My friend Stephen Cox, who has died aged 77, was an unobtrusive, humorous, but very effective operator behind the scenes in many institutions.
He was director-general of the Commonwealth Institute when it still occupied its distinctive building in Kensington, London; chief executive of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, working to support emerging democracies around the world; and executive secretary of the Royal Society, following in the footsteps of Samuel Pepys, Edmund Halley and Robert Hooke.
Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, to Norah (nee Henderson), a physiotherapist, and Harold Cox, a company secretary, Stephen was educated at Queen Elizabeth grammar school, Blackburn, and Atlantic college, south Wales, founded by Kurt Hahn, where he was one of the first sixth-form students. After some VSO work in Bolivia he studied geography at Birmingham University, where he met his future wife, Pauline Greenwood, later headteacher of the Tiffin girls’ school in Kingston upon Thames. They were married in 1970.
In the same year he joined the British Council and was posted to Warsaw, Accra and Washington DC. In 1984 he joined the Royal Society as assistant secretary to head their international programmes. Then in 1991 he became director-general of the Commonwealth Institute. This was a difficult time: in 1993 the government withdrew funding, the events programme and the upkeep of the remarkable building suffered and, partly to help the institute’s finances, Stephen agreed to be concurrently chief executive of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy for the last two of his years there.
In 1997 he returned to the Royal Society, where he worked under four presidents (Sir Aaron Klug, Sir Robert (later Lord) May, Lord Rees of Ludlow and Sir Paul Nurse) over a period of 14 years. In 2010 he organised the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary convocation at the Royal Festival Hall, attended by royalty and about 700 fellows of the society, and the associated fundraising appeal, which raised more than £100m.
Alongside his full-time work, Stephen was involved in a wide range of organisations including the British Science Association, the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics and the Royal Geographical Society. He also chaired the council of Royal Holloway, University of London, and the governing body of Atlantic college. He was never one to push himself forward. But he was always loyal and held the ring for important institutions at key moments.
Stephen’s passions included cricket, art, architecture, travel and meeting people. He was an internationalist, a believer in fairness, and a man without prejudices.
He is survived by Pauline, their daughter, Rachel, and son, David.
