Gerald Edgar Grimstone, Baron Grimstone of Boscobel (born 27 August 1949) is a British businessman. He was previously chairman of
Barclays Bank plc
Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services.
Barclays traces ...
and of
Standard Life
Standard Life is a life assurance, pensions and long-terms savings company in the UK which is owned by Phoenix Group.
History 1825–2010
The Standard Life Assurance Company was established in 1825 and was reincorporated as a mutual assurance ...
and group deputy chairman of Barclays plc, the holding company for the Barclays Group.
On 18 March 2020, he became an unpaid minister at the
Department for International Trade
The Department for International Trade (DIT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for striking and extending trade agreements between the United Kingdom and foreign countries, as well as for encouraging foreign investment and ...
and the
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and it was announced he would become a life peer.
Early life
Gerald Edgar Grimstone was born in August 1949, in
Streatham, London, the son of a carpet fitter father. Grimstone has described his father as a "working class intellectual" and a senior member of the UK Communist Party.
He was educated at the
Whitgift School
("He who perseveres, conquers")
, established =
, closed =
, type = Independent school
, religious_affiliation = Church of England
, president =
, head_label = Head Master
, head = Christopher Ramsey
, c ...
, Croydon, and
Merton College, Oxford, where he received a degree in chemistry.
Career
Grimstone worked as a civil servant from 1972 to 1986, and then as a director of
Schroders
Schroders plc is a British multinational asset management company, founded in 1804. The company employs over 5,000 people worldwide in 32 locations around Europe, America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Headquartered in the City of London, it ...
from 1986 to 1999.
Grimstone was chairman of
Standard Life
Standard Life is a life assurance, pensions and long-terms savings company in the UK which is owned by Phoenix Group.
History 1825–2010
The Standard Life Assurance Company was established in 1825 and was reincorporated as a mutual assurance ...
(now Standard Life Aberdeen) from 2007 till 2019, deputy chairman of
Barclays since January 2016, a non-executive director of
Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of professio ...
and the lead non-executive director at the
Ministry of Defence.
Honours
Grimstone was
knighted in the
2014 Birthday Honours
The 2014 Birthday Honours were 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 part of ...
, and received that accolade from the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
on 6 February 2015. On 8 April 2020 he was created Baron Grimstone of Boscobel, of
Belgravia
Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of both the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dang ...
in the
City of Westminster.
Personal life
In 1973, Grimstone married
Hon. Janet Elizabeth Gudrun Suenson-Taylor, daughter of the 2nd
Baron Grantchester; they had a son and two daughters before divorcing in 1995.
[Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, Burke's Peerage, Ltd, 2003, vol. 2, p. 1637]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimstone, Gerry
1949 births
Living people
British businesspeople
Conservative Party (UK) life peers
Barclays people
Deloitte people
People educated at Whitgift School
Alumni of Merton College, Oxford
Fellows of Merton College, Oxford
Life peers created by Elizabeth II