New Met Office chair appointed
The Met Office’s objective is the provision of weather and climate services that help Government, the public and commercial customers achieve…
The Met Office’s objective is the provision of weather and climate services that help Government, the public and commercial customers achieve their goals through enabling protection, increasing prosperity and improving well-being.
Business Minister Norman Lamb, said:
“I welcome Greg to his post in what is a significant time for our trading funds and improving access to open data.
“Greg will be an important figurehead for the next chapter of the Met Office in maintaining its superb reputation and delivering vital data to Government, businesses, armed forces and the general public.”
Chair of the Met Office, Greg Clarke said:
“It is a privilege to be selected to be the next Chair of the Met Office, which is without doubt a world-class organisation. I look forward to working with the board, management and staff in shaping the Met Office to meet the challenges posed by climate, weather and the international economic situation in the coming years.”
Chief Executive of the Met Office, John Hirst, said:
“I’m very much looking forward to working with Greg whose interest in science, and proven leadership in fast moving, technology driven environments will be a great asset to his role of Chair with the Met Office.
“It is with great thanks that I mark the retirement of Robert Napier as Chairman of the Met Office Board after serving two full terms. Robert has offered the Met Office leadership and counsel over six years of challenging and successful times, and we wish him every success for the future.”
The role of Chair of the Met Office is key for the organisation. The Chair, working with the Board of the Met Office, supports and advises the Chief Executive of the Met Office, and the broader executive team, in developing and growing the services that the Met Office delivers, and the science that underpins these services.
The Chair also provides crucial support to the executive team in the Met Office’s interactions with its stakeholders. In doing so, the Chair seeks to enable the Met Office to be recognised as the best weather and climate service in the world.
**Notes to editors
**1. Greg Clarke’s appointment to the Met Office is for three years running from 1 September 2012 and his fee will be £40,000 per annum.
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Greg is highly experienced with a number of high profile roles for example as chairman of the Football League, and formerly as CEO of Cable and Wireless Communication PLC.
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Greg Clarke worked for a number of multinational corporations around the Globe before becoming Chief Executive of Cable and Wireless Communications PLC, a FTSE 20 Company, in 1999 following a number of years as Chief Operating Officer. From 2002 to 2009 he served as Chief Executive of Lend Lease Corporation an ASX 50 company headquartered in Sydney Australia. He returned to the UK in April 2010 to become Chairman of The Football League. He has served as a non executive director of a number of organisations including BUPA, One2One (now T-Mobile) and MTN in South Africa. Greg has an honours degree in Business Studies and an MBA from Cass Business School in London.
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On 28 June 2012 BIS announced the new chairs for the Public Data Group and Data Strategy Board responsible for maximising the value of public sector data, and making it more accessible and transparent.
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The Government’s economic policy objective is to achieve ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.’ It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ (PDF 1.7MB), published at Budget 2011:
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To create the most competitive tax system in the G20
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To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business
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To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy
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To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.
Work is underway across Government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the Government wants the economy to travel.
- BIS’s online newsroom contains the latest press notices and speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See [http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom](http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom) for more information.
Notes to Editors
Contact Information
Name BIS Press Office Job Title
Division Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Phone
Fax
Mobile
Email bispress.releases@bis.gsi.gov.uk
Name Ed Smith Job Title
Division Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Phone 020 7215 5945 Fax
Mobile
Email ed.smith@bis.gsi.gov.uk