News story: Imperial War Museum Trustees: Desmond Bowen and Suzanne Nicholas

The Foreign Secretary has appointed 2 new Trustees to the Board of the Imperial War Museum following an open competition, each for a period of 4 years.

Desmond Bowen CB CMG

Mr Bowen is appointed Trustee with effect from 22 December 2017.

Mr Bowen was a civil servant from fast stream entry in 1973 until 2008 when he retired from the position of Director General for Security Policy at the Ministry of Defence. During his career he served as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Paris, as Defence Counsellor in the UK delegation to the negotiation on the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, as Director of the cabinet of the NATO Secretary General in Brussels, as Director General in the Cabinet Office running the overseas and defence secretariat. As an officer in the Parachute Regiment between 1970 and 1973 Mr Bowen served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and West Germany.

Since his retirement, Mr Bowen has been a member and Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s advisory board on disarmament matters; a visiting Professor at Reading University School of Politics and International Relations and Staff Counsellor of the UK intelligence and security agencies.

He is currently a mentor for the Royal College of Defence Studies twice-yearly strategic exercises and a consulting member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies and team leader for their workshops on nuclear doctrine with India and Pakistan. In 2008 he was awarded the US Secretary of Defense Medal for outstanding public service.

Suzanne Nicholas

Ms Nicholas is appointed Trustee with effect from 1 January 2018.

Ms Nicholas is currently Director for Counter-Terrorism at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where she has been in service since 1995. Her previous roles have included Head of the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and Head of Counter Terrorism policy. Between 2009 and 2012 Ms Nicholas led teams responsible for delivery against national security objectives, including in preparation for the Olympic Games in London.

Prior to this she ran a research project for the British High Commission in Islamabad, presenting findings to the Home Office and FCO and spent a period of time in Jerusalem as Associate Producer of a BBC TV series on the Arab Israeli conflict.