Sir Digby Jones
Born in Birmingham on 28th October 1955, he began his schooldays at Alvechurch Primary School Birmingham (1960 – 1966) before winning a major scholarship to Bromsgrove School (1966 – 1974). He gained an Upper Second class Honours Degree in Law at University College London in 1977.
He was awarded a University Cadetship in the Royal Navy (1974 – 1977) then took articles with the Birmingham corporate law firm Edge and Ellison in 1978. He was admitted as a Solicitor in 1980.
He made Partner at Edge and Ellison in 1984 and it was in corporate finance and client development that he made his name. He was responsible for developing the firm’s London presence and establishing its representation in many European countries and several states in America. He was involved in most of the major management buy-outs and merger and acquisition activity in the West Midlands in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was made Deputy Senior Partner in 1990 and Senior Partner in 1995.
In 1998 he joined KPMG as vice chairman of Corporate Finance, acting as close adviser to many public companies across the United Kingdom and in KPMG’s global markets.
Sir Digby served as Director-General of the CBI, the Confederation of British Industry, the UK’s ‘Voice of Business’, from 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2006 where he regularly visited businesses in the UK and worldwide – taking their views back to those who make the rules. During his appointment he took the British business message to 70 different countries. He met on a regular basis political, business and media figures in the United Kingdom and around the world.
He holds a number of senior corporate advisory positions. Senior Advisor to the Executive of Deloitte; Senior Advisor to Barclays Capital; Corporate and Governmental Affairs Advisor to Ford of Europe and its Premier Automotive Group; Senior Advisor to JCB; Special Advisor to His Royal Highness the Duke of York in connection with his role as the UK Special Representative for International Trade and Investment; Senior Advisor to Monitise Ltd; Corporate Affairs advisor to Bucknall Austin Ltd; Member of the Advisory Board of Thales (UK) Ltd; Non-Executive Director of Alba plc, i-Clean Systems Ltd. and Leicester Tigers Rugby plc.
He serves as the UK’s Skills Envoy, campaigning for both private and public sector employers to raise the level of skills of all of their employees to Level Two by 2010.
Sir Digby is a Fellow of University College London (2004), an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University (2004), an Honorary Doctor of the University of Central England (2002), the University of Birmingham (2002), the University of Manchester, Institute of Science and Technology (2003), the University of Hertfordshire (2004), Middlesex University (2005), Sheffield Hallam University (2005), Aston University (2006), the University of Hull (2006), Queen’s University, Belfast (2006), Warwick University (2006), Bradford University (2006), Thames Valley University (2006) and Wolverhampton University (2006). He is President of the University College, London Campaign, a visiting professor at the University of Hull Business School and Chairman of the Birmingham University Business School Advisory Board.
He is Chairman of the Cancer Research UK Corporate Ambassadors and Chairman of the Corporate Development Board of Sense, helping those born deaf and blind. He is also a Fellow of UNICEF. He serves as an Ambassador for Investors in People. He is President of the Diversity Works initiative - a programme led by the disability organisation Scope, a Diamond Ambassador for Mencap’s WorkRight initiative, designed to spread the message of equality for disabled people, a Vice-President of Birmingham Hospice, a Patron of Lifecycle UK, a Patron of the Campaign for Learning, a Patron of Every Child a Reader, a Patron of London Excellence, a Corporate Ambassador and member of the Royal British Legion, a member of the Aston Reinvestment Trust, a member of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Development Trust, Director of the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre, and a Vice President of the Friends of the British Library.
Sir Digby is President of the Ambassadors for the West Midlands region, Vice President of the Birmingham Civic Society, President of Birmingham Forward, the professional services lobby group and Patron of the World Class Stratford-Upon-Avon initiative. He is a member of the Yorkshire Society, a Freeman of the City of London, a member of the Japan Society and an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
In 1998, as Chairman of the Birmingham Hospice Appeal, which raised £1.5 million, he personally raised £218,000 towards their target by cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End in 14 days. He ran the 2005 London Marathon in under six hours raising £191,000 for both Cancer Research UK and UNICEF.
He appears regularly on television, radio and in the newspapers, being known for his firm views on several aspects of life in a globalised economy. He is an active public speaker at events and engagements all over the world.
He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2005 New Year Honours’ List.
Sir Digby is married to Pat. They live in Marylebone and Warwickshire. He enjoys the theatre, skiing, football, rugby and cricket and has more than a passing interest in military history.