About the Society
The Bhutan Society of the United Kingdom was founded on October 6th, 1992, inspired by the growing connections between the two countries. The Society held its inaugural meeting in London on Bhutan National Day, December 17th, 1992.
From an idea shared by a handful of founders, we have grown to a thriving community of some 500 members who value the links connecting Bhutan and the UK.
Our members range from professionals with interests including art, culture, environment, and Gross National Happiness; to those who have visited Bhutan and wish to maintain an association; to Bhutanese studying in the UK who are welcomed as honorary members.
The Society organises lectures and talks throughout the year. An annual dinner is held in the Autumn, which allows members to renew friendships and meet members, including some of the Bhutanese students resident in the UK.
The Society publishes a newsletter three times a year.
Aims of the Society
To encourage and promote knowledge and understanding of the Kingdom of Bhutan
To encourage cultural and educational links between the Kingdom of Bhutan and the United Kingdom
To promote and foster good relations between the Kingdom of Bhutan and the United Kingdom
Vision, Mission and Activities
Our Vision: The warmest friendship and cultural relations between the people of Bhutan and the UK.
Our Mission: To foster and strengthen relations between the UK and the Kingdom of Bhutan. This includes the cultural, educational and social life of Bhutan and the UK.
Our Activities:
We maintain an efficiently run membership organisation
We communicate developments within Bhutan and the UK of mutual interest to our members and stakeholders.
We organise cultural, educational and social events for our members.
We offer contacts and participation in the Society’s activities to Bhutanese who are in the UK to live, study, work and/or visit.
We cultivate and maintain connections with Bhutanese and UK individuals and organisations.
President and Vice-Presidents
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Sir Simon Bowes Lyon KCVO
President
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Michael Rutland OBE
Vice President
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Andrew Sutton
Vice President
Executive Committee
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The Hon Deborah Keith
Chairman
Deborah has been Chairman of the Society since January 2025 following her role as Programme Secretary for two years. From 1983-1989 she lived and worked in Bhutan for the Department of Agriculture at Bondey Farm setting up a horticultural development project. She trained as a plant scientist and has worked throughout her career in global agribusiness and Research & Development. She is currently a non-executive director and chairman of various organisations. -
Scott Steedman CBE
Secretary
Scott is an engineer by background. He was an academic at Cambridge University before spending over 20 years in industry, specialising in risk and disasters. He is a former Vice President of the Royal Academy of Engineering is currently Director-General, Standards at the British Standards Institution (BSI) and a member of the BSI Group Board. Scott is from Edinburgh and first visited Bhutan with Deborah Keith in 2005. He lives in London and Wester Ross, Scotland. -
Chris Watt
Treasurer
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Sylvia Robert-Sargeant
Newsletter Editor
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Marion Young
Membership
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VACANCY
Dinner Secretary and Events Group (Films)
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Oliver Stogdon
Website and Digital
Oliver is a software engineer working in the fintech industry. He also has designed software for discovering supply-chains and providing traceability for commodities such as cotton, wood, fish and metal. He worked in Bhutan for the Department of Agriculture at Bondey Farm in 1986, writing software on an early IBM PC.
He lives in Oxfordshire. -
VACANCY
Programme Secretary