Godwin confirmed as new chair of trustees at The London Library

Simon Godwin has been formally confirmed as the new chair of trustees at The London Library, taking over from Sir Howard Davies.

Godwin has been a London Library member for 14 years and is a member of the founders’ circle of supporters. He was most recently a founding partner and finance director of Fundsmith, the asset management firm.

The Library said this is the fifth successive year it has seen growth in net membership, “welcoming more than 1,300 members across all membership types, achieving the highest total membership since 2008”. The Library has also benefitted this year from “substantial unrestricted legacy income, generating an operating surplus and enabling the trustees to set aside funds to support future improvements to the Library”.

The role of chair of the trustees is to provide overall leadership to the Library in partnership with the director. The chair gives their time freely and does not receive any remuneration during the year.

Godwin said: “I am delighted to be officially confirmed as the chair of trustees for The London Library. As a long-standing member, I have always felt at home in the Library and that it holds a unique place in our cultural landscape.

"For over 180 years, it has served as centre of creativity and ideas and that vibrancy is at its heart. Under Sir Howard Davies’ leadership, the Library flourished and I am eager to continue on this success, further broadening its reach.”