Norman Roy Blackwell, Baron Blackwell (born 29 July 1952) is a British former businessman,
The Peerage, Person Page 14368 Retrieved 5 April 2013 public servant,
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
politician,
campaigner and policy advisor.
Early life
The son of Albert and Frances Blackwell,
he was educated first at
Latymer Upper School
(Slowly Therefore Surely)
, established =
, closed =
, sister_school = Godolphin and Latymer School
, type = Public schoolIndependent day school
, head_label = H ...
,
and as a Junior Exhibitioner at
The Royal Academy of Music in London, and then graduated from
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
with a
master of arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...
in
natural sciences
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...
in 1973.
He then went on to Wharton Business School at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
where he graduated with a
master of business administration
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...
in 1975,
and then in 1976 with a doctor of philosophy
in finance and economics.
[New Postcomm Commissioners Biographical details]
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 17 December 2010 09:30 Retrieved 8 April 2013
Career
Business and commerce employment
Upon leaving
academia
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
Norman commenced employment in 1976 with The
Plessey
The Plessey Company plc was a British electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after World War II by acquisition of companies and formed overseas compani ...
Company,
[The Rt Hon Lord Blackwell's Biography]
Debretts People of Today Online Retrieved 8 April 2013 a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company, where he was involved with strategic planning.
In 1978 he moved to
McKinsey & Company, a global
management consulting
Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultan ...
and from where, in 1986, he was seconded to work, until 1987, for the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
government of the United Kingdom. Back at McKinsey's, Blackwell was made a partner in 1984 and he remained with the firm until 1995,
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
National Westminster Bank, commonly known as NatWest, is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, i ...
as director of group development between 1997 and 2000.
The new millennium witnessed a change in employment opportunities and he began a new phase in his career as a
non-executive director
A non-executive director (abbreviated to non-exec, NED or NXD), independent director or external director is a member of the board of directors of a corporation, such as a company, cooperative or non-government organization, but not a member of th ...
and advisor appointed to a number of
public listed companies.
Current directorships
Non-executive director,
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Banking Group is a British financial institution formed through the acquisition of HBOS by Lloyds TSB in 2009. It is one of the UK's largest financial services organisations, with 30 million customers and 65,000 employees. Lloyds Ban ...
plc
and at
Lloyds Bank Plc since 1 June 2012 and Chairman from April 2014.
He was appointed chairman of both Scottish Widows Group Ltd (insurance subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group plc)
and Scottish Widows plc on 1 September 2012, but stepped down on becoming chairman of parent company Lloyds Banking Group on 3 April 2014.
=Emoluments – business and commerce employment
=
Lord Blackwell received remuneration of £755,000 as Chairman of Lloyds Banking Group, as detailed in the 2018 annual report. He had no other remunerated employment.
Past directorship and advisor roles
Chairman,
Interserve
Interserve is a British construction and support services business based in Reading, Berkshire, which went into administration in 2019 and which is expected to be wound up in 2024. At that time, the group generated revenue of £2.2 billion and h ...
plc, a global support services group
[Lord Blackwell Register of Interests]
UK Parliament website Retrieved 4 April 2013 since 1 January 2006,
having initially joined the board in September 2005.
After nine years as Interserve chairman, Lord Blackwell stepped down in early 2016 and was replaced by
Glyn Barker.
Non-executive director,
Halma plc, which provides specialist technologies for safety, health and environmental protection)
since 29 July 2010.
He stepped down in 2014, and was replaced by
Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...
.
Blackwell was a special advisor to
KPMG
KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations.
Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...
, within its
corporate finance division, between 2000 and 2008
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".
He became non-executive chairman of Akers Biosciences Inc
on 8 May 2002, ahead of its
stock market listing on the
AIM market of the
London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St P ...
on 22 May 2002, yet resigned from the board on 28 March 2003, little more than 10 months later.
He served as senior independent non-executive director at
Corporate Services Group Plc, a
recruitment and
employment agency
An employment agency is an organization which matches employers to employees. In developed countries, there are multiple private businesses which act as employment agencies and a publicly-funded employment agency.
Public employment agencies
One ...
, from December 2000 to 9 June 2006.
[Executive Profile Norman Roy Blackwell Ph.D.]
Bloomburg Businessweek Retrieved 8 April 2013 and as a non-executive director of
Dixons Group
Dixons Retail plc was one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in Europe. In the United Kingdom, the company operated Currys, Currys Digital, PC World (with stores increasingly dual branded 'Currys PC World'), Dixons Travel and its ser ...
, a
consumer electronics
Consumer electronics or home electronics are electronic ( analog or digital) equipment intended for everyday use, typically in private homes. Consumer electronics include devices used for entertainment, communications and recreation. Usuall ...
retailer, from 2000
to 2003
He was appointed non-executive director at
SEGRO Plc, a property investment and
development
Development or developing may refer to:
Arts
*Development hell, when a project is stuck in development
*Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting
*Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped
* Photograph ...
company which later became a
real estate investment trust
A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a company that owns, and in most cases operates, income-producing real estate. REITs own many types of commercial real estate, including office and apartment buildings, warehouses, hospitals, shopping cente ...
(REIT), from 1 April 2001 to 29 April 2010
and was senior independent director from 2005
Blackwell became non-executive chairman of Smartstream Technologies Ltd, a
financial transaction management business, in 2001 a position he held until 2005
He served as a non-executive director 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 ...
Plc from 6 June 2003 to 25 May 2012.
[Lord Blackwell Profile]
Centre for Policy Studies website Retrieved 4 April 2013 and as senior independent director from 2008 until May 2012.
Government and politics
From 1986 to 1987 Norman Blackwell was a member of
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
's
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
's
Policy Unit.
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,
where he coordinated domestic policy development across
government departments
Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are designations used by first-level executive bodies in the machinery of governments that manage a specific sector of public administration." ÐнциклоР...
.
Peerage
On 2 October 1997, he was created a
life peer as Baron Blackwell, of Woodcote in the County of
Surrey. The honour was bestowed upon him as part of the
1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours
The 1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours were officially announced in two supplements to ''The London Gazette'' of 1 August 1997 (published 2 August 1997) and marked the May 1997 resignation of the Prime Minister, John Major.
A notable omi ...
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
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
as a
lord temporal for the
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
.
[Profile]
They Work For You website Retrieved 5 April 2013
Parliamentary committees
As of 4 April 2013 the
United Kingdom Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremac ...
listed Lord Blackwell's participation in the following committees:
Public policy think tank
In 1983 Blackwell co-authored a pamphlet for the
Bow Group
The Bow Group is a UK-based think tank promoting conservative opinion. Founded in 1951, it is the oldest group of its kind, counting many senior Conservative Party MPs and peers among its members. It represents a forum for political debate with i ...
the oldest conservative
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
in the United Kingdom.
From 2000 to 2012, he was a non-executive board member of the British centre-right
policy
Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
the
Centre for Policy Studies
The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) is a think tank and pressure group in the United Kingdom. Its goal is to promote coherent and practical policies based on its founding principles of: free markets, "small state," low tax, national independ ...
(CPS),
whose goal is to promote coherent and practical
public policy
Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...
, to roll back the state, reform
public service
A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...
s, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain's independence.
[Andrew Denham and Mark Garnett ''Keith Joseph'' (Chesham 2001), p. 240] Although identified as non-partisan, the Centre has strong historical links to the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
. He served as chairman of the CPS between 2000 and 2009.
Campaign group
The campaign group
Global Vision was launched in March 2007 by Lord Blackwell and
Ruth Lea
Ruth Jane Lea, Baroness Lea of Lymm, (born 22 September 1947) is a British parliamentarian and pro-Brexit political economist.
Lady Lea entered HM Civil Service, before being recruited by the Institute of Directors, a private-sector employer l ...
. It purported 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."
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.
Public service
Current ministerial appointment
Office of Communications
Norman Blackwell was appointed a non-executive board member for The Office of Communications ( cy, Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau), commonly known as
Ofcom, initially for a three-year term, from 1 September 2009.
He was subsequently reappointed to serve a second three-year term but stepped down in 2014.
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and
postal industries of the United Kingdom. He was a member of the Ofcom Content Board, Nominations Committee and Remuneration Committee. He had special non-executive responsibility for postal regulation.
=Emoluments – public service appointments
=
Lord Blackwell received the following emoluments for his public service role in 2010:
for 1–2 days per week
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
[OFT Board takes over. New era for OFT as corporate body]
OFT Press Release 31 March 2003 Retrieved 9 April 2013 initially for a five-year term,
that was subsequently extended upon expiry for a further two years, up to 31 March 2010.
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
A regulatory agency (regulatory body, regulator) or independent agency (independent regulatory agency) is a government authority that is responsible for exercising autonomous dominion over some area of human activity in a licensing and regulatin ...
. The OFT's goal is to make markets work well for consumers, ensuring vigorous
competition
Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indiv ...
between fair-dealing businesses and prohibiting unfair practices such as rogue trading,
scam
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers hav ...
s and
cartel
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mos ...
s.
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 into tender activity in the construction industry prior to him joining the Interserve Board. The investigation was described by the OFT as "one of the largest ever Competition Act investigations". Interserve were found to have engaged in illegal anti-competitive bid rigging activities and were fined a sum of £11,634,750.
Postal Services Commission
Lord Blackwell served as a commissioner of Postcomm, the
Postal Services Commission
The Postal Services Commission, known as Postcomm, was 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. It was established in 2000 under t ...
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. 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.
They have three sons and two daughters: Jane, Simon, Sarah, Richard and William.
Blackwell owns properties in London and Surrey let on assured short hold tenancies, owned jointly with his wife.
Blackwell's recreations, as listed in ''Debretts '' People of Today, are: classical music,
walking
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...
, gardening.
He is a Trustee of the
Royal Academy of Music.
Arms
Publications
Lord Blackwell has published the following public policy pamphlets:
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*
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References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackwell, Norman Blackwell, Baron
1952 births
Conservative Party (UK) life peers
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Living people
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
People educated at Latymer Upper School
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni
British chairpersons of corporations
Chairmen of Lloyds Banking Group