Investment Companies and of the Stena UK Pension Fund, the Cancer Research UK Pension Fund Investment Committee and of the Rutley Russia Property Fund Limited. Sarah is a member of the Investment Committee of Newnham College, Cambridge and is a member of or advisor to a number of other investment committees or panels.

Alan Barber Audit Committee Chairman. Appointed July 2007. Alan Barber is executive chairman of Management Consultancy Group plc and a non executive director of JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust plc and Impax Asian Environmental Markets plc. He was previously a non-executive director of Teather & Greenwood Holdings plc and lastminute.com plc and worked for KPMG for 35 years; 25 years as a partner.

Diane Seymour-Williams Appointed June 2010. Diane Seymour-Williams has an investment career spanning some 30 years, many of which has been focused on managing Asian equity portfolios. Currently Head of Client and Business Strategy at Lloyd George Management, an independent investment manager specialising in Asia and Global emerging markets equities, Mrs Seymour-Williams worked at Morgan Grenfell/Deutsche Asset Management for 23 years holding a number of positions including Head of Asian Equities and CEO and CIO Asia, based in Singapore. Diane is currently a Director of LG Chine Fund PLC, LG Investment Company PLC, Lloyd George Management (Europe) Limited and of Calculus Capital Limited and is a member of the Investment Committee of Newnham College, Cambridge.  Diane has an MA in Economics from Cambridge University.

All the Directors are members of the Audit and Management Engagement Committee and of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

As at 28 April 2011.