Business keynote Speaker and Entreprenur, Luke Johnson is RSA's new chairman

Luke Johnson  has been appointed chair of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce for 2009, taking over from Gerry Acher on 1 April. Luke will be undertaking his new role alongside existing positions which includes amongst others, chairman of Channel 4 Televsions. He was previously responsible for the expansion of the Pizza Express chain and now owns several businesses, including Giraffe restaurants and teacher recruitment company Synarbor.

An excellent business keynote speaker with a true entreprenuerial streak, Luke says “The RSA has an outstanding team, a remarkable heritage and a fantastic resource in its Fellows,I believe it has a vital role to play in stimulating enterprises of every dimension.”

Luke is also a former governor of the University of the Arts London and an experienced journalist.