Brian Lang

Brian Lang, Deputy Chairman of the NHMF and [Heritage Lottery Fund]], Chairman of the Committee for Scotland.

"Dr Lang was born in 1945 in Edinburgh and educated at the Royal High School and Edinburgh University, where he studied social anthropology. Following a period in Kenya studying and living among the Kamba people, he lectured in social anthropology for some years at Aarhus University, Denmark.

"Returning to Britain, Dr Lang joined the scientific staff of the Social Science Research Council. In 1979 and 1980 he was head of the Historic Buildings Branch of the Scottish Development Department, and for the following seven years was Director of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, based in London. After four years as Director of Public Affairs for the National Trust, he was appointed Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman of the British Library. He oversaw the successful move, after years of controversy, of the British Library into its very large new building at St Pancras, while simultaneously introducing new strategies designed to bring the library fully into the digital information world. From 2001 to 2008 he was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews. During his time at St Andrews, the University rose to become firmly established as one of the United Kingdom's top five universities.

"He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He also chairs the Board of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

"Dr Lang was a Board member of Scottish Enterprise Fife. In 2000, he was a Visiting Scholar at the Getty Institute, Los Angeles."


 * Trustee, Heritage Lottery Fund