Tag Archives: GB

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News story: Prime Minister Appoints Sir Michael Hintze, Björn Savén, Sir Peter Stothard and Rachel Wang as Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery.

Sir Michael Hintze

Sir Michael is a businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder, chief executive and senior investment officer of CQS, a London-based global multi-strategy asset manager. Prior to establishing CQS, he worked at CSFB, Goldman Sachs and Salomon Brothers, having previously been an electrical design engineer and served as an army officer in the Australia.

In the charitable sector, The Hintze Family Charitable Foundation has provided funding to over 200 charities. Trinity Hospice, the Royal Naval and Royal Marines Charity, the University of Oxford Centre for Astrophysical Surveys, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Old Vic Theatre in London are among those charities which have received support. Michael is a Trustee of the Institute of Economic Affairs, Vice Patron of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, and formally a Trustee of the National Gallery. Michael was made a Papal Knight (a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory) in 2005 and Knight Grand Cross in 2008. In 2009, he and his wife Dorothy received The Prince of Wales Award for Arts Philanthropy. In 2013, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia and in June 2013, Michael was awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his philanthropic services to the arts.

Michael holds a BSc in Physics and Pure Mathematics and a BEng in Electrical Engineering both from the University of Sydney. He also holds an MSc in Acoustics from the University of New South Wales, an MBA from Harvard Business School and received a DBA (honoris) from the University of New South Wales.

Björn Savén

Björn Savén is Chairman of IK Investment Partners Limited. He is also Chairman of IKARE as well as deputy Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in London. He was Chief Executive of IK Investment Partners since it started in 1989 until 2010. Previous corporate roles include twelve years with the Esselte Group (1976-1988) in Sweden, the UK and the USA as well as two years at Gulf Oil (1972-74). Mr Savén holds an MBA from Harvard Business School (1976) and a degree from Stockholm School of Economics (1972).

Björn has held various non-executive directorships including Nordea Bank, Orkla, Alfa-Laval (deputy Chairman), Konecranes (Chairman) and Vattenfall. He was deputy chairman of the Royal Swedish Engineering of Sciences Academy.

Björn currently he serves as a Trustee at Tommy’s (the UK pre-natal care charity) and at the Heart/Lung Foundation of Sweden. He holds honorary doctorates from the Stockholm School of Economics and Business (2010), the Swedish School of Economics and Business in Helsinki (1999), from the Institute of Technology at Lund University (2013) and from the Bulgarian Science Academy (2015) where he is also a fellow. Furthermore, he is an Honorary Fellow at Harris Manchester College at Oxford University where he also holds an M.A.

Sir Peter Stothard

Sir Peter Stothard is an author and former Editor of The Times (1992-2002) and the Times Literary Supplement (2002-16). He was Chair of Judges for the Man Booker Prize for fiction (2012) and holds the President’s Medal of the British Academy (2012). His books include the trilogy of diaries, On the Spartacus Road (2010), Alexandria (2013) and The Senecans (2016). He is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford.

Rachel Wang FRSA

Rachel Wang is an award-winning black British filmmaker with fifteen years experience producing digital content for museums and galleries. Rachel is the founder of Chocolate Films, a video production company based in Battersea where she oversees the production of factual content for a wide range of clients including National Gallery, TATE and Museum of London. Rachel is passionate about exploring portraiture and discovering human stories. She is currently spearheading the largest ever documentary series produced about a city; www.1000Londoners.com is an award-winning web series which comprises 1000 short video portraits of the most diverse range of people who identify themselves with the city. Rachel sits on the panel for Film London’s Film Hub, contributing to policy and strategy for promoting non-mainstream cinema. As a Freeman of the City, she is an active member of the Guild of Entrepreneurs. In July 2017 she is to be presented with an Honorary Degree in from Middlesex University’s Business School. Rachel studied at Bristol University and the College of Law, becoming SFA registered when she worked in the City as a Corporate Financier. Rachel is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery are not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Björn Savén and Rachel Wang have declared that they have not carried out any political activity. Sir Peter Stothard has declared that he canvassed on behalf of the Hampstead and Kilburn Conservative Party candidate during the 2015 General Election. Sir Michael Hintze has declared that he has made recordable donations to the Conservative Party over the last five years – details of which can be obtained from the Electoral Commission website.

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HM Government •

Green Party files complaint over Daily Mail’s ‘Legs-it’ headline

28 March 2017

Amelia Womack, Green Party deputy leader, has submitted a formal complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) over the Daily Mail’s ‘Legs-it’ headline [1].

She accuses the newspaper of breaching the Editors’ Code of Practice by discriminating against Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May because of their gender [2].

Womack said:

“This attempt by the Daily Mail to ignore years of progress by women in politics is utterly pathetic. The paper is deliberately ignoring the struggle women have faced to break into politics even though we now have a female prime minister, first minister and party leaders.

“As a young woman politician I find it absolutely extraordinary that a national newspaper has sunk to this level. Female leaders deserve to be treated with respect, not contempt, and I call on the editor of the Daily Mail to apologise to the Prime Minister and First Minister, and to all of the young women aspiring to be politicians who want to be recognised for their knowledge and achievements, not the shimmer of their legs.”

Notes:

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39416554

2. The full complaint reads:

I wish to make a complaint under the Editors’ Code of Practice relating to the Daily Mail’s coverage on March 28 of a meeting between Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May.

The coverage breaches clause 12 as the women are being discriminated against due to their gender.

To bring the politicians’ appearance into this story is not only entirely irrelevant but incredibly disrespectful.

This headline and the further derogatory comments inside the paper would not have even been considered, let alone published, if the two politicians in question had been men.

Women in the public sphere deserve to be treated with respect and the headline contributes to a wider culture of sexism. It reinforces a fallacy that politics isn’t a place for women, potentially putting off the next generation of leaders and decision makers.

I despair that a national newspaper thinks it is acceptable to pit women against each other in a competition over who is the most attractive.

Please will you consider if this coverage has breached the code and if so, take action against the Daily Mail to ensure this does not happen again.

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Green Party •

Green Party calls for inquiry into death of schoolboy as ‘Hillsborough Law’ Bill reaches Parliament

28 March 2017

The Green Party has joined calls for an independent panel inquiry into the death of seven-year-old Zane Gbangbola, who died in 2014 after his home in Surrey was flooded.

Zane’s family believes he was killed by hydrogen cyanide carried by floodwater from a nearby landfill site, despite the coroner ruling his death was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.

The family was denied legal aid and is now supporting the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill, dubbed the ‘Hillsborough Law’ [1], which will be presented to parliament tomorrow, on March 29.

Caroline Lucas MP, Green Party co-leader, is co-sponsoring the bill.

Zane’s parents Kye Gbangbola and Nicole Lawler are requesting an independent panel of inquiry, as in the Hillsborough inquest, to review all documentation around Zane’s death. More than 30,000 people have signed a petition [2] to support their call.

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, met Kye and Nicole earlier this month.

Bartley said:

“I was struck by Kye and Nicole’s determination and resilience in terrible circumstances. They’ve shown enormous courage to continue fighting for justice in the face of a huge bureaucratic machine and vested interests weighted against them.

“I fully support their call for an inquiry and tomorrow we’ll take an important step forward with this bill reaching parliament. It’s crucial there’s a level playing field for families seeking answers about their loved ones’ deaths.

“The implications of Zane’s death are enormous, not just for his family, but potentially for everyone who lives near a landfill site, particularly as many of these sites are unrecorded. The authorities involved in the investigation must be accountable so we can make sure the truth emerges and that a tragedy like this never happens again.”

Notes:

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/sep/08/hillsborough-law-launched-to-ensure-officials-act-with-candour
  2. https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/call-for-a-public-debate-into-the-death-of-7-year-old-zane?bucket=+via+%4038_degrees
  3. More information about the campaigns are available at http://www.truthaboutzane.com/ and http://www.thehillsboroughlaw.com/.

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Green Party •

News story: Public sector pay awards for 2017-18

Pay awards for armed forces, NHS staff and doctors and dentists set out by government.

The government has today (28 March 2017) set out the pay awards for armed forces, NHS Agenda for Change staff and doctors and dentists in line with the policy of an average 1% pay rise in 2016-17.

The government asked the following Pay Review Bodies to examine how an increase to base pay could be applied in line with the government’s policy of an average of 1% across the workforces:

  • Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body (AFPRB)
  • NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB)
  • Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB)

The government has accepted the recommendations for the armed forces, NHS Agenda for Change staff and doctors and dentists to receive an average of a 1% pay increase.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, said:

It is always important to recognise the amazing work undertaken every day by our armed forces, doctors and dentists and NHS staff. The settlement for these key workforces protects jobs and helps repair the public finances. The OBR has forecast that the current pay policy will protect approximately 200,000 jobs across the UK.

I am pleased that we are able to accept the recommendations of the independent pay review bodies, and I thank them for their work.

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HM Government •

News story: Cancer innovation challenge in Scotland: apply for funding

Organisations can apply for a share of £325,000 to find new ways of recording and integrating data on patient outcomes and experiences.

Up to £325,000 is available to fund the development of innovative technologies that find new ways of integrating data into Scotland-wide healthcare processes. The aim is to improve patient care.

These technologies should record and integrate cancer patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient reported experience measures (PREMs). This will:

  • improve experiences of treatment, care, and personal outcomes
  • explore the clinical and psychosocial impact of new and established cancer treatment
  • make better use of NHS resources by reducing waste and inefficient practices
  • speed up the adoption of new technologies into the NHS through efficient evaluation mechanisms
  • create high value research infrastructure with global reach

This competition has 2 phases. Up to £125,000 (including VAT) is available for phase 1, and up to £200,000 (including VAT) for Phase 2:

  • Phase 1: technical feasibility. Projects should last up to 3 months and range in size up to a total cost of £25,000
  • Phase 2: development and evaluation. Projects should last up to 6 months and range in size up to a total cost of £100,000
  • this competition opens on 31 March 2017
  • you must register before 15 May 2017
  • you must apply by 29 May 2017
  • there will be an information session for potential applicants on 19 April 2017 in Edinburgh (register by 10 April)
  • organisations can carry out the project on their own or work with others

This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition. The Data Lab – funded by the Scottish Funding Council – DHI Scotland and Stratified Medicine Scotland will fund this competition.

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HM Government •