The Chair of the Board of Governors is president of the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning, presiding officer of the Board of Governors, and a Board of Governors' representative on Senate and may call joint meetings of the Board of Governors and Senate. [Source: Statutes, section 2.2]
Although the Statutes do not require the appointment of a Vice-Chair, it has been a long-standing practise for the Board to appoint a Vice-Chair who acts on behalf of the Chair when the Chair is unable to attend meetings of the Board.