Jonathan Taylor
Following a long service with the SOAS Governing Body, including a period as Chairman, Jonathan Taylor was appointed an Honorary Governor at the School.
Mr Taylor joined Booker plc (the food distribution & agriculture business company) in 1959 and enjoyed a successful career there, rising to Chief Executive in 1984 and then Chairman in 1993. Since retiring from Booker in 1998, he has devoted his time and talents to the not-for-profit sector. He is currently Chairman of the prestigious Booker Prize Foundation, the Caine Prize for African Writing and the recently established International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
Over the past twenty years he has been Chairman of the Marshall Scholarships, the Foundation for the Development of Polish Agriculture, Paintings in Hospitals and the Bodleian Library Development Board. He has also been a valued member of the advisory board of the World Food Prize, Governor of the Royal Agricultural College, Director of Winrock International USA and Treasurer of the International Institute for the Environment and Development.
Mr Taylor is also an Honorary Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford University. He was awarded a CBE in 2005.
