Jonathan Morrison

Riba chief Alan Jones ‘helped mistress to find new job’

The president of the Royal Institute of British Architects has been accused of abusing his position by helping his mistress find a job, The Times can reveal.

Alan Jones, a professor of architecture at Queen’s University Belfast, temporarily stepped down from the top role at the institute last month after his affair with Sanoara Begom, an architectural assistant, was revealed. A colleague, who asked not to be named, said Mr Jones acted after Ms Begom threatened to go to the press.

He emailed members of the governing council to say that a “matter had arisen in his personal life” and that he would be absent for four to six weeks, triggering an internal investigation by a law firm hired by the institute and a formal report to the Charity Commission over potential reputational damage.

Mr Jones, 55, is married to Laura, 54, a dentist, and has two children. They live in a house that he designed in Co Antrim.

He is accused of offering to use his influence to help Ms Begom find work within the architecture sector and to improve her CV. Ms Begom, from Solihull, West Midlands, had approached Ben Derbyshire, a former president of the institute, in March 2018, to complain about racial discrimination in the profession, which remains overwhelmingly white and male, before being introduced to Mr Jones, who was then vice-president of education.

Ms Begom wrote a 61-page letter to Mr Derbyshire detailing alleged Islamophobic and racist remarks made by her employer at Goodchild Architecture — including the suggestion that she would have “your people come and get me” and that she lived in a “terrorist hotspot” — as well as non-payment of wages. She eventually took her employers to the High Court and bailiffs were sent in.

Having struggled subsequently to find work, she wrote later in 2018 that Mr Jones “has supported me throughout the year and has helped me with my CV . . . Alan Jones will be contacting mid-range practices in London to arrange interviews”.

It is alleged that a relationship began at around that time, and the possible use of the president’s grace-and-favour flat in Portland Place is understood to be among the law firm’s lines of inquiry. The instutite’s code requires members to “act with honesty and integrity at all times”.

The development comes as the institute seeks a succesor to Mr Jones, whose two-year presidency ends on September 1, next year. Elections begin on July 14.

Mr Jones, the 78th president and the first from Northern Ireland, won one of the most contentious elections in recent history with an 18.9 per cent share of the vote.

His main opponent, Elsie Owusu, levelled accusations of racism against the institute during the contest, claiming that it was a “one-party state” where “one white, middle-aged male oligarch hands on power to another”.

Neither Mr Jones nor Ms Begom responded to requests for comment. The institute’s honorary secretary, Kerr Robertson, said in a statement: “Alan Jones advised us of a sensitive matter that had arisen in his personal life and has taken leave of absence.

“As there was the potential for this to reflect on his role as Riba president, we followed standard guidance by immediately informing our regulator, the Charity Commission, setting out how we would review the matter.

“There has been no complaint made to or by the Riba on this matter. There has been no disciplinary process, and we are not aware of any ongoing external investigations.

“We have an obligation to treat such matters fairly and confidentially, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for the Riba to comment further at this stage.”


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