Robert Smith (BBC)
Encyclopedia
Robert Haldane Smith, Baron Smith of Kelvin (born 8 August 1944) is a Scottish
businessman, most notably known as a former Governor
of the British Broadcasting Corporation before the advent of the BBC Trust
. He is the present Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland.
, Glasgow
. Upon leaving school in 1963, he began a career in accountancy
when articled to Robb Ferguson & Company. Smith qualified as a chartered accountant in 1968.
He then moved to ICFC, now 3i
, until 1982 and joined the Royal Bank of Scotland
in 1983. From 1985 to 1989 he was Managing Director of Charterhouse Development Capital Ltd. He also held the posts of Chairman and CEO with Morgan Grenfell Private Equity, CEO of Morgan Grenfell Asset Management and was Vice Chairman of its successor, Deutsche Asset Management, between 2000 and 2002. He has held various positions as director of, MFI Furniture Group plc, Stakis plc (of which he was also Chairman from 1998 to 1999), the Bank of Scotland
, Tip Europe plc and Network Rail
.
Smith was a member of the Financial Services Authority
from 1997 to 2000 and is a member of the Financial Reporting Council. As Chairman of the FRC Group on Audit Committees Combined Code Guidance he was responsible for The Smith Report (2003).
Sir Robert is a Past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
and was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland from 1993 until 2002. He is also President of the British Association of Friends of Museums, a position he has held since 1995, and was a member (1988–1998) and Vice Chairman (1996–1998) of the Museums and Galleries Commission.
and Scottish and Southern Energy and a non-Executive Director of 3i Group plc, Standard Bank Group Limited, and Aegon UK
plc. He is also Patron of the Scottish Community Foundation.
On 8 February 2008, Lord Smith was appointed as Chair of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games organising company.
, Edinburgh
and Paisley
, where he was invested as Chancellor in 2003. Smith's time at the University of Paisley has overseen the merger with Bell College
in Hamilton
, intended to create the biggest new university
in Scotland. The University changed its name to the University of the West of Scotland in November 2007. In 2010 the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors awarded Smith an honorary fellowship at the Annual Scottish Conference in recognition of his long term support of the internal audit profession.
The couple have two daughters.
He owns the island of Inchmarnock
, off the west coast of the island of Bute
in the Firth of Clyde
.
, accordingly he was created Baron Smith of Kelvin, of Kelvin in the City of Glasgow on 29 May 2008.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
businessman, most notably known as a former Governor
Board of Governors of the BBC
The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust on 1 January 2007.The governors...
of the British Broadcasting Corporation before the advent of the BBC Trust
BBC Trust
The BBC Trust is the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and aims to act in the best interests of licence fee payers....
. He is the present Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland.
Early life & past career
Smith was educated at Allan Glen's SchoolAllan Glen's School
Allan Glen's School was for most of its existence a selective fee-paying independent secondary school for boys in Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded by the Allan Glen's Endowment Scholarship Trust on the death in 1850 of Allan Glen, a successful Glasgow tradesman and businessman, "to give a good...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Upon leaving school in 1963, he began a career in accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
when articled to Robb Ferguson & Company. Smith qualified as a chartered accountant in 1968.
He then moved to ICFC, now 3i
3i
3i Group plc is a multinational private equity and venture capital company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has offices in 13 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas and had total assets under management of £12.7 billion as at 31 March 2011...
, until 1982 and joined the Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
in 1983. From 1985 to 1989 he was Managing Director of Charterhouse Development Capital Ltd. He also held the posts of Chairman and CEO with Morgan Grenfell Private Equity, CEO of Morgan Grenfell Asset Management and was Vice Chairman of its successor, Deutsche Asset Management, between 2000 and 2002. He has held various positions as director of, MFI Furniture Group plc, Stakis plc (of which he was also Chairman from 1998 to 1999), the Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
, Tip Europe plc and Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
.
Smith was a member of the Financial Services Authority
Financial Services Authority
The Financial Services Authority is a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its board is appointed by the Treasury and the organisation is structured as a company limited by guarantee and owned by the UK government. Its main...
from 1997 to 2000 and is a member of the Financial Reporting Council. As Chairman of the FRC Group on Audit Committees Combined Code Guidance he was responsible for The Smith Report (2003).
Sir Robert is a Past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland is the Scottish professional body of Chartered Accountants . It is a regulator, educator and influencer.ICAS act as a thought leader and voice of the professional business community...
and was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland from 1993 until 2002. He is also President of the British Association of Friends of Museums, a position he has held since 1995, and was a member (1988–1998) and Vice Chairman (1996–1998) of the Museums and Galleries Commission.
Current commitments
He is currently Chairman of The Weir Group plcWeir Group
The Weir Group plc is an engineering company headquartered in East Kilbride, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
and Scottish and Southern Energy and a non-Executive Director of 3i Group plc, Standard Bank Group Limited, and Aegon UK
Aegon UK
AEGON in the UK is part of the AEGON Group , which has some 40 million customers in around 20 countries across the world. In the UK it has pensions, investments, life insurance and advice businesses...
plc. He is also Patron of the Scottish Community Foundation.
On 8 February 2008, Lord Smith was appointed as Chair of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games organising company.
Academic recognition
Smith holds honorary degrees from the Universities of GlasgowUniversity of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
and Paisley
University of Paisley
The University of the West of Scotland is a university operating from four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Hamilton, Ayr and Dumfries. The present institution dates from August 2007, following the merger of the University of Paisley with Bell College, Hamilton...
, where he was invested as Chancellor in 2003. Smith's time at the University of Paisley has overseen the merger with Bell College
Bell College
Bell College was a higher education college based in Hamilton and Dumfries in Scotland. Founded in 1972, the College merged with the University of Paisley on 1 August 2007, it is now part of the renamed University of the West of Scotland.-History:...
in Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
, intended to create the biggest new university
New Universities
The term new universities has been used informally to refer to several different waves of new universities created or renamed as such in the United Kingdom. As early as 1928, the term was used to describe the then-new civic universities, such as Bristol University and the other "red brick...
in Scotland. The University changed its name to the University of the West of Scotland in November 2007. In 2010 the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors awarded Smith an honorary fellowship at the Annual Scottish Conference in recognition of his long term support of the internal audit profession.
Personal life
Lord Smith married Alison Marjorie Bell in 1969. She was initially Mrs Alison Smith, becoming Lady Smith when her husband received a knighthood in 1999.The couple have two daughters.
He owns the island of Inchmarnock
Inchmarnock
Inchmarnock is an island at the northern end of the Sound of Bute on the west coast of Scotland.-Geography:Inchmarnock lies to the west of the Isle of Bute at the northern end of the Sound of Bute. It is around long and rises to a height of . The island consists mainly of a single ridge running...
, off the west coast of the island of Bute
Isle of Bute
Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Formerly part of the county of Buteshire, it now constitutes part of the council area of Argyll and Bute. Its resident population was 7,228 in April 2001.-Geography:...
in the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
.
Honours
On 18 April 2008, it was announced that Sir Robert was to become a crossbench life peerLife peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
, accordingly he was created Baron Smith of Kelvin, of Kelvin in the City of Glasgow on 29 May 2008.
Titles
- Mr Robert Smith (1944–1999)
- Sir Robert Smith (1999–2008)
- The Rt. Hon. The Lord Smith of Kelvin (2008-)