Early life and education

Weinberg was born in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 and educated at King Edward VII School in Johannesburg. He received degrees in Commerce and Law and practised as a barrister. He later received his Master of Laws 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...

, specialising in Company Law.

Financial services career

In 1961 he founded Abbey Life Assurance Company

Abbey Life

Abbey Life plc was a leading life assurance business based in London also with an office in Bournemouth. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...

 in London, which was one of the first companies to develop unit-linked assurance and where he formed one of the UK’s first retail property funds.

In 1971 he went onto found Hambro Life Assurance

Allied Dunbar

Allied Dunbar was a large British assurance group. In its early years as Hambro Life Assurance it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...

, subsequently called Allied Dunbar, where he was managing director until 1983 (it is now part of Zurich Financial Services

Zurich Financial Services

Zurich Financial Services AG is a major financial services group based in Zurich, Switzerland.-History:The Company was founded in 1872 as subsidiary of the Schweiz Marine Insurance Company under the name Versicherung Verein...

), and grew the corporation to become the largest unit-linked life assurance company in the UK, operating successfully in the insurance broker market as well as building up a large sales force. There he formed the first retail managed fund and originated the concept of the variable premium whole life policy.

Today, is now the President of St. James's Place

St. James's Place

St. James's Place plc is a UK-based wealth management business. It is headquartered in Cirencester and has 20 regional offices throughout the UK. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1997 and is now a FTSE 250 company.-History:...

, which he co-founded with Mike Wilson and Lord Rothschild

Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild

Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, Bt, OM, GBE, FBA is a British investment banker and a member of the prominent Rothschild family of bankers...

 (as J Rothschild Assurance) in 1991.

In 2006, he became the Executive Chairman of Synergy Insurance Services, an innovative corporate insurance company.

Additionally, he is the Chairman of the Pension Insurance Corporation, a company set up in 2005 to provide insurance solutions for pension scheme management, in particular for defined benefit corporate pension schemes.

Other activities

He was Deputy Chairman of the principal UK regulatory body, the Securities and Investment Board, from its inception in 1985 until 1990, having been an adviser on insurance affairs to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. Its secondary title is the President of the Board of Trade...

.

He is also the author of Weinberg and Blank on Take-overs and Mergers (1962), the standard legal text-book on the subject, now in its fifth edition (1989).

He was the co-founder of the Per Cent Club, a grouping of top companies committed to increasing companies’ charitable and community contributions, and Deputy Chairman of Business in the Community.

From 1983 to 1991 he was the Hon. Treasurer of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and from 1985 to 1992 was a Trustee of the Tate Gallery.

Lastly, he is an Hon. Bencher of Gray's Inn

Gray's Inn

The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

 and is a Governor of 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...

.

Family

He is married to former Bond Girl

Bond girl

A Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest, of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as "Pussy Galore", "Plenty O'Toole", "Xenia Onatopp", or "Holly Goodhead"...

, hotelier and designer Anouska Hempel

Anouska Hempel

Anouska Hempel, Lady Weinberg , born Anne Geissler, is a film and television actress turned hotelier and designer. She is also a noted figure in London society.-Personal life:...

, his second wife, and has 4 children.