Lord Digby Jones

International Business Speaker

Digby Jones is a highly respected and international speaker and business speaker and the former Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry, the UK’s ‘Voice of Business.

Lord Digby Jones was at the CBI for six and a half years and become a well-known media personality and business spokesman.

Passionate about business Digby campaigned relentlessly on a range of issues including the move from traditional manufacturing of commodities to value-added, innovative products and the development of globally competitive services. He also lobbied against protectionism.

In 2005 he was Knighted for his Services to Business and Charity and became Sir Digby Jones in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.

Digby took on a number of roles in the private sector when he left the CBI in 2006, including being Senior Adviser to the likes of Deloitte, Barclays Captial, and JCB. Other companies he worked for included Ford of Europe, Wragge & Co. Solicitors and Hugh James Solicitors.

He was a Member of the Advisory Board of Thales (UK) Ltd and a Non-Executive Director of Alba plc and i-Clean Systems Ltd. He was also Special Adviser to HRH The Duke of York in connection with his role as the UK Special Representative for International Trade & Investment.

He returned to the public sector when he served as the UK’s Skills Envoy in 2007 before becoming Minister of State for UK Trade & Investment later in the same year.
During his 15 months in Ministerial Office, he made 45 overseas visits, traveling to 31 different countries and meeting with the world’s top business leaders and politicians and was to become a life peer too.

Nowadays Digby runs his own Business, Digby Jones LLP and advises in many paid and unpaid roles. He serves as Non-Executive Chairman of Triumph Motorcycles Ltd, Thatcher’s Cider Ltd, Elonex Ltd, ProBuild 360 Ltd, Argentex LLP and On Logistics Ltd and is a Non-Executive Director of Leicester Tigers plc. He is Corporate Ambassador to Aon Risk Solutions. Digby is Chairman of the Advisory Board of X-Force (the Social Enterprise helping Veterans into self-employment), and he is a Member of the South Warwickshire Multi Academy Trust. He sits in the House of Lords as a non-aligned Crossbench Peer.
He presented the BBC Radio 4 programme ‘The Business Covenant’ in 2015 and in 2017 Digby published his second book titled ‘Fixing Business – Making Profitable Business Work for the Good of All.’

SPEAKING TOPICS

Digby is one of the world’s most acclaimed business and political commentators and entertains and inspires audiences around the world, with his memorable, bespoke presentations at conferences, seminars, and dinners.

Highly original, Digby has a wide range of corporate and public sector clients who value his innovative thinking and his ability to unify audiences with his captivating and unique
personal style.

Topics can be adapted to suit clients’ individual needs but range from –

• Insightful and topical views on the world’s economies;
• The changing face of business in the 21st century;
• Ongoing political issues of the day