Britain after Blair Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder, Arun Sarin, chief executive of Vodafone, and Tony Hayward, John Browne’s replacement at BP, are among a string of high profile City executives who have been recruited to advise Gordon Brown and his new cabinet on business.
The list of FTSE 100 chief executives who will serve on the newly formed Business Council for Britain also includes and Jean-Paul Garnier, GlaxoSmithKline chief, Stephen Green of HSBC and Tesco’s Sir Terry Leahy.
| Damon Buffini, Permira |
| Jean Pierre Garnier, GlaxoSmithKline |
| Stephen Green, HSBC |
| Tony Hayward, BP |
| Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco |
| Sir John Parker, National Grid |
| Sir John Rose, Rolls Royce |
| Stuart Rose, Marks and Spencer |
| Arun Sarin, Vodafone |
| Dame Marjorie Scardino, Pearson |
| Sir Alan Sugar, Amstrad |
| Sir William Castell, Wellcome Trust |
| Sir Rod Eddington, News Corporation |
| Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group |
| Mervyn Davies, Standard Chartered |
The impressive list of business leaders is central to the prime minister’s efforts to improve relations between the City and the government.
The long-awaited details of the new advisory body came as Gordon Brown put the finishing touches to his government line-up.
Lord Stevens, the former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, was appointed the prime minister’s adviser on international security.
The announcement came as the government faced its first security test after central London was cordoned off following the discovery of an unexploded bomb in the Haymarket area of the city.
Shriti Vadera, a former adviser on business and the City to Gordon Brown at the Treasury, was made a peer and minister at the Department for International Development.
Little known outside government and business circles, Ms Vadera is a former investment banker and became a Treasury adviser in 1999. She also worked intensively with Mr Brown on international aid and development at the Treasury.
Sir Alan West, a retired Royal Navy admiral, has been appointed a junior security minister at the Home Office, on the day British police defused a car bomb in central London.
Sir Alan’s appointment was disclosed by Jacqui Smith, home secretary, as she told reporters in Downing Street that Britain faced a sustained threat from terrorism.
Tony McNulty continues as minister of state for security, counter-terrorism and policing. It is the first time a former senior military figure has been appointed to such a role.
Other appointments include Baroness Neuberger, the Liberal Democrat peer, who will advise on voluntary sector issues, while the leading lawyer Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC will advise Justice Secretary Jack Straw on constitutional reform.
Sir Ara Darzi, a leading surgeon, has been appointed a health minister.
