Bob Wigley Bsc, DBA (Hon), FCA
Bob is Chairman of Yell Group plc, Expansys PLC and of Sovereign Reversions plc and is an investor and entrepreneur. He is an investor in several technology, property, restaurant, medical equipment and jewellery businesses and on the Advisory Board of the venture capital firm Bluegem LLP and is the European Financial Services 0perating partner of the venture capital firm Advent International. He is Deputy Chairman of Business in the Community (the UK’s leading corporate social responsibility organization). He is Chairman of the National Education Employer Partnership Taskforce, an independent body which is seeking to establish an effective education business partnership in every school in the UK. He is Chairman of the Green Investment Bank Commission and on the International Advisory Council of the International Centre for Financial Regulation. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Cranfield School of Management’s Doughty Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, the Advisory Council of Business for New Europe and is a Visiting Fellow of Oxford University and Chairman of Oxford University’s Centre for Corporate Reputation. In 2008, he chaired a panel of leading London financial services company CEO’s for the incoming Mayor of London, Boris Johnson producing a major report on how to maintain London’s competitiveness in global terms for the decade ahead and now sits on the Mayor’s Panel of Economic Advisers and the Advisory Council of TheCityUK. He is an Ambassador for the children’s mobility charity, Whizz-kidz, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and is Master of the Court of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and has a business degree and an honorary doctorate from Bath University. He is Executive Producer of a major feature film “Bomber” being shot in 2010. He is married with three children.
In January, 2009, Bob resigned as Chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe, Middle East and Africa following the completion of the takeover by Bank of America. Since 2004, Bob had chaired Merrill Lynch’s EMEA Region Executive Committee and sat on Merrill Lynch’s Global Operating Committee and Client Coverage Council. During this time, he was a member of the Senior Practitioner Committee of the Financial Services Authority, the FSA’s nominated representative on the Market Consultative Panel of the Council of European Securities Regulators, sat on the boards of LCH.Clearnet plc (Chairing its nomination committee) and Euroclear plc (and its strategy committee), was a member of the Chancellor’s “wise men” group representing key financial stakeholders in London, was a member of the Chairman’s Committee of the London Investment Banking Association, a member of the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers (and its remuneration committee) and on the EU Advisory Panel of the London Corporation. Previous roles at Merrill Lynch included Chairman of European Investment Banking, Global Head of Telecoms, Media and Technology Investment Banking, Head of UK Investment Banking and Head of Corporate Broking.
Between 2006 and 2009, Bob was a member of the Court of the Bank of England and of its Risk policy and Audit Committees, prior to which he was a Non Executive Director of Royal Mail Group plc and Chairman of its Audit Committee for 3 years. Previous roles included being a Trustee of Terence Conran’s Design Museum for 7 years and a Trustee of Whizz-kidz for 6 years. Following a period sitting on the National Council for Education Excellence under Gordon Browns government, he authored a report for the Prime Minister on how to improve school governance using lessons from the corporate world
