Leadership

Peter Barnes has been Chairman of the British-German Association since 2018, and is responsible for the overall leadership of the BGA.

Peter worked in HM Treasury, at Boston Consulting Group and for The Economist, before founding his own public affairs consultancy, which he wound up in order to focus his energies on the BGA.

Peter was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford (First Class BA Hons, PPE) and at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA).

As an undergraduate, Peter was encouraged by his Politics tutor to spend his two Summer holiday in Germany. This was the start of his continuing fascination with Germany.

Duncan Johnston has been Honorary Treasurer of the British-German Association since 2021, and is responsible for the finances of the charity and for fundraising..

Duncan was a partner at Deloitte for 20 years until his retirement in May 2022. He focussed on M&A transactions in the industrial and services sectors

Duncan studied German and Philosophy at the University of St Andrews, starting his interest in German and the German language.

While at Deloitte, he worked extensively in Germany and for a five year period lived and worked in Duesseldorf.  It was this period which sparked his desire to work on strengthening the civil society links between the UK and Germany.

Sybille is the Honorary Secretary of the British German Association.

Sybille is from Germany but came to the UK with a scholarship from the DAAD and British Council a long time ago and stayed in the UK. She is a dual qualified solicitor and Rechtsanwältin in England/Wales and Germany and a Partner in the Employment and Immigration team of Irwin Mitchell LLP. Sybille is also the Chairman of the British German Jurists’ Association.

Andrew Gilchrist has been a Trustee of the British-German Association since 2020 with a particular interest in military and business issues.

Andrew served in the British Army, spending several years in Germany with BAOR, and subsequently was with The Boston Consulting Group, The Financial Times, and Egon Zehnder. Andrew has now qualified as a full time Executive Coach.

Andrew was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge (MA, Cantab) and the Harvard Business School (MBA).

With a German mother, Andrew has always been drawn to Germany and it remains a primary focus of his personal and business interests.

Paul is Head of Youthbridge, which supports the teaching of German in UK schools. His background is in education, as Head of Modern Languages in both maintained and independent sectors, and in education consultancy. He has written and co-authored numerous textbooks for A Level German, for undergraduates, adult learners and travellers.

He is on the Board of the Dresden Trust, responsible for the Scholarship programmes.

A graduate in German and French (Sheffield), he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Linguists.

His fascination with Germany was piqued as a child through his love of music, and by family holidays.

Miriam Thiede has been on the board of the BGA since 2018 with particular responsibility for BGA members under the age of 35.

She has worked at Magdalen College, Oxford, the Royal College of Music and is now the Senior Development Manager at The Courtauld Institute of Art.

Miriam was educated at schools in both Germany and England and went on to read Theology at Worcester College, Oxford.

She holds dual nationality and strongly believes in fostering activities relating to strengthening ties between the UK and Germany. 

Annika has joined the BGA in July 2024 as the new Head of Youthbridge. She will be working alongside Paul Stocker, the current Head of Youthbridge, until he is retiring from his role in 2025 after 10 years of service.

For the past 14 years, Annika has led a highly successful German department, and her commitment to excellence was recognised with the German Teacher Award in 2011.

She has built strong partnerships with organisations such as the Goethe Institut and the Oxford German Network and has actively promoted German language and culture.

Her extensive experience in classroom teaching, departmental leadership, and community outreach will enable her to make a meaningful contribution to the Youthbridge team.

Wanda Marshall has been teaching German in London for the past 25 years, predominantly in the state sector, and at all levels, from primary to adult learners. She is an examiner for the A Level speaking exam and has recently been writing and editing a text book for the new German GCSE. She has written course materials for the major A Level set texts, has taught in a German Saturday School and is currently training to become a German Expert Mentor for the Goethe Institut, where she also delivers workshops for school groups on a regular basis. Wanda was elected as our German-language policy Trustee at the AGM.

Nick, who was elected to succeed Maurice Hirt at the AGM, is the current President of the LSE German Society, and he will be building on Maurice’s achievements in growing our under 25 membership and our communication with a younger audience.