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Sir Digby Jones is the outgoing
director general of the CBI. He is considered to be one of the most
successful holders of the post, and been an energetic champion of
British Business around the world, for the past 6 years.
Born in Birmingham in 1955, Digby
won a major scholarship to Bromsgrove School and gained a 2:1 honours
degree in law at University College, London.
In 1978, after some time in the
Royal Navy, he started his career with corporate law firm Edge & Ellison
making partner in 1984. It was in corporate finance and client
development that he made his name and was responsible for developing the
firm's London presence and establishing its representation in many
European countries as well as several states in America. He was also
involved in most of the major management buy-outs and merger and
acquisition activity in the West Midlands in the late 1980s and early
1990s before becoming senior partner in 1995.
In 1998 he joined KPMG as
vice-chairman of corporate finance, where he acted as close adviser to
many public companies across the United Kingdom and in KPMG's global
markets. |
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On 1 January 2000 he became
director-general of the CBI and in September 2003 his term was extended
by 2 years at the request of CBI members and will end on 31 December
2006 (the role of Director General is normally a fixed 5 year non
renewable tenure). As the chief executive of the UK's 'voice of
business', he regularly and repeatedly visits businesses around the UK
and across the world, taking their views back to those who make the
rules, be they in Westminster or Brussels. He appears regularly on
television, radio and in the newspapers, promoting the interests of
wealth and job creation in the UK, and has taken the British business
message to 60 different countries, and in the process set-up CBI offices
in Brussels and Washington.
He holds a variety of directorships
in both the public and private sectors and holds honorary doctorates
from a host of universities. He is involved with a number of charities,
including holding the vice presidency of UNICEF and the Chairmanship of
Cancer Research UK Ambassadors for whom he raised £191,000 by running
the Flora London Marathon in April 2005 in the modest time of 5 hours 58
mins, as well as supporting a variety of organisations in his beloved
West Midlands, such as the Birmingham Hospice appeal, for whom he
personally raised £218,000 by cycling from John O'Groats to Lands End in
1998.
Sir Digby is an outstanding orator -
witty, authoritative, full of passion - and will always tailor his
material to suit his audience.
He is an experienced keynote speaker
and a popular choice for conferences and seminars and can speak on a
wide range business issues from international trade opportunities to the
training & skills required to cope with globalisation, drawing on his
lifetime of unique achievement having worked closely with governments
all around the world promoting British business.
As an after dinner speaker, Sir
Digby has a fund of anecdotes to draw upon involving many of the famous
people he has done business with over the years from leading politicians
to show business personalities.
He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2005 New Year
Honours List and lives in Marylebone and Warwickshire with his wife Pat.
He enjoys the theatre, skiing, football, rugby, cricket and has more
than a passing interest in military history. |
