Cridland gets top CBI job

JOHN Cridland has been named as the new director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Mr Cridland, who is the deputy director-general, has been with the CBI since 1982 and is a former deputy chairman of the Learning & Skills Council.

He will take over at the business lobbying group at the end of January when Richard Lambert, who has led the CBI since July 2006, steps down.

The CBI said a long list of 45 candidates, including nine women, was whittled down to 18, before it was narrowed to six contenders – five men and one woman.

Helen Alexander, CBI President, said: “With all eyes on the business community to lead our country’s economic recovery, the role of CBI director-general has never been more important.

“The nomination panel and I were looking for someone with an extraordinary mix of communication, influencing, intellectual and leadership skills.

“We wanted someone with a proven track record, a firm understanding of public policy and a passion for business. The candidate also needed a clear vision of how the CBI needs to work with the Government and wider society to achieve growth and economic stability.

“His motivation, energy and appetite for change meant that John Cridland was, without doubt, the best person for the job.”

Mr Cridland, 49, was educated at Boston Grammar School and has an MA in History from Christ’s College, Cambridge. He joined the CBI as a policy adviser in 1982 and became the CBI’s youngest-ever director in 1991, when he took over the environmental affairs brief. He moved on to human resources policy in 1995, and has been deputy director-general since 2000.