Sir John Gilbert Hanson KCMG CBE (16 November 1938 – 13 January 2017) was a senior British diplomat, senior executive, historian, and academic. Hanson was the Director-General of the British Council between 1992–8 where he led a major reform programme for management change throughout the British Council, which is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries. Hanson received honorary doctorates from three universities. He died on 13 January 2017 at the age of 78 after a short period of ill health.