Conservative Business Relations
Encyclopedia
Conservative Business Relations was set up to provide a new structure for listening to business effectively, and to increase the British Conservative Party
’s understanding of the policy concerns of British
businesses. The Business Relations team organises a variety of networking and policy events for businesses to come together to help us foster an effective and successful business environment.
Alexandra Robson is the Head of Business Relations.
Conservative Business Relations has achieved a great deal over the last 6 months. It has hosted a number of networking events and seminars up and down the country.
Three Trade Association engagement seminars were held in conjunction with the Trade Association Forum. The events involved associations from the High Tech, Media and Telecoms sector, the Consumer Goods and Retail sector and the Construction and Property Development industry. Feedback from these events will help the Conservative Party formulate its business policy.
Two CEO engagement seminars were held. These events were attended by FTSE 100
, FTSE 250 and Private 100 CEOs from the High Tech, Media and Telecoms sector and the Retail and Consumer sector. At the TMT seminar they voiced their concerns about the current economic climate to the Rt. Hon. Francis Maude
MP, Chairman of the Conservative Party, Charles Hendry
MP, Shadow Minister for Energy, Science & Technology and Adam Afryie MP our parliamentary sector leader for Technology, Media and Telecoms. At the Retail and Consumer sector event, another group of leading CEOs spoke with George Osborne
MP, Shadow Chancellor and Philip Dunne
our parliamentary sector leader for Consumer Goods and Retail.
MP, George Osborne MP, Sir Terry Leahy, Eddie O’Connor, Zac Goldsmith
and James Murdoch
.
On Thursday 19 April Sir John Major
spoke at the launch event of Conservative City Future. City Future has been set up to embrace the new generation in the City and to provide an accessible and appealing forum for networking, policy influence and feedback for young City professionals.
On the 26th March Business Relations, with the kind help of Indian High Commissioner H.E. Kamalesh Sharma, hosted a business networking reception at India House in London. The London region Conservative Business Relations Chairman Paul Shea was highly encouraged by the success of the event and said the following; ‘This was a unique networking opportunity for a diverse range of people at a stunning location. With the success of this event, no doubt others will follow’.
On the 14th May George Osborne MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, addressed members of the Conservative City Circle (CCC) at the Grange City Hotel in London. CCC is co-chaired by Michael Spencer
, Group Chief Executive of ICAP
and Richard Spring
MP, Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party (Business and Enterprise).
On the 23rd February George Osborne MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, spoke to an audience of business leaders and MBA students at Manchester Business School
. Northwest Business Relations Chairman Carl Allen was confident about the effects the visit could have on the local business community: 'Regional business leaders saw great value in George's (Osborne) visit, which has certainly reinforced their belief that Manchester, given the right amount of attention and support, can achieve its status of becoming the creative capital of Europe'.
Philip Dunne is MP for Ludlow
and has recently been appointed Sector Leader for Consumer Goods and Retail. Before entering politics, Philip was an investment banker for 20 years with S.G. Warburg
then Phoenix Securities. He was co-founder and chairman of bookshop chain Ottakar's
Plc and is chairman of Baronsmead VCT4 Plc a venture capital trust.
Mark Simmonds
MP is Member of Parliament for Boston and Skegness
in Lincolnshire. He was first elected in 2001 with a majority of 515 and re-elected in 2005 with a majority of 6000; which was one of the largest swings to a Conservative MP in the UK. He has held several Shadow Ministerial posts including education and foreign office, and is currently the Shadow Minister for International Development. Prior to entering Parliament Mark was in business as a commercial property adviser, having been a Partner of Strutt & Parker and a Director of Hillier Parker. Mark founded his own firm specialising in retail property in the UK and Europe and still retains his role as Chairman of the company he founded which has offices in London and the Midlands.
Michael Jack
is MP for Fylde
and has recently been appointed Sector Leader for Industry and Manufacturing. Until he entered Parliament, Michael Jack was the Sales Director of L O Jeffs Ltd a fresh produce supply company, part of Northern Foods
. He also worked in a management capacity at Procter & Gamble
and Marks and Spencer, where he was PA to the then Sir, later Lord Derek Rayner
the company's joint managing director.
Malcolm Moss
is MP for North East Cambridgeshire
and has recently been appointed Sector Leader for Leisure and Tourism, having previously been the Shadow Minister for this sector. In 1971 Malcolm was an Insurance Broking Consultant at Barwick Associates Ltd., based in Worcestershire. In 1974 he was a co-founder of Mandrake (Insurance & Finance Brokers) Ltd. The company was later bought out by Hambro Countrywide PLC.
Brian Binley
is MP for Northampton South and has recently been appointed Sector Leader for Small Businesses. Born in 1942, Brian Binley is Chairman of BCC Marketing Services, the company he created in 1988 to offer a database building service to the direct marketing industry. It has prospered to such an extent, that the company now employs some 100 people, and turns over approximately £1.4 million.
Adam Afriyie
is MP for Windsor
and has recently been appointed Sector Leader for Technology, Media and Telecoms. His background is in business. Adam was founding Director of Connect Support Services
– a member of the Sunday Times Fast-Track 100 of Britain’s fastest growing companies in 2001 – an IT support services company; he became non-executive Chairman of Connect in 2003 in order to enter full-time politics. He is also Chairman of Adfero, a news and information services business.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
’s understanding of the policy concerns of British
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...
businesses. The Business Relations team organises a variety of networking and policy events for businesses to come together to help us foster an effective and successful business environment.
Alexandra Robson is the Head of Business Relations.
Conservative Business Relations has achieved a great deal over the last 6 months. It has hosted a number of networking events and seminars up and down the country.
Three Trade Association engagement seminars were held in conjunction with the Trade Association Forum. The events involved associations from the High Tech, Media and Telecoms sector, the Consumer Goods and Retail sector and the Construction and Property Development industry. Feedback from these events will help the Conservative Party formulate its business policy.
Two CEO engagement seminars were held. These events were attended by FTSE 100
FTSE 100 Index
The FTSE 100 Index, also called FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the footsie , is a share index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange....
, FTSE 250 and Private 100 CEOs from the High Tech, Media and Telecoms sector and the Retail and Consumer sector. At the TMT seminar they voiced their concerns about the current economic climate to the Rt. Hon. Francis Maude
Francis Maude
Francis Anthony Aylmer Maude is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, and as a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Horsham...
MP, Chairman of the Conservative Party, Charles Hendry
Charles Hendry
Charles Hendry is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Wealden. In May 2010 he was appointed Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change.-Early life:...
MP, Shadow Minister for Energy, Science & Technology and Adam Afryie MP our parliamentary sector leader for Technology, Media and Telecoms. At the Retail and Consumer sector event, another group of leading CEOs spoke with George Osborne
George Osborne
George Gideon Oliver Osborne, MP is a British Conservative politician. He is the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, a role to which he was appointed in May 2010, and has been the Member of Parliament for Tatton since 2001.Osborne is part of the old Anglo-Irish aristocracy, known in...
MP, Shadow Chancellor and Philip Dunne
Philip Dunne (politician)
Philip Martin Dunne is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for the Ludlow constituency in Shropshire....
our parliamentary sector leader for Consumer Goods and Retail.
History
On the 12th March the Conservative City Circle helped to organise a Green Economy Conference at the Great Eastern Hotel. Speakers at this high profile and informative event included the Rt Hon David CameronDavid Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
MP, George Osborne MP, Sir Terry Leahy, Eddie O’Connor, Zac Goldsmith
Zac Goldsmith
Frank Zacharias Robin "Zac" Goldsmith, MP is an English environmental journalist, entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Richmond Park since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir...
and James Murdoch
James Murdoch (media executive)
James Rupert Jacob Murdoch is the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and currently serves as chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, Europe, and Asia, overseeing assets such as News International , SKY Italia , Sky Deutschland, and STAR TV .He sits on the News...
.
On Thursday 19 April Sir John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
spoke at the launch event of Conservative City Future. City Future has been set up to embrace the new generation in the City and to provide an accessible and appealing forum for networking, policy influence and feedback for young City professionals.
On the 26th March Business Relations, with the kind help of Indian High Commissioner H.E. Kamalesh Sharma, hosted a business networking reception at India House in London. The London region Conservative Business Relations Chairman Paul Shea was highly encouraged by the success of the event and said the following; ‘This was a unique networking opportunity for a diverse range of people at a stunning location. With the success of this event, no doubt others will follow’.
On the 14th May George Osborne MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, addressed members of the Conservative City Circle (CCC) at the Grange City Hotel in London. CCC is co-chaired by Michael Spencer
Michael Spencer
Michael Alan Spencer is a British businessman; the chief executive of ICAP plc, the world's largest interdealer broker...
, Group Chief Executive of ICAP
ICAP (company)
ICAP plc is a UK based voice and electronic dealer broker and provider of post trade risk services, the largest in the world carrying out transactions for financial institutions rather than private individuals...
and Richard Spring
Richard Spring
Richard John Grenville Spring, Baron Risby is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He served as Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds from 1992 to 1997, and for West Suffolk from 1997 to 2010....
MP, Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party (Business and Enterprise).
On the 23rd February George Osborne MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, spoke to an audience of business leaders and MBA students at Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School is the largest department of the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. According to Bloomberg Business Week's ranking of the world's best business schools the MBS MBA is ranked third in the world...
. Northwest Business Relations Chairman Carl Allen was confident about the effects the visit could have on the local business community: 'Regional business leaders saw great value in George's (Osborne) visit, which has certainly reinforced their belief that Manchester, given the right amount of attention and support, can achieve its status of becoming the creative capital of Europe'.
Members
The Conservative Party has brought together MPs with a deep knowledge and understanding of business and economic issues to act as champions for different business sectors.Philip Dunne is MP for Ludlow
Ludlow (UK Parliament constituency)
Ludlow is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
and has recently been appointed Sector Leader for Consumer Goods and Retail. Before entering politics, Philip was an investment banker for 20 years with S.G. Warburg
S. G. Warburg & Co.
S. G. Warburg & Co. was a London-based investment bank. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but it was acquired by Swiss Bank Corporation in 1995.-Founding and early history:...
then Phoenix Securities. He was co-founder and chairman of bookshop chain Ottakar's
Ottakar's
Ottakar's was a chain of bookshops in the United Kingdom founded in 1987 by James Heneage. Following a takeover by the HMV Group plc in 2006, the chain was merged into the Waterstone's brand.-History:...
Plc and is chairman of Baronsmead VCT4 Plc a venture capital trust.
Mark Simmonds
Mark Simmonds
Mark Jonathon Mortlock Simmonds is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He is the Member of Parliament for Boston and Skegness in Lincolnshire, and was first elected in 2001, succeeding Sir Richard Body...
MP is Member of Parliament for Boston and Skegness
Boston and Skegness
Boston and Skegness is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
in Lincolnshire. He was first elected in 2001 with a majority of 515 and re-elected in 2005 with a majority of 6000; which was one of the largest swings to a Conservative MP in the UK. He has held several Shadow Ministerial posts including education and foreign office, and is currently the Shadow Minister for International Development. Prior to entering Parliament Mark was in business as a commercial property adviser, having been a Partner of Strutt & Parker and a Director of Hillier Parker. Mark founded his own firm specialising in retail property in the UK and Europe and still retains his role as Chairman of the company he founded which has offices in London and the Midlands.
Michael Jack
Michael Jack
John Michael Jack is the interim Chairman of the Office of Tax Simplification. Before he took upon this unpaid position that will be filled by a new appointment in 2011, he was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom and was Member of Parliament for Fylde between 1987 and 2010, ...
is MP for Fylde
Fylde (UK Parliament constituency)
Fylde is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History:...
and has recently been appointed Sector Leader for Industry and Manufacturing. Until he entered Parliament, Michael Jack was the Sales Director of L O Jeffs Ltd a fresh produce supply company, part of Northern Foods
Northern Foods
Northern Foods Ltd is a British food manufacturer headquartered in Leeds, England. It was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. The company was scheduled to merge with Greencore Group in 2011 to form Essenta Foods, the group being...
. He also worked in a management capacity at Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
and Marks and Spencer, where he was PA to the then Sir, later Lord Derek Rayner
Lord Derek Rayner
Derek George Rayner, Baron Rayner was a chairman and chief executive of Marks & Spencer plc , one of the major British retailers who revived and rapidly expanded the company in the 1980s...
the company's joint managing director.
Malcolm Moss
Malcolm Moss
Malcolm Douglas Moss is a British Conservative Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for North East Cambridgeshire from 1987 until his retirement at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
is MP for North East Cambridgeshire
North East Cambridgeshire
North East Cambridgeshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
and has recently been appointed Sector Leader for Leisure and Tourism, having previously been the Shadow Minister for this sector. In 1971 Malcolm was an Insurance Broking Consultant at Barwick Associates Ltd., based in Worcestershire. In 1974 he was a co-founder of Mandrake (Insurance & Finance Brokers) Ltd. The company was later bought out by Hambro Countrywide PLC.
Brian Binley
Brian Binley
Brian Arthur Roland Binley is a British Conservative politician, and the Member of Parliament for Northampton South.-Early life:...
is MP for Northampton South and has recently been appointed Sector Leader for Small Businesses. Born in 1942, Brian Binley is Chairman of BCC Marketing Services, the company he created in 1988 to offer a database building service to the direct marketing industry. It has prospered to such an extent, that the company now employs some 100 people, and turns over approximately £1.4 million.
Adam Afriyie
Adam Afriyie
Adam Afriyie is a British Conservative Party politician, and the Member of Parliament for Windsor. He was first elected at the 2005 general election and re-elected at the 2010 election.-Early life:...
is MP for Windsor
Windsor (UK Parliament constituency)
Windsor is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In its modern form, it elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-Boundaries:...
and has recently been appointed Sector Leader for Technology, Media and Telecoms. His background is in business. Adam was founding Director of Connect Support Services
Connect Support Services
Connect Support Services Ltd. is a British computer services company based in London, England.Connect was founded by Adam Afriyie, who is now Conservative MP for Windsor. The company provides various IT and cloud services to SMEs both directly and via a network of reseller partners...
– a member of the Sunday Times Fast-Track 100 of Britain’s fastest growing companies in 2001 – an IT support services company; he became non-executive Chairman of Connect in 2003 in order to enter full-time politics. He is also Chairman of Adfero, a news and information services business.