Glen Moreno
Glen Richard Moreno (born 24 July 1943)[1] is an American businessman. Moreno has worked for several large companies in the United States and the United Kingdom, and worked as acting-chairman of UK Financial Investments Limited which manages the British government's bank shareholdings. He has been Chairman of Virgin Money UK since May 2015.[2]
Glen Moreno | |
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Born | California, United States | 24 July 1943
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Stanford University University of Delhi Harvard Law School |
Early life
Glen Moreno was born in California in 1943.[3] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 1965 and was a Rotary Foundation Fellow at the University of Delhi in 1966.[3] He achieved a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1969.[3]
Career
Moreno worked for 18 years at Citigroup in Europe and Asia, running the investment banking and trading divisions and becoming a group executive.[3][4] Moreno is a director of Fidelity International, chairing its audit committee, and was their chief executive from 1987 to 1991.[3] He is said to be largely responsible for the rapid growth of Fidelity during that period.[5]
In October 2005 Moreno was appointed as Lord Stevenson's replacement as chairman of Pearson PLC, after a 5-month search.[3][6] The shortlist included Charles Gibson Smith, the chairman of the London Stock Exchange.[6] Moreno's appointment came as something of a surprise to the business world as he was not widely known in the United Kingdom and he was described by The Guardian as an "unknown quantity".[4][6] His salary at Pearson was £425,000 per year.[4] Moreno is also a senior independent director of Man Group plc, having been a non-executive director there since 1994, and persuaded the group to co-sponsor the Man Booker Prize for literature.[3][6] He is also a governor of the Ditchley Foundation and a director of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.[3]
Moreno was appointed a non-executive director of UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI), a company established by the British government to manage its shareholding in nationalised (and part-nationalised) banks.[7] He became the acting chairman of the company when Sir Philip Hampton became chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland.[7] During this time Moreno stated that "at no point have I sought the role [of chairman] on a permanent basis".[7] He quit as acting chairman on 11 February 2009 after HM Treasury said that it would appoint a new permanent chairman.[8]
Moreno's period as chairman of UKFI was controversial because until April 2008 he had been a trustee of the Liechtenstein Global Trust (LGT), a private banking and investment group that has been at the centre of an international investigation into alleged tax evasion.[9][10] Moreno had been appointed as a trustee of LGT in 1999, at the same time joining the parent body Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation.[10] Moreno sat on the LGT's development and compensation committee, which determined executive pay, and advised on investment strategy and policy.[10] Moreno was remunerated with a salary of Swiss Fr130,000 (£76,000) per year.[10] He has stated that he had no knowledge of the individual LGT clients.[10] Moreno's continued employment at the head of UKFI was criticised by the Conservative Party due to his links with LGT.[9] Further controversy erupted over Fidelity International's donations to the Conservative Party which have amounted to £495,000 since 1994.[9]
He was appointed as senior independent director of Lloyds Banking Group in February 2010, and Deputy Chairman of the Financial Reporting Council in November 2010.[11]
Personal life
Moreno's wife, sister, mother, and niece are all teachers and he splits his time between his London home and a cattle farm in Virginia, United States.[6][9]
References
- https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03087587/filing-history (see page 13 of 09 Sep 2015 entry)
- Keighley, Tom (2015-05-21). "Glen Moreno takes up chairman seat at Virgin Money". journallive. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
- "Glen Moreno". University of the West of England. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- Milmo, Dan (30 July 2005). "Pearson puts Fidelity man in the chair". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- Sturcke, James (13 February 2009). "Glen Moreno: Financier who changed sides". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- Kane, Frank (31 July 2005). "Pearson gets its man, but who is he?". The Observer. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- Treanor, Jill (12 February 2009). "Another banker leaves government post". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- Porter, Andrew (13 February 2009). "Gordon Brown loses second banking advisor as Glen Moreno quits". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
- Judge, Elizabeth (11 February 2009). "Business big shot: Glen Moreno". The Times. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- Oliver, Jonathon (8 February 2009). "Gordon Brown's bank boss Glen Moreno had links to tax cheats". The Times. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- FRC Board Archived June 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Financial Reporting Council. Retrieved 28 April 2011.