The Prime Minister has appointed Harris Bokhari and Yadvinder Malhi as Trustees of the Natural History Museum.
Harris Bokhari and Yadvinder Malhi have been appointed by the Prime Minister as Trustees of the Natural History Museum for four years from 11 May 2020 to 10th May 2024.
Harris Bokhari
Harris is a social entrepreneur, public engagement advisor and chartered accountant. He serves as a board member of Prince’s Trust Mosaic Initiative and as an ambassador for the British Asian Trust.
In 2012, in memory of his late father, Naz Bokhari OBE, Harris co-founded the Naz Legacy Foundation, which went on to receive the 2014 Big Society Award from the Prime Minister for their work with disadvantaged youth.
Harris founded Patchwork Foundation in 2010, recognising the vital need for a vehicle through which to promote the political and democratic engagement of under-represented communities. In 2018 he was awarded the Diversity Champion Award by the Cabinet Office as part of its inaugural National Democracy Week.
Harris serves as a member of the Mayor of London’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group, an Independent Member of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Committee and for Community and Voluntary Service Honours Committee - also sitting on the Diversity and Inclusion Group. He was awarded an OBE in Her Majesty’s 2015 Birthday Honours List for services to young people and interfaith relations; named as one of London’s most influential figures by the Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 List; and awarded Imperial College’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni.
Professor Yadvinder Malhi FRS
Yadvinder Malhi is Professor of Ecosystem Science at the University of Oxford, Jackson Senior Research Fellow in Biodiversity and Conservation at Oriel College, Oxford, and Director of the Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests and the Oxford University Biodiversity Network.
His research interests have focused on the impacts of climate change and other types of change on the biosphere, and how the protection and restoration of the biosphere can contribute to mitigating and adapting to climate change. Much of his work has focussed on the tropics, and he has established a network of intensive study and monitoring of tropical ecosystems spanning Amazonia, Africa and Asia.
More locally, he has a strong interest in the many possible forms of ecosystem restoration in the UK and Europe, how such restoration can be scaled up, and how it can best contribute to biodiversity recovery and climate change goals.
Professor Malhi is former President of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Chair of Trustees of the Global Biodiversity Foundation, a Fellow of the Royal Society. He has authored or co-authored over 400 scientific papers on ecosystems and climate change.
These roles are not remunerated. These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments, the process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Neither Mr Bokhari or Professor Malhi have declared any activity.