National Office and branch activities.

• Position: INSTITUTE NOTES

The new executive director, Dr Hamish McDougall, took up his role in mid-January. He recently completed a PhD at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), with a dissertation on Britain's entry into the European Community and its relationship with New Zealand, 1960-85. While at the LSE he taught and designed undergraduate courses, convened research seminars and published articles on international history of the 20th century. He has written a chapter for the history of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to be published in July. Hamish also has a fifteen-year career in corporate and marketing communications, including at the Department of Internal Affairs leading communications for the launch of He Tohu, the award-winning exhibition of New Zealand's iconic historic documents at the National Library. In 2016, he became head of media relations, Britain and Ireland, at the Grosvenor Group in London. He previously held communications roles for Crossrail, Canary Wharf Group and IGD in London, and at Sweeney Vesty in Auckland. He began his career as a research analyst at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise in 2004. He is a graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, Massey University, the University of Oxford and the LSE.

The Board...