Lopa Patel & Nigel Baker appointed to The National Archives Board
The Secretary of State has appointed Lopa Patel & Nigel Baker as Board Members of The National Archives for five year terms commencing 01 January 2025 to 31 December 2029.
Lopa Patel
Appointed from 01 January 2025 to 31 December 2029
Lopa Patel MBE is a Digital Entrepreneur, Chair, Non-Executive Director and Trustee with strengths in governance and risk oversight. She is the founder of two ventures in online media and a data-driven marketing consultancy. She is also the Chair of the equality charity, Diversity UK, which focuses on race and gender equity in Britain.
Lopa is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Fellow of the Institute of Data & Marketing. She holds a BTec in Computer Science, a BSc degree in Biochemistry, and a postgraduate qualification: the FT Diploma in Corporate Governance.
She has previously been Chair of the National Science & Media Museum Advisory Board and a Trustee of The Science Museum Group. She is a Non-Executive Director of the Intellectual Property Office, a Council Member of The Open University, and a member of the DCMS BBC Charter Review Advisory Board. She is also a Non-Executive Director of Becta (British Education Communications and Technology Agency). She has held trusteeships in arts and education charities.
Lopa is an ambassador for entrepreneurship, innovation and technology and has been recognised with many accolades including an MBE for services to the creative industries and an Honorary Doctorate conferred by the Open University.
Nigel Baker
Appointed from 01 January 2025 to 31 December 2029
Nigel Baker is a media executive with wide experience at senior management and board level in for-profit companies and the charitable sector.
He is chair of the Sky News Board – an independent body established to safeguard the channel’s editorial independence and funding after the Sky Group was bought by the US telecoms company, Comcast, in 2018. He also chairs PCS Instruments – a London-based private company which is a global innovator in creating scientific instruments.
He was previously vice-president of international business operations for the American news agency, Associated Press (AP). He was instrumental in setting up AP’s international television wing, based in London, including strategic oversight of digitising its extensive video archives and its international video content delivery networks.
Nigel’s career has immersed him in creating and curating factual content with an early background as a journalist in Fleet Street and with ITN.
His charity experience was as chief executive of the Thomson Foundation, which provides training and consultancy for individual journalists and news organisations in low and middle-income countries.
He holds a business doctorate from Chester University, examining the impact of Big Tech’s ethics on corporate philanthropy, and a master’s from Brunel University London in multimedia computing for e-Commerce.
Remuneration and Governance Code
Members of The National Archive Board are remunerated at £400 per day. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Lopa Patel & Nigel Baker have not declared any significant political activity.