MANAGEMENT BOARD
Dr John Barker
John Barker, a legal scholar and practitioner with over 35 years of experience, is at the forefront of international law, governance, and development. As a Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at Cambridge University and founding Director of Cambridge Governance Labs, he focuses on governance risk and the potential of emerging technologies to enhance responsible decision-making in public life. His extensive work in Africa, collaborating with governments, international agencies, and NGOs, has significantly contributed to justice sector reform and human rights promotion.
John's expertise has been sought by organisations like UNDP, the EU, and DFID, and he has shared his insights through lectures and keynote addresses worldwide. By bridging academic research with real-world implementation, John continues to shape international law and governance practices, fostering global development and justice.
Founder
and
Director
Kara Irwin
Kara Irwin is a US and UK qualified lawyer providing international advisory services to law firms, law schools, and non-profit organisations at both the board and operational levels. After qualifying as a lawyer in New York, she practiced corporate law in London while developing an active pro bono practice focused on using legal professional associations to promote and support good governance and the rule of law. She later founded the Pro Bono Centre at BPP Law School, during which time she also served as a trustee for Advocates for International Development and LawWorks and as an advisor on pro bono matters to the UK Attorney General. Her current advisory and board roles focus on operational efficiency, people and process management, governance, and compliance. She has international experience teaching legal skills, conflict resolution, and professional ethics at the university and professional sector levels in a range of countries in Europe, Africa, and southeast Asia.
Chair
Hugh Parnell
Founder and Chairman of Cambridge Cleantech, non-exec of several technology-based growth companies; advisor on business growth and funding from start-up to scale, on angel/VC equity and corporate finance. Hugh has been involved in the low carbon / renewable and Cleantech technology and business development sector for over 18 years, having previously worked in the downstream oil industry. He has been involved with the Cambridge Retrofit programme, as well as co-founding Cambridge Energy, Cambridge Responsibility Forum and serving as a trustee of several charities.
“Technology is not the whole solution to the critical carbon and environmental issues we should be addressing but it can be a major contributor, enabling choices and facilitating change!”
William Charnley
William is a corporate lawyer with a broad practice advising on initial public offerings and securities offerings, takeovers, private equity transactions, private mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures. William has advised boards and committees on regulatory and policy changes, corporate governance and risk issues. William is an honorary master of the bench of Gray’s Inn in 2022 and a member of the Court of the Drapers Company, a City Livery Company that looks after trusts and manages an endowment focused on the provision of essential human need, food, clothes, shelter, education and hope. He was Master of the Company 2016/17 and currently chairs the Finance and General Purposes Committee. He is a Governing Body Fellow of Hughes Hall, Member of the Audit Committee, the Investments Committee, the Development Board and Chair of the Remuneration Committee.
