David Lovell Burbidge, (born 15 October 1943) is Chairman of the Coventry City of Culture Trust having led the successful campaign to win the 2021 UK City of Culture title. He is also Chair of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), Chairman of Burbidge & Son Ltd and also a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands, former board member of the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

(RSC), Founding Chairman of Furniture Makers Hall and Freeman of the City of London (1979).

Early life

Burbidge was born on 15 October 1943, and educated at Shrewsbury School and then

Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to th ...

where he achieved a Master of Arts in Law. Now a businessman and philanthropist noted mainly for his work in arts and culture. His roles have included High Sheriff of the West Midlands County, Councillor on the Warwick District Council, Chairman of the

Belgrade Theatre The Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built in Britain after the Second World War and is now a Grade II listed building. Background Coventry was the fastest growing city in ...

, Coventry and Chairman of the Central Campaign transformation project of the Royal Shakespeare theatres. He also enjoys painting, sailing and

real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...

in his leisure time .

Current Roles

Burbidge is Chair of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Chairman of Burbidge & Son Ltd, a Coventry manufacturer of bespoke high-quality kitchen and bathroom furniture; a Director of the Albany Piccadilly Trustee Companies. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands.

Previous roles

Burbidge's previous roles have included being Non-Executive Chairman of Burbidge Capital Limited in Nairobi, Kenya between 2010 and 2016, also a main board member of the

(RSC) between 2008 and 2014 and was chairman of the Central Campaign for the £112 million transformation project of the Royal Shakespeare Theatres at

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

which achieved successful completion in 2010. He was also a chairman of the RSC Pension Fund Trustees, plus a member of the RSC Audit and Investment Committees. He was a Governor & Founding Chairman of the Development Board of Compton Verney Art Gallery between 2009 and 2011, and a member of the development board of Garsington Opera for the move to Wormsley Estate,

Stokenchurch Stokenchurch is a village and civil parish in south-west Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about south of Chinnor in Oxfordshire and west of High Wycombe. Stokenchurch is a commuter village, served by junction 5 of ...

from 2010 to 2012. He was the Master of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers from 2004 to 2005 and was the founding chairman of Furniture Makers Hall between 2005 and 2012, He was instrumental in the acquisition and establishment of Furniture Makers Hall, where the Court Room is named after him. He was also chairman of the

, Coventry from 2001 to 2008, where he led a £14m campaign to build a new auditorium B2, new foyer and reception areas. The Burbidge room is named after him. His roles have also included being founding chairman of the

Coventry Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, commonly known as Coventry Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry within the Church of England. The cathedral is located in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The curren ...

Development Trust, responsible for raising more than £5 million in funds for the Cathedral ministry and for endowment 1992 to 2005. He was director of the Coventry Building Society for two decades also chairman of the associated £50m pension fund between 1981 and 2005 He was a councillor on the Warwick District Council, between 1972 and 1975 and President of the City of Coventry Scout County from 1996 to 2008. He became High Sheriff of the West Midlands County, in 1990/1991. Under Burbidge's leadership in 1995/6, Burbidge & Son pioneered the introduction of World Class Manufacturing techniques into the furniture manufacturing sector. His company became an exemplar hosting visits for the West Midlands Manufacturing Challenge and nationally for UK First. He was a keynote speaker at conferences around the UK. He was also a guest lecturer for MSc courses in Manufacturing Strategy at the University of Warwick. Burbridge was Chairman of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, having successfully secured victory for Coventry in the UK City of Culture title in 2021.

Honours

Burbidge was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

1998 Queen's Birthday Honours Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supplem ...

in recognition of his services to

. He was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the

2016 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...

in recognition of his services to cultural philanthropy in the West Midlands.

Awards

Honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon DLitt) in recognition of significant contribution to arts & culture in the West Midlands, was awarded by the University of Warwick in July 2017. Honorary Doctor of Laws (Hon LLD) in recognition of significant charitable and fundraising work by Coventry University – November 2015 Awarded The Coventry Award of Merit in 2015 which was established by

Coventry City Council Coventry City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Coventry in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. The city is divided up into 18 Wards each with three councillors. Coventry ...

as a means to acknowledge and honour a model citizen for outstanding performance in a field which enhances the good name of the City of Coventry. Arts & Business West Midlands Culture Champion 2012 in recognition of leadership for the regional fundraising campaign of the transformation of the Royal Shakespeare & Swan Theatres, Stratford-upon-Avon. Coventry Evening Telegraph Special Honour awarded for outstanding contribution to business & industry – 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burbidge, David Lovell Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deputy Lieutenants of the West Midlands (county) High Sheriffs of the West Midlands Alumni of Keble College, Oxford English theatre directors People educated at Shrewsbury School Living people 1943 births