Norman Blackwell, Baron Blackwell

Upon leaving academia Norman commenced employment in 1976 with The Plessey Company,[2] a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company, where he was involved with strategic planning.[2] In 1978 he moved to McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting[2] and from where, in 1986, he was seconded to work, until 1987, for the Conservative government of the United Kingdom. Back at McKinsey's, Blackwell was made a partner in 1984[3] and he remained with the firm until 1995,[2] when a second spell working for a British Conservative Government commenced. That administration's defeat in the 1997 general election saw him again take up private sector employment with National Westminster Bank as director of group development between 1997 and 2000. The new millennium witnessed a change in employment opportunities and he began a new phase in his career as a non-executive director and advisor appointed to a number of public listed companies.

Non-executive director, Lloyds Banking Group plc[4] and at Lloyds Bank Plc since 1 June 2012 and Chairman from April 2014.[5] He was appointed chairman of both Scottish Widows Group Ltd (insurance subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group plc)[4][6] and Scottish Widows plc on 1 September 2012, but stepped down on becoming chairman of parent company Lloyds Banking Group on 3 April 2014.[7]

Lord Blackwell received remuneration of £755,000 as Chairman of Lloyds Banking Group, as detailed in the 2018 annual report. He had no other remunerated employment.[8]

Chairman, Interserve plc, a global support services group[4] since 1 January 2006,[5] having initially joined the board in September 2005.[2] After nine years as Interserve chairman, Lord Blackwell stepped down in early 2016 and was replaced by Glyn Barker.[9]

Non-executive director, Halma plc, which provides specialist technologies for safety, health and environmental protection)[4] since 29 July 2010.[5] He stepped down in 2014, and was replaced by Paul Walker.[10]

Blackwell was a special advisor to KPMG, within its corporate finance division, between 2000 and 2008[2] his role was reported by the Financial News as being "to assist the firm in the development of its corporate finance business with big corporates".[11]

He became non-executive chairman of Akers Biosciences Inc[1] on 8 May 2002, ahead of its stock market listing on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange on 22 May 2002,[12] yet resigned from the board on 28 March 2003, little more than 10 months later.[13]

He served as senior independent non-executive director at Corporate Services Group Plc, a recruitment and employment agency, from December 2000 to 9 June 2006.[5] and as a non-executive director of Dixons Group, a consumer electronics retailer, from 2000 to 2003[2] He was appointed non-executive director at SEGRO Plc, a property investment and development company which later became a real estate investment trust (REIT), from 1 April 2001 to 29 April 2010[5] and was senior independent director from 2005[2] Blackwell became non-executive chairman of Smartstream Technologies Ltd, a financial transaction management business, in 2001 a position he held until 2005[2] He served as a non-executive director of Standard Life Plc from 6 June 2003 to 25 May 2012.[2][5][14] and as senior independent director from 2008 until May 2012.[5]

On 2 October 1997, he was created a life peer as Baron Blackwell, of Woodcote in the County of Surrey.[15] The honour was bestowed upon him as part of the 1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours which marked the May 1997 resignation of Prime Minister John Major, following the Conservative party's defeat in the 1997 general election. He sits in the House of Lords as a lord temporal for the Conservatives.[4][16]

As of 4 April 2013 the United Kingdom Parliament listed Lord Blackwell's participation in the following committees:[4]

In 1983 Blackwell co-authored a pamphlet for the Bow Group the oldest conservative think tank in the United Kingdom. From 2000 to 2012, he was a non-executive board member of the British centre-right policy think tank the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS),[14] whose goal is to promote coherent and practical public policy, to roll back the state, reform public services, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain's independence.[17] Although identified as non-partisan, the Centre has strong historical links to the Conservative Party. He served as chairman of the CPS between 2000 and 2009.[14]

The campaign group Global Vision was launched in March 2007 by Lord Blackwell and Ruth Lea. It purported to be "completely independent and non-partisan." Its website gives its aims as being; "to create a campaign which would offer a refreshing, forward and outward looking alternative to the existing polarised choices of going along with the full European project or pulling out and breaking all ties with our European neighbours. By advocating this middle way, Global Vision promotes a constructive new relationship between the UK and Europe based on free trade and mutually beneficial cooperation, whilst opting out of the process of political and economic integration."[18]

Lord Blackwell published the research paper, "A Blueprint for Renegotiating The UK's EU Relationship" for the campaign. The paper sets out an agenda to safeguard UK powers or, repatriate EU powers in the following areas: foreign and defence policy, legal and judicial, legislative and regulatory, European Court of Justice, EU programmes, trade policy, and free market, so as to create a new relationship between Britain and the EU.[19]

Norman Blackwell was appointed a non-executive board member for The Office of Communications (Welsh: Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau), commonly known as Ofcom, initially for a three-year term, from 1 September 2009.[1][2][4][5] He was subsequently reappointed to serve a second three-year term but stepped down in 2014.[20][21]

Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. He was a member of the Ofcom Content Board, Nominations Committee and Remuneration Committee. He had special non-executive responsibility for postal regulation.[20]

Lord Blackwell received the following emoluments for his public service role in 2010:

[a] for 1–2 days per week[1]

Norman Blackwell served as a non-executive board member for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) from 1 April 2003[4][20] initially for a five-year term,[20] that was subsequently extended upon expiry for a further two years,[22] up to 31 March 2010.[2]

The OFT is a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator. The OFT's goal is to make markets work well for consumers, ensuring vigorous competition between fair-dealing businesses and prohibiting unfair practices such as rogue trading, scams and cartels.[23]

During the period when Lord Blackwell served as a non-executive director of the OFT a company where, at the time, he was also chairman, Interserve plc, became subject to an investigation by the OFT into tender activity in the construction industry prior to him joining the Interserve Board.[24] The investigation was described by the OFT as "one of the largest ever Competition Act investigations".[25] Interserve were found to have engaged in illegal anti-competitive bid rigging activities[26] and were fined a sum of £11,634,750.[27]

Lord Blackwell served as a commissioner of Postcomm, the Postal Services Commission[5][28] a non-ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom charged with overseeing the quality and universal service of post in the United Kingdom.[29] Postcomm was merged into the communications regulator Ofcom on 1 October 2011.