Anthony St John, 22nd Baron St John of Bletso
Encyclopedia
Anthony Tudor St John, 22nd Baron St John of Bletso (born 16 May 1957) is a British
peer, businessman and solicitor. He is one of the ninety hereditary peer
s elected to remain in the House of Lords
after the House of Lords Act 1999
, coming second in the ballot of his colleagues as to who among them should remain in the Upper House. He speaks on African (and is a notable expert on Ugandan) affairs, deregulation, financial services and information technology. Rather than aligning with a particular political party, he remains a crossbencher.
Born to Andrew St John, 21st Baron St John of Bletso, he succeeded to his father's titles in 1978. He was educated at the University of Cape Town
, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Science
, and at the University of South Africa
, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Law. He was further educated at the London School of Economics
and received a Master of Law.
St John was managing director of Globix UK
and president of Global Sales and Marketing, Globix Corporation. He was also for many years a consultant to Merrill Lynch
and director of WMRC plc and Pecaso Ltd. He is currently chairman of OCRA Worldwide and strategic adviser to 2e2 UK Ltd. St John is also an extra Lord-in-Waiting
to The Queen and chairman of the Board of Trustees for Citizens Online. Since 1989, he has been non-executive chairman of Estates and General plc, was a non-executive director of Regal Petroleum plc from 2003 to 2009, where he provided a steadying hand through the company's listing embarrassments, and has been the non-executive chairman of SpiriTel since 2005.
His special interests are clean technology and Africa. He plays a proactive role in the charitable sector, as a trustee of 9 charities mostly focussed on Africa and has recently taken the Chair of Alexandra Rose Charities.
He is married to Helen (née Westlake), a past Miss England and doctor of medicine who now runs beauty clinics. They have four children.
Trivia
He is a keen golfer and member of Sunningdale Golf Club
, where he has been known to play golf with Hugh Grant
.
He is a collector of malt whisky.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
peer, businessman and solicitor. He is one of the ninety hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
s elected to remain in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
after the House of Lords Act 1999
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
, coming second in the ballot of his colleagues as to who among them should remain in the Upper House. He speaks on African (and is a notable expert on Ugandan) affairs, deregulation, financial services and information technology. Rather than aligning with a particular political party, he remains a crossbencher.
Born to Andrew St John, 21st Baron St John of Bletso, he succeeded to his father's titles in 1978. He was educated at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
, and at the University of South Africa
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Law. He was further educated at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
and received a Master of Law.
St John was managing director of Globix UK
Globix
Globix Corporation is a company that provides internet infrastructure and network services. It includes network bandwidth, management of web applications, servers, and databases and security, media streaming, and colocation.-History:...
and president of Global Sales and Marketing, Globix Corporation. He was also for many years a consultant to Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
and director of WMRC plc and Pecaso Ltd. He is currently chairman of OCRA Worldwide and strategic adviser to 2e2 UK Ltd. St John is also an extra Lord-in-Waiting
Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
to The Queen and chairman of the Board of Trustees for Citizens Online. Since 1989, he has been non-executive chairman of Estates and General plc, was a non-executive director of Regal Petroleum plc from 2003 to 2009, where he provided a steadying hand through the company's listing embarrassments, and has been the non-executive chairman of SpiriTel since 2005.
His special interests are clean technology and Africa. He plays a proactive role in the charitable sector, as a trustee of 9 charities mostly focussed on Africa and has recently taken the Chair of Alexandra Rose Charities.
He is married to Helen (née Westlake), a past Miss England and doctor of medicine who now runs beauty clinics. They have four children.
Trivia
He is a keen golfer and member of Sunningdale Golf Club
Sunningdale Golf Club
Sunningdale Golf Club is a golf club, located approximately 30 miles to the west of London, in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England....
, where he has been known to play golf with Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
.
He is a collector of malt whisky.