Winston Churchill’s grandson launches charm offensive to save ‘the voice of business’
Sir Winston Churchill’s grandson has launched a charm offensive to revive the crisis-hit Confederation of British Industry (CBI) as he takes over as president of the lobby group.
City sources said that boardroom veteran Rupert Soames has sent letters out to influential industry figures inviting them to share their thoughts on the organisation after it was rocked by sexual misconduct claims and an exodus of corporate members last year.
The former Serco chief executive is aiming to have “personal conversations” with top executives over the coming weeks to drum up support and hear what they think his game plan should be.
“You can imagine he’s got a pretty good contacts book. Most importantly in an election year he wants to know what the CBI should be doing, what it stands for and what it should focus on,” said a City source aware of his plans.
“What comes out of this will define what comes next.”
Mr Soames, who has also previously led power supplier Aggreko and is the chairman of medical device company Smith & Nephew, admitted while still at outsourcing giant Serco that he has a “horrible habit of walking towards gunfire” when it came to jobs.
The brother of Tory grandee Lord Soames, he is set to formally take on the role after the CBI’s annual meeting in June.
His appointment at the CBI comes as the UK’s self-styled “voice of business” battles to rebuild its reputation following a misconduct scandal which triggered an exodus of high-profile members such as Natwest, John Lewis and Aviva.
Outgoing CBI president Brian McBride suggested just after the sexual misconduct allegations that the organisation could be beyond saving.
However, the CBI survived a crunch vote on its future last June after businesses were asked to decide whether they still had confidence in it.
In his early 20s, Mr Soames was a regular DJ at Mayfair nightclub Annabel’s, earning about £10,000 a year while still a student before starting his corporate career at General Electric.
He has been known to farm cattle and sheep in his spare time, as well as look after his pet goats.
A CBI spokesman said: “It is only natural that Rupert – as the CBI’s new president – should spend time listening to their views and hearing what they believe to be the key priorities for strengthening the UK’s business environment and economy overall.”
