Press release: Consumer, Retail and Life Sciences Business Council: 28 May 2019

The Prime Minister hosted the first meeting of the Consumer, Retail and Life Sciences Business Council at Downing Street today. Business Secretary Greg Clark and Health Minister Stephen Hammond also joined the meeting.

The Council brings together well-known companies and innovators in the Life Sciences and retail industries, co-chaired by Dave Lewis, CEO of Tesco, and Emma Walmsley, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline.

It is one of five councils set up to provide senior advice to the Government and make practical policy recommendations that will improve UK productivity and competitiveness of businesses across various sectors, both in the short and long-term. This insight from businesses will also be fed into the relevant government departments to use in their policy development.

The Prime Minister welcomed the members of the Council and invited them to set out the priorities and ideas they have been developing since the beginning of the year. They discussed ways to attract and retain both talent and investment in the UK, including apprenticeships, as well as how to boost research and development to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of global competition.

The Council looked ahead to developing and progressing their ideas further before their next meeting later in the year. These discussions will inform work across Whitehall and future engagement with these sectors over the next few months.

Members:

• Dave Lewis, CEO, Tesco (Co-Chair)
• Emma Walmsley, CEO, GlaxoSmithKline (Co-Chair)
• Adam Marshall, Director General, BCC
• Pascal Soirot, CEO, Astra Zeneca
• Gordon Sanghera, CEO, Oxford Nanopore Technologies
• Namal Nawama, CEO, Smith & Nephew
• Sebastian James, SVP, Walgreen Boots Alliance
• Ivan Menezes, CEO, Diageo
• Doug Gurr, UK Country Manager, Amazon
• Steve Murrells, CEO, Co-op
• Alison Brittain, CEO, Whitbread