dr. Roger Barker

Dr. Roger Barker leads the IoD’s policy and thought leadership activities, and is a member of the IoD Management Team. Originally trained as a professional economist, dr. Barker is an expert in corporate governance and directorship, and the author of numerous books and articles in the field, including ‘The Effective Board: Building Individual and Board Success’ (Kogan Page); ‘Corporate Governance and Investment Management: The Promises and Limitations of the New Financial Economy’ (Edward Elgar); and ‘Corporate Governance, Competition, and Political Parties: Explaining Corporate Governance Change in Europe’ (Oxford University Press).

Dr. Barker served as Director of Corporate Governance and Professional Standards at the IoD between 2008 and 2016. Between 2016 and 2020, he ran a successful corporate governance advisory company specialising in board and governance evaluations and director training. Prior to the UK’s exit from the European Union, Dr. Barker was a UK-appointed member of the European Economic and Social Committee. In the first part of his career, Barker was an investment banker, spending almost 15 years in a variety of equity research and senior management roles at UBS and Bank Vontobel, both in the UK and Switzerland. He has a doctorate from Oxford University and taught politics at Merton College, Oxford (2005-2008).