Lord (Karan) Bilimoria has been elected as the new
CBI President at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held earlier
today (Tuesday 16 June 2020). John Allan CBE, the outgoing CBI
President, becomes the organisation’s
Vice-President.
Indian-born was elected by an
overwhelming majority of CBI members who participated in the
ballot, becoming the first President in the organisation’s
history from a (BAME) Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
background.
He is one of the country’s leading entrepreneurs. He
founded Cobra Beer in 1989 - and remains its Chairman to this day
- and was also founding Chairman on the UK-India Business
Council. A former Chancellor of Thames Valley University
(now the University of West London); he was the youngest
University Chancellor in the UK when appointed. In 2014, he
was appointed as the 7th Chancellor of the University of
Birmingham. He is also Chair of the University of Cambridge Judge
Business School Advisory Board. has been an Independent
Crossbench Peer in the UK House of Lords for 14
years.
Further details of Lord Bilimoria’s career in
business and politics can be found here.
, CBI President,
said:
“I am honoured to be President of the CBI during this
hugely important time for UK business. As the four nations
of our country embark upon an ambitious economic recovery plan, I
will do all I can to help ensure we build back better through
inclusive and sustainable growth.
“Ensuring the CBI is seen as a home for entrepreneurs
and SMEs is first among my top four priorities during my time as
President. Secondly, establishing the UK as a trading powerhouse,
which is vital for our future prosperity. Thirdly, I will use my
background in higher education to champion the UK’s unique soft
power offer. And last but by no means least is the importance of
acting to increase inclusive workplaces. Diversity drives better
decisions. And it will be my aim to get better Black, Asian, and
Minority Ethnic (BAME) representation in boardrooms across the
country.”
On Lord Bilimoria’s election as President, Dame
Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General,
said:
“We’re delighted has been elected as CBI
President. His experience, global outlook and tenacity will prove
invaluable to the CBI and the UK business
community.”
On the conclusion of John Allan’s term of
office as President, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn
said:
“The CBI has benefitted greatly from John’s many
years of experience and understanding across many sectors of our
economy. And we are lucky he is remaining as Vice-President so we
can continue to draw upon his wise counsel given the scale of the
task facing businesses rebuilding after COVID-19.”
16 June 2020
Notes to Editors:
The CBI wrote to the Prime Minister last week
outlining priorities for a jobs-rich recovery from the COVID-19
crisis. Read the letter in full here.
Historically, at the AGM, the current CBI
Vice-President has proceeded to stand for election to the role of
CBI President and the outgoing President has stood for a final
one-year term as Vice-President. It is a practice replicated
across the UK within the CBI’s Regional and National Council
structure to ensure good governance and continuity. The CBI
President usually stands for a total of two, one-year terms
(elected at each year’s AGM) with a third term being
possible.
All CBI members are invited to attend the AGM and
vote on the resolutions presented. This year’s AGM was held
virtually. 103 members voted on the resolutions, with gaining 98% in favour to
become CBI President.
