Norman Blackwell, Baron Blackwell

The Lord Blackwell
Born Norman Roy Blackwell
(1952-07-29) 29 July 1952
Nationality British
Alma mater Trinity College, Cambridge
University of Pennsylvania
Occupation Banker, politician
Years active 1976-present
Title Chairman, Lloyds Banking Group
Chairman, Interserve
Term 2012-present (Lloyds)
Successor Incumbent
Spouse(s) Brenda Clucas
Children 5
Parent(s) Albert and Frances Blackwell

Norman Roy Blackwell, Baron Blackwell (born 29 July 1952) is a British businessman,[1] public servant, politician,[1] campaigner and policy advisor.

Early life

The son of Albert and Frances Blackwell,[1] he was educated first at Latymer Upper School,[1] and then at The Royal Academy of Music[1] in London and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge with a master of arts in natural sciences in 1973.[1] He then went on to Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated with a master of business administration in 1975,[1] and then in 1976 with a doctor of philosophy[1] in finance and economics.[2]

Career

Business and commerce employment

Upon leaving academia Norman commenced employment in 1976 with The Plessey Company,[3] a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company, where he was involved with strategic planning.[3] In 1978 he moved to McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting[3] and from where, in 1986, he was seconded to work, until 1987, for the Conservative government of the United Kingdom. Back at McKinsey's, Blackwell was made a partner in 1988[3] and he remained with the firm until 1995,[3] when a second spell working for a British Conservative Government commenced. That administration's defeat in the 1997 general election saw him again take up private sector employment with National Westminster Bank as director of group development between 1997 to 2000.[1] The new millennium witnessed a change in employment opportunities and he began a new phase in his career as a non-executive director and advisor appointed to a number of public listed companies.

Current directorships

Chairman, Interserve plc, a global support services group[4] since 1 January 2006,[5] having initially joined the board in September 2005.[3]

Non-executive director, Halma plc, which provides specialist technologies for safety, health and environmental protection)[4] since 29 July 2010.[5]

Non-executive director, Lloyds Banking Group plc[4] and at Lloyds TSB Bank Plc since 1 June 2012.[5] He has been a non-executive director at Scottish Widows Group Ltd. and Scottish Widows plc since June 2012[5] and was appointed chairman of both Scottish Widows Group Ltd (insurance subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group plc)[4][6] and Scottish Widows plc on 1 September 2012.[5] He was appointed as chairman of Lloyds Banking Group on 3 April 2014.[7]

Emoluments – business and commerce employment

Lord Blackwell received the following emoluments, as detailed in the latest annual reports, for each of the companies he serves as a member of their board of directors:

Company Office Remuneration (£’s)
Interserve plc[a] Non-executive chairman 130,000[8]
Lloyds Banking Group plc[a] [b] Non-executive director 101,000[9]
Halma plc[c] Non-executive director 40,000[10]
[a] financial year ending 31 December 2012.
[b] appointment commenced 1 June 2012, renumeration is therefore for a period of 7 months.
[c] financial year ending 31 March 2012.

Past directorship and advisor roles

Blackwell was a special advisor to KPMG, within its corporate finance division, between 2000 and 2008[3] his role was reported by the Financial News as being "to assist the firm in the development of its corporate finance business with big corporates".[11]

He became non-executive chairman of Akers Biosciences Inc[2] on 8 May 2002, ahead of its stock market listing on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange on 22 May 2002,[12] yet resigned from the board on 28 March 2003, little more than 10 months later.[13]

He served as senior independent non-executive director at Corporate Services Group Plc, a recruitment and employment agency, from December 2000 to 9 June 2006.[5] and as a non-executive director of Dixons Group, a consumer electronics retailer, from 2000[1] to 2003[3] He was appointed non-executive director at SEGRO Plc, a property investment and development company which later became a real estate investment trust (REIT), from 1 April 2001 to 29 April 2010[5] and was senior independent director from 2005[3] Blackwell became non-executive chairman of Smartstream Technologies Ltd, a financial transaction management business, in 2001 a position he held until 2005[3] He served as a non-executive director of Standard Life Plc from 6 June 2003 to 25 May 2012.[3][5][14] and as senior independent director from 2008 until May 2012.[5]

Government and politics

From 1986 to 1987 Norman Blackwell was a member of Margaret Thatcher's Prime Minister's Policy Unit.[14] He then returned to 10 Downing Street serving as head of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit under the government of John Major from 1995 to 1997,[14] where he co-ordinated domestic policy development across government departments.[2]

Peerage

On 2 October 1997, he was created a life peer as Baron Blackwell, of Woodcote in the County of Surrey.[15] The honour was bestowed upon him as part of the 1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours which marked the May 1997 resignation of Prime Minister John Major, following the Conservative party's defeat in the 1997 general election. He sits in the House of Lords as a lord temporal for the Conservatives.[4][16]

Parliamentary committees

As of 4 April 2013 the United Kingdom Parliament listed Lord Blackwell's participation in the following committees:[4]

Committee House Years served
Tax Law Rewrite Bills (Joint Committee) Lords 2002–2010
EU Sub-Committee A – Economic and Financial Affairs, and International Trade Lords 2003–2007
European Union Committee Lords 2004–2008
EU Sub-Committee E – Justice and Institutions Lords 2007–2012
Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee Lords 2008–present

Public policy think tank

In 1983 Blackwell co-authored a pamphlet for the Bow Group the oldest conservative think tank in the United Kingdom. He is a non-executive board member of the British centre-right policy think tank the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS),[14] whose goal is to promote coherent and practical public policy, to roll back the state, reform public services, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain's independence.[17] Although identified as non-partisan, the Centre has strong historical links to the Conservative Party. He had previously served as chairman of the CPS between 2000 and 2009.[14]

Campaign group

The campaign group Global Vision was launched in March 2007 by Lord Blackwell and Ruth Lea. It purports to be "completely independent and non-partisan." Its website gives its aims as being; "to create a campaign which would offer a refreshing, forward and outward looking alternative to the existing polarised choices of going along with the full European project or pulling out and breaking all ties with our European neighbours. By advocating this middle way, Global Vision promotes a constructive new relationship between the UK and Europe based on free trade and mutually beneficial cooperation, whilst opting out of the process of political and economic integration."[18]

Lord Blackwell published the research paper, "A Blueprint for Renegotiating The UK's EU Relationship" for the campaign. The paper sets out an agenda to safeguard UK powers or, repatriate EU powers in the following areas: foreign and defence policy, legal and judicial, legislative and regulatory, European Court of Justice, EU programmes, trade policy, and free market, so as to create a new relationship between Britain and the EU.[19]

Public service

Current ministerial appointment

Office of Communications

Norman Blackwell was appointed a non-executive board member for The Office of Communications (Welsh: Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau), commonly known as Ofcom, initially for a three-year term, from 1 September 2009.[2][3][4][5] He was subsequently reappointed to serve a second three-year term that will conclude on 31 August 2015.[20]

Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. He is a member of the Ofcom Content Board, Nominations Committee and Remuneration Committee. He has special non-executive responsibility for postal regulation.[20]

Emoluments – public service appointments

Lord Blackwell received the following emoluments for his public service role:

Regulatory Body Office Remuneration (£’s)
Ofcom[a] Non-Executive board member 42,519[2]

[a] for 1–2 days per week[2]

Past ministerial appointments

Office of Fair Trading

Norman Blackwell served as a non-executive board member for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) from 1 April 2003[4][20] initially for a five-year term,[20] that was subsequently extended upon expiry for a further two years,[21] up to 31 March 2010.[3]

The OFT is a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator. The OFT's goal is to make markets work well for consumers, ensuring vigorous competition between fair-dealing businesses and prohibiting unfair practices such as rogue trading, scams and cartels.[22]

During the period when Lord Blackwell served as a non-executive director of the OFT a company where, at the time, he was also chairman, Interserve plc, became subject to an investigation by the OFT. The investigation was described by the OFT as "one of the largest ever Competition Act investigations".[23] Interserve were found to have engaged in illegal anti-competitive bid rigging activities[24] and were fined a sum of £11,634,750.[25]

Postal Services Commission

Lord Blackwell served as a commissioner of Postcomm, the Postal Services Commission[5][26] a non-ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom charged with overseeing the quality and universal service of post in the United Kingdom.[27] Postcomm was merged into the communications regulator Ofcom on 1 October 2011.

Personal life

He married Brenda Clucas, daughter of Thomas Walter Clucas, on 22 June 1974.[1] They have three sons and two daughters: Jane, Simon, Sarah, Richard and William.[1] Blackwell owns properties in London and Epsom let on assured short hold tenancies, owned jointly with his wife.[4] Blackwell's recreations, as listed in Debretts People of Today, are: classical music, walking, gardening.[3]

Style

Publications

Lord Blackwell has published the following public policy pamphlets:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe The Peerage, Person Page 14368 Retrieved 5 April 2013
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 New Postcomm Commissioners Biographical details Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 17 December 2010 09:30 Retrieved 8 April 2013
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 The Rt Hon Lord Blackwell's Biography Debretts People of Today Online Retrieved 8 April 2013
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lord Blackwell Register of Interests UK Parliament website Retrieved 4 April 2013
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Executive Profile Norman Roy Blackwell Ph.D. Bloomburg Businessweek Retrieved 8 April 2013
  6. ↑ Lord Blackwell new chairman of Scottish Widows Herald Scotland 1 June 2012 Retrieved 4 April 2013
  7. ↑ http://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/Media/Press-Releases/2013-Press-Releases/Lloyds-Banking-Group/lloyds-banking-group-plc-lord-blackwell-appointed-as-chairman/
  8. ↑ Annual Report and Accounts 2012 Page 64 Company website Retrieved 10 April 2013
  9. ↑ Annual Report and Accounts 2012 Page 107 Company website Retrieved 10 April 2013
  10. ↑ Annual Report and Accounts 2012 Page 84 Company website Retrieved 10 April 2013
  11. ↑ Lord Blackwell to advise KPMG Corporate Finance Financial News 10 July 2000 Retrieved 9 April 2013
  12. ↑ IPO Prospectus Company website Retrieved 9 April 2013
  13. ↑ Company Annual Report 2003 Company website Retrieved 9 April 2013
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Lord Blackwell Profile Centre for Policy Studies website Retrieved 4 April 2013
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 54913. p. 11279. 7 October 1997.
  16. ↑ Profile They Work For You website Retrieved 5 April 2013
  17. ↑ Andrew Denham and Mark Garnett Keith Joseph (Chesham 2001), p. 240
  18. ↑ Global Vision Our Vision Global Vision website Retrieved 10 April 2013
  19. ↑ Global Vision Publications Global Vision website Retrieved 10 April 2013
  20. 1 2 3 4 Ofcom Board Members Norman Blackwell Ofcom website Retrieved 1 April 2013
  21. ↑ OFT announces non-executive director appointments OFT Press Release 14 February 2008 Retrieved 9 April 2013
  22. ↑ Office of Fair Trading. "Office of Fair Trading Annual Report and Accounts 2011–12" (PDF). pp. 7 to 9. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  23. ↑ OFT issues statement of objections against 112 construction companies Office of Fair Trading Press Release 17 April 2008
  24. ↑ Construction firms fined for illegal bid-rigging Office of Fair Trading Press Release 22 September 2009
  25. ↑ Office of Fair Trading Press Release
  26. ↑ Minister for Postal Affairs Edward Davey today announced the appointment of four Commissioners to the Board of Postcomm, the regulator for postal services. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Press Release 17 December 2010 09:30 Retrieved 9 April 2013
  27. ↑ About Postcomm Internet Memory Foundation The National Archive Retrieved 9 April 2013

Further reading

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