The Chairmans Club - Governance and Advisors

Governance and Advisors

The Club has been deeply privileged to have two major figures since its inception as Chairmen of its Advisory Council. Lord ‘Bob’ Haslam, ex-ICI, British Steel, British Coal and Tate & Lyle was hugely instrumental as the inaugural Chair of the Club, powerfully assisted by Rodney Galpin of Standard Chartered, Ray van Schaik of Heineken , Wallace Grubman of Unilever and Sir Michael Alexander, Ambassador to NATO. For the second period of its existence Sir Peter Walters previously Chair of BP and SmithKlineBeecham, Deputy Chair HSBC, President of the Institute of Business Ethics, and Director of Nomura has played the same pivotal role from the Chair of guide, ambassador and counsel.

Members of the Advisory Council in addition to Sir Peter are:-

Baroness Virginia Bottomley: Life Peer; Chancellor of the University of Hull, Governor of the London School of Economics, member of the UK Advisory Council of the International Chamber of Commerce and of the Judge Institute at Cambridge, member of the supervisory Board of AKZO Nobel NV and an independent Trustee of the Economist newspaper. Member of the House of Commons 1984 – 2005, Secretary of State for Health in the Cabinet in 1992.

Baroness Greenfield CBE: Scientist, writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords. Professor of synaptic pharmacology at Lincoln College, Oxford specialising in the physiology of the brain, Director of the Royal Institution, Chancellor of Herriot Watt University Edinburgh, author ‘Journey to the Centers of the Mind’,’ ‘The Private Life of the Brain’, ‘Tomorrow’s People: How 21st century technology is changing the way we think and feel’, ‘Inside the Body’; and ‘The Quest for Identity in the 21st Century’.

John Kay: Economist, author and professor at the London School of Economics; previous Chairs at London Business School and Oxford University; Founder of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and a substantial private consulting firm, non-executive Director of Halifax plc and other Boards.

Sir Callum McCarthy: Recently Chairman the FSA, previously Chairman and Chief Executive in the Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets, Barclays Bank, BZW and Kleinwort Benson, as well as Departments of Trade and Industry.

Keith Mackrell: Deputy Chairman of BG during the de-mergers of the British Gas state monopoly, previously member on the Shell International board and other leading British companies including Standard Chartered Bank. Governor and Honorary Fellow at the London School of Economics, Founder of LSE Enterprise, Vice-Chairman of Duke Corporate Education.

Dr Rolf Stomberg: Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lanxess AG, previously member of the Board of Directors of the British Petroleum Company and board member Scania AB, Reed Elsevier plc, Cordiant Communications Group, Smith & Nephew, Severstal and John Mowlem.

Sir Malcolm Williamson: Chairman Signet Group plc and the Commonwealth Development Corporation, Deputy Chairman of Resolution plc, Board member of National Australia Bank, Group 4 Securicor, JP Morgan Cazenove Holdings. Previously President and Chief Executive of VISA International, CEO Standard Chartered Bank, Member of the Post Office Board and Managing Director of Giro Bank.

Advisors are responsible for the ethos, integrity and renewal of the Club. They participate in the creation of agendas and attend selected meetings. Externally they act as ambassadors for the Club and its reputation.