Iain was appointed Chair of Global Philanthropic in January 2021. He is an experienced Chair and Board Director, Charity Trustee and Strategy Adviser, specialising in leadership of Boards of medium to large listed and private companies in a growth or development phase.
Iain began his career in investment banking with Lazard Brothers and was posted to South Africa in 1994 with Robert Fleming. Following a successful period building up a leading Southern African investment banking team, on the sale of Robert Fleming to JP Morgan in 2000 he was appointed to establish Fleming Family & Partners, where he was a founding partner and COO from 2000 to 2003. After appointing his successor, he went on to hold several senior posts within FF&P before establishing his own office in 2005.
Iain has since undertaken a wide range of business and charitable appointments. Among these, in 2009, after a successful advisory role for shareholders, Iain was appointed Chairman of The Monarch Group, leading its transformation and preparing the Group for its eventual sale in 2014. From 2017 to 2020 he was a NED at the Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch Hospitals NHS Trust, and he is currently a NED at Eurasia Mining PLC. He co-founded Vico Partners, the strategy and communications adviser in 2017, and returned to private practice in Rawlinson Partners in 2023 to focus on his Board and leadership roles, advisory appointments, and new investments.
Iain’s philanthropic activities began in 1991 as a founder member of the London International Piano Competition. Since then he has held many charitable board appointments including as Chair of Tusk, the African conservation charity, Chair of the International Boatbuilding Training College in Portsmouth from 2017 to 2019, and was a Governor and Chair of Governors at Walhampton School from 2017 to 2023. From 2016 to 2019 he volunteered with the Centre for Social Innovation at the Cambridge Judge Business School.
Iain was educated at Birkenhead School, the University of Cambridge and the Inns of Court School of Law. He has a BA (MA Cantab) in Law and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1981. He is also a qualified mediator through the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in London.
Specialist skills
Iain has specialist skills in organisational architecture and strategy, business transformation, and corporate philanthropy and foundations. A particular area of expertise is leading strategic thinking on the delivery of effective ESG strategies, including an emphasis on progressive social and diversity outcomes.
